Those needing to take the Florida Pesticide Applicator Licensing Exam may now do so online as well as in person.
Those in The Sunshine State looking to apply pesticides must pass the Florida Pesticide Applicator Licensing Exam, and those who are already licensed must renew the license either through gaining Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) or by retaking the test every four years. Those individuals now have the option of taking the exam online, which is in addition to an in-person option. See the details below.
Taking the Florida Pesticide Applicator Licensing Exam Online
The Florida Pesticide Applicator Licensing Exam is offered through a partnership between the UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Those needing to take the exam can do so in person, or they can now take the exam online, according to a UF/IFAS blog. Brett Bultemeier, a UF/IFAS Extension assistant professor of agronomy explained all of the benefits of taking the exam online in the blog.
“We hope this online option will save applicators both time and money. When you factor in travel time and testing time, a pesticide applicator may spend half a day or more to sit for an in-person exam. That’s time they could be spending working or growing their business. The online option will allow them to take the test on a rainy day or outside working hours,” he said in the blog.
Additionally, taking the exam online can be beneficial for some test-takers. “Taking the test online can also cut down on testing anxiety, as applicators can take the test from a quiet office or area in their home, rather than among 15 other people,” he said in the blog.
Five exams are currently available online, according to the blog: Core, Private Applicator, Aquatics, Right-of-Way, Ornamental, and Turf. However, there are plans in the works to add all of the other exams to the online format in 2022. To discourage cheating, the online exams utilize software that ensures that exam takers are “not consulting the internet, books or study guides while taking the exam.”
More information can be found at the UF/IFAS Pesticide Exam website
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