3.3 CORE Course, 40-Hour OJT, and Minimum Applications
Key Takeaways
- N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)1 requires a Department-approved basic CORE training course covering eight topics—equipment, hazards, mixing, PPE, container disposal/decontamination, State and Federal law, label interpretation, and IPM—before the Core exam.
- The CORE course is not the Core exam; Rutgers OCPE currently offers a 4-hour NJDEP-approved class, the exam is registered separately in PACER, and the commercial study text is Rutgers Core Pesticide Training, June 2009.
- Each category exam generally requires 40 hours of on-the-job training that includes the N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)2ii minimum applications (15 for 3A, 3B, 3C, and 7A; 6 for 7B; 10 for Category 11 aerial).
- Categories 10 and 13 are exempt from that 40-hour OJT rule; Category 11 requires aerial OJT only, and those 40 aerial hours also satisfy the OJT proof needed to sit other category exams.
- OJT application records must be signed by the responsible certified applicator and the applicant, kept 3 years, and submitted with the exam application; the responsible applicator must be present whenever the trainee actually applies pesticides.
3.3 CORE Course, 40-Hour OJT, and Minimum Applications
Quick Answer: Sit Core only after a Department-approved CORE training course covering the eight topics in N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)1. Sit a category exam only after 40 hours of OJT that include that category’s minimum applications, unless you are in Category 10 or 13 (OJT-exempt) or Category 11 (aerial OJT only). The Rutgers Core Pesticide Training manual (June 2009) is the commercial Core study text; the CORE class is not the exam.
New Jersey will not let a brand-new commercial candidate walk into PACER with a purchased manual and nothing else. N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b) splits training into two proofs that must be submitted to the examination provider with the exam application: a basic training course for Core, and on-the-job practical training for a category.
The CORE Course Is Not the Core Exam
N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)1 is mandatory for a first-time Core candidate: submit proof of completion of a Department-approved basic training course that provides a working knowledge, at a minimum, of all eight of the following:
| # | Required CORE-course topic (7:30-6.2(b)1) |
|---|---|
| i | Proper use of application equipment |
| ii | Potential hazards involved in applying pesticides |
| iii | Instruction for mixing pesticides for particular circumstances |
| iv | Protective clothing and safety equipment required during handling and application |
| v | General precautions for container disposal and for cleaning and decontamination of equipment |
| vi | Applicable State and Federal pesticide laws and regulations |
| vii | How to correctly interpret pesticide label and labeling information |
| viii | Principles of integrated pest management (IPM) |
If a provider’s outline drops IPM, label interpretation, or container decontamination, it is not the course 7:30-6.2(b)1 describes. Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education currently offers a 4-hour, NJDEP-approved CORE Basic Pesticide Training Program (in-person in New Brunswick as of the 2026 listings). Rutgers states in plain language that this is not the CORE exam and that candidates must register for the exam separately through PACER. Other Department-approved providers exist; the legal test is the eight-topic syllabus, not the brand name on the certificate.
PACER’s Core-exam paperwork accepts the Basic Pesticide Training Class Completion Certificate, or a current Pesticide Operator license, or a recently expired Applicator license. Recertification applicants whose license expired less than two years ago may submit the expired license instead of retaking the basic CORE class; two or more years unlicensed means the class must be taken again. Private applicators remain outside this CORE-class mandate—they study the Private manual and sit one exam—but that is a different license.
The commercial Core study text is the Rutgers Core Pesticide Training manual, revision June 2009, sold through County Cooperative Extension and Rutgers PAT. Category exams are derived from the matching category manuals. Closed-book items still come from those texts plus the 40 CFR 171 and N.J.A.C. 7:30 overlay. Completing the 4-hour class does not replace studying the June 2009 Core manual.
Forty Hours of OJT and the Minimum-Application Table
N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)2 is the category gate. To sit a category examination, the applicant shall complete a minimum of 40 hours of “on-the-job” practical training sufficient to perform the functions of the pesticide applications the applicant is expected to make. NJDEP describes this as 40 hours of OJT for each category. Inside those hours the applicant must also be instructed on recognition of pests, their biology, and signs of infestation (7:30-6.2(b)2i).
7:30-6.2(b)2ii then requires the applicant to witness or perform at least the minimum number of pesticide applications during the 40 hours, in each category of work for which the applicant is trained:
| Category | Minimum applications |
|---|---|
| 1A Plant | 5 |
| 1B Animals | 2 |
| 2 Forest | 2 |
| 3A Ornamental | 15 |
| 3B Turf | 15 |
| 3C Interior plantscaping | 15 |
| 4 Seed treatment | 2 |
| 5 Aquatic | 5 |
| 6A General vegetation management | 10 |
| 6B Right of Way | 5 |
| 7A General and household | 15 |
| 7B Termites and other wood-destroying pests | 6 |
| 7C Fumigation | 2 |
| 7D Food manufacturing and processing | 5 |
| 7E Wood preserving | 2 |
| 7F Antifoulants | 2 |
| 8A General public health | 15 |
| 8B Mosquito | 5 |
| 8C Campground | 5 |
| 8D Cooling water | 2 |
| 8E Sewer root | 2 |
| 8F Pet grooming | 15 |
| 9 Regulatory | 5 |
| 11 Aerial | 10 |
| 12A Water sanitization | 10 |
| 12B Sterilization | 15 |
Categories 10 and 13 do not appear on that table because they are exempt from this OJT rule. Landscape and structural candidates should burn in the 15-application cluster: 3A, 3B, 3C, and 7A. Sitting both 3A and 3B means 40 hours and 15 ornamental applications for 3A and 40 hours and 15 turf applications for 3B—not one shared 40-hour block that magically covers both codes.
7:30-6.2(b)2v is the field-safety rule: a responsible certified and licensed pesticide applicator shall be present during any part of the OJT that requires the applicant to apply pesticides. Witnessing an application still counts toward the minimum, but if the trainee’s hand is on the trigger, the responsible applicator is physically there. Proof is records of application signed by both the responsible applicator and the applicant (or another Department-approved record). Those records shall be kept a minimum of three years and shall be immediately available to NJDEP (7:30-6.2(b)2iii). Proof of the required training is submitted with the application for examination (7:30-6.2(b)2iv and (b)5).
Categories 10, 11, and 13: OJT Exceptions
Do not apply the 40-hour table blindly to the special categories.
- N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)6 exempts Categories 10 and 11 from “the training requirements above” because related-category training is required instead (see 7:30-6.3(a)10 and 11). Rutgers PAT states the operational rule in current language: Category 10 Demonstration & Research and Category 13 IPM in Schools are exempt from the category on-the-job training requirements. 7:30-6.2(b)8 and 7:30-6.3(a)13ii confirm Category 13 is not subject to the minimum-application table, because the applicant must already pass the related use category.
- Category 11 is the aerial exception, not a total OJT holiday. 7:30-6.2(b)7 says Category 11 requires training in aerial pest control only and is exempt from the 40-hour training requirements in the other categories. The 40 hours of aerial training serve as sufficient proof to file an application to take any other category exam. 7:30-6.3(a)11 repeats that the 40 hours required by 6.2 will be required for Category 11 only. If every application is aerial, you do not stack a second 40-hour ground-OJT block for 1A or 5; you still sit the related exam.
When 40-Hour OJT Is Unavailable
N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)3 applies only if OJT is unavailable for reasons the examination provider deems sufficient. The applicant may then:
- Arrange an internship of 40 hours with a Department-approved trainer, company, or school; or
- Complete a Department-approved category training course covering pest biology, identification, signs of infestation, and category-specific techniques sufficient to meet the OJT objectives; or
- Submit an affidavit attesting to one year of work experience in the desired category (application records or an employer’s written statement), available to NJDEP on request.
PACER and the NJDEP commercial-applicator page control the live Option A substitute-course list: Department-approved category training in lieu of 40-hour OJT is currently offered for 3A, 3B, 7A, 7B, or 8B (mosquito). 8D is cooling-water pest control and is not on that Option A list (its OJT minimum remains 2 applications, separate from 8B mosquito = 5). A Rutgers trainers page has still listed 8D; treat PACER/NJDEP as controlling. The Code itself does not limit substitute courses to those five codes—the course must be Department-approved and must actually teach the biology and techniques 7:30-6.2(b)3ii names.
If even the 40-hour OJT or a 40-hour internship is unavailable, 7:30-6.2(b)4 lets the examination provider waive (b)2 and (b)3 and accept a Department-approved correspondence course or online interactive computer course. That is a last-resort provider decision, not a candidate’s first choice.
Worked path for a new ornamental/turf hire: complete a Department-approved CORE class (eight topics) → study the June 2009 Core manual → pass Core. Meanwhile, log 40 hours + 15 ornamental applications under a present, licensed 3A applicator and 40 hours + 15 turf applications under a present, licensed 3B applicator (or take the current Department-approved 3A/3B courses if OJT is unavailable and the provider agrees). Keep dual-signed records three years. Pass 3A and 3B within 12 months of the first exam passed. Then file the NJDEP license application. A Category 13 school add-on later needs the 13 exam and the related use category, not another 40-hour OJT block for 13 itself.
Which list matches the minimum CORE-course topics required by N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)1 before a candidate may sit the Core exam?
During 40-hour OJT, how many pesticide applications must a candidate witness or perform for Categories 3A, 3B, 3C, and 7A under N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)2ii?
Which commercial categories are exempt from the 40-hour on-the-job training and minimum-application table in N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)2?
A pilot completes 40 hours of aerial OJT for Category 11 and will also sit the related Category 1A exam. What additional OJT does N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.2(b)7 require for the 1A exam?