1.3 Certification Categories, the Core Exam (Category A) & Aerial (Category B)

1.3 Certification Categories, the Core Exam (Category A) & Aerial (Category B)

To ensure that commercial and noncommercial pesticide applicators possess technical competence tailored to specific operating environments, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) administers a category-based certification system authorized by Minnesota Statutes 18B.35. That section directs the commissioner to establish categories consistent with the federal competency standards in 40 CFR 171.101 and 171.105, and states plainly that each category is subject to separate testing procedures and requirements. It also guarantees that a licensee may not be charged an additional fee for adding a category.

The foundation of the entire framework is the Core Exam, designated Category A. Every commercial, noncommercial, and structural applicant must pass Category A plus at least one additional category exam. Aerial applicators must pass Category A, Category B (General Aerial), and at least one other category.

---

Study Materials: The Two Manuals the Core Exam Is Built On

Minnesota does not publish a percentage-weighted content outline for Category A. Instead, the MDA points candidates to two manuals sold through the University of Minnesota Extension Pesticide Manual Store, and the Core exam is drawn from them:

Applicators testing in Minnesota generally need both manuals, plus the manual for each specific category they intend to add.

---

Exam Format & Administration Policies

All MDA pesticide applicator certification examinations are administered under uniform proctoring rules:

1. 70% Passing Score: A passing score is 70% or better for commercial, noncommercial, and structural applicator exams. (The separate Commercial Animal Waste Technician exams use an 80% standard and are open book — they are a different program.)
2. Closed Book, Monitored: Minnesota Statutes 18B.33, subd. 4 and 18B.34, subd. 3 require the commissioner to administer a closed-book, monitored examination. Reference materials, manuals, notes, and study guides may not be used during testing.
3. Primarily Multiple Choice; No Explanations: Questions are primarily multiple choice. Proctors will not explain questions or answers.
4. A Calculator Is Provided: This is a frequently misunderstood rule. Personal calculators are not allowed in the testing room — the testing site provides one. Because the Core exam includes calibration and rate arithmetic, plan on doing that math with the supplied calculator and scratch paper rather than a phone or your own device.
5. No Electronic Devices: Cell phones and other electronic devices are prohibited and must be surrendered to the test proctor during check-in. Testers are monitored, and a session that is stopped for failure to follow directions is scored as zero.
6. Exam Length: The Core, Structural Journeyman, Structural Master, and Noncommercial Structural exams run two hours; other category exams run one hour. Average completion time is roughly half the allotted time.
7. Languages: Exams are offered in English or Spanish. A Spanish exam must be requested from Pesticide.Testing@state.mn.us no later than seven days before the exam, and Spanish exams are not available at every testing location. Independently reading and understanding printed English or Spanish is an essential eligibility requirement, so no accommodation permits another person to read the exam aloud to the candidate.
8. ADA Accommodations: Requests must be documented in writing and submitted at least seven days before the exam date to Pesticide.Testing@state.mn.us. The MDA notifies the candidate whether the accommodation is approved before the exam date.
9. Retake Limit: A person may take an exam three (3) times within the licensure period.
10. Scoring: Electronic tests are scored immediately with results provided on the spot; paper answer sheets are mailed to the St. Paul office for scoring.

Fees First: Application and renewal fees must be paid before testing, and they are non-transferable and nonrefundable. Bring your online application confirmation number, renewal receipt, or completed application with payment (county partners only), plus a driver's license or other valid government photo ID. Some testing sites charge their own facility administration fee.

---

Category A: The Core Exam

The MDA describes Category A (Core) as "basic principles of pesticide regulation and application; required for all licensed applicators." Drawing on the A-1 and A-2 manuals, expect items across these domains:

1. Pesticide Laws & Regulations: FIFRA and its label mandate, the Worker Protection Standard, DOT and OSHA requirements, and Minnesota Statutes Chapters 18B, 18C, 18D and 103H.
2. Label Comprehension: Brand names, ingredient statements, signal words (DANGER-POISON, DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION), precautionary statements, PPE, restricted-entry intervals, pre-harvest intervals, and environmental hazard statements.
3. Pesticide Safety & Toxicology: Acute and chronic toxicity, LD50 and LC50, routes of entry, heat stress, and first aid.
4. Environmental Protection: Particle drift versus vapor drift, droplet size spectra, wind and inversion conditions, groundwater vulnerability, pollinator and endangered species protection.
5. Application Equipment, Calibration & IPM: Nozzle selection, spray pressure, ground speed, calibration and rate math, tank mixing, and integrated pest management decision-making.

---

Category B: Aerial Applicator Requirements

Category B (General Aerial) covers pesticide application by aircraft, including unmanned aircraft. Aerial work sits under two regulators at once:

• Federal Aviation Administration: A pilot must hold the appropriate FAA pilot certificate and operate under (or be employed by the holder of) an FAA Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate.
• Minnesota: The applicator must pass Category A (Core), Category B (General Aerial), and at least one other category, and Minn. Stat. 18B.33, subd. 4(b) adds that aerial applicators must also fulfill the applicable aircraft requirements of Minnesota Statutes Chapter 360.

Operationally, aerial applicators face the tightest drift-management expectations in the state: label wind-speed maximums, a prohibition on applying during temperature inversions, buffers around sensitive sites and public waters, and detailed application records.

---

The Minnesota Category List

Minnesota's category codes are not sequential, and two letters commonly guessed on practice tests — D and G — do not exist in Minnesota. Category M is available only under a noncommercial license, and Category S (Noncommercial Structural) is likewise noncommercial-only. The Structural Pest Control Applicator license is separate from commercial/noncommercial licensing and uses Journeyman/Master designations rather than letter categories.

---

Renewal & Recertification

Passing an exam earns certification; keeping the license requires annual renewal plus periodic recertification.

• Annual Renewal: Commercial and noncommercial licenses expire December 31. The renewal application and $50 fee must be filed for the next calendar year.
• The March 1 Penalty: This is the date candidates most often miss. Under Minn. Stat. 18B.33, subd. 7(b) and 18B.34, subd. 5(c), a renewal application received after March 1 of the year for which the license is to be issued carries a penalty fee of 50 percent of the application fee, which must be paid before the renewal license is issued.
• The 12-Month Grace Window: An applicator may renew within 12 months after expiration without having to meet initial testing requirements. Beyond that window, the applicator is back to initial testing.
• Recertification Cadence: Depending on the application category, the commissioner may require a recertification workshop once per year, once every two years, or once every three years. A workshop must meet or exceed the 40 CFR part 171 competency standards, and those standards are published on the MDA website.
• Failure to Attend a Workshop: If the commissioner requires workshop attendance and the applicator does not attend, the commissioner may require the applicator to pass a re-examination instead. An applicator who recertifies by re-examination pays the equivalent workshop fee.
• History of Violations: The commissioner may demand an additional demonstration of qualification from an applicator whose license has been suspended or revoked, or who has a history of Chapter 18B violations.

---

Who to Contact