1 | Page
OH PESTICIDE CERTIFICATION – CORE
2026 UPDATED ACTUAL EXAM WITH
CORRECT
SOLUTIONS.
A pest can be anything that:
a. Competes with humans, domestic animals or desirable
plants for food or water
b. Injures humans, animals, desirable plants, structures, or
possessions
c. Spreads disease to humans, domestic animals, wildlife, or
desirable plants
d. Annoys
e. All of thehuman
above or domestic
- correct animals
answer- E. A pest can be anything
that annoys, injures, spreads disease or competes with desired
plants, animals, or humans. Examples of pests include weeds,
insects, fungi, bacteria, mites and nematodes
One requirement for effective pest control is:
a. Identification of the pest to be controlled
b. New spray equipment
c. Using more than the recommended dosage
d. Spraying only the field margin - correct answer- A. Identifying
the pest is the first step. Additionally, it is necessary to know
what control methods are available; evaluate the benefits and
risks of each method or combination of methods; choose the
methods that are most effective and will cause the least harm
,2 | Page
to people and the environment; use each method correctly; and
observe local, state, and federal regulations that apply to the
situation.
A pest-control method should be used only when that method
will cost less than the expected value of a loss from the pest.
a. True
b. False - correct answer- A. Even though a pest is present, it
may not do very much harm. It could cost more to control the
pest than to allow the damage to occur. The point at which the
cost of the damage exceeds the cost of the control is the
"economic threshold."
Successful pest control is based on the ability to:
a. Eradicate all pests
b. Use pesticides whenever pests are identified
c. Contaminate the environment
d. None of the above - correct answer- D. The best answer
should be to: 1) keep pest damage to a minimum by choosing
an appropriate combination of control methods, 2) recognize
when direct action is necessary, and 3) endanger the
environment as little as possible
Which of the following is NOT a pest control goal?
a. Prevention - keeping a pest from becoming a problem
,3 | Page
b. Suppression - reducing pest numbers to an acceptable level
c. Eradication - destroying an entire pest population
d. All of the above are possible goals - correct answer- D.
Prevention and suppression are common goals. Eradication is
a difficult goal to achieve, especially in outdoor areas, but may
be attempted when a foreign pest has been introduced into an
area (e.g. gypsy moth, Mediterranean fruit fly, etc.). Eradication
is a more common goal in indoor areas.
The strategy of combining pest control tactics into a single plan
to reduce pests and their damage to an acceptable level is
called:
a. Holistic Resource Management Plan
b. Biological Control
c. Best Management Practices
d. Integrated Pest Management - correct answer- D. Biological
control is a tactic of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is
one component of a holistic resource management plan and is
an example of a Best Management Practice.
When the level of a pest population reaches the stage where
pest control action should be taken, you are at the:
a. Scouting stage
b. Monitoring stage
c. Threshold stage
, 4 | Page
d. Pesticide application stage - correct answer- C. Thresholds
maybe based on aesthetic, health, or economic considerations.
Action thresholds have been determined for many pests.
Which of the following is NOT an example of a control tactic?
a. Pesticide resistance - the ability of a pest to resist pesticide
control measures
b. Biological control - using natural predators to control pests
c. Cultural controls - such as crop rotation, date of planting,
cultivation, etc.
d. Chemical control - the use of pesticides - correct answer- A.
Do not confuse pest resistance with host resistance. Some
plants and animals resist pests better than others
The ability of a pest to resist or avoid poisoning from a pesticide
even when it has been properly applied is called:
a. Efficacy
b. Pesticide resistance
c. Dormancy
d. Antagonism - correct answer- B. Each time a pesticide is
used, it selectively kills the most susceptible pests. Some pests
are able to withstand its effects. These pests may be able to
pass along this trait to their offspring. Continued use of the
same pesticide may allow the resistant offspring to multiply.
This phenomenon is known as pesticide resistance.
OH PESTICIDE CERTIFICATION – CORE
2026 UPDATED ACTUAL EXAM WITH
CORRECT
SOLUTIONS.
A pest can be anything that:
a. Competes with humans, domestic animals or desirable
plants for food or water
b. Injures humans, animals, desirable plants, structures, or
possessions
c. Spreads disease to humans, domestic animals, wildlife, or
desirable plants
d. Annoys
e. All of thehuman
above or domestic
- correct animals
answer- E. A pest can be anything
that annoys, injures, spreads disease or competes with desired
plants, animals, or humans. Examples of pests include weeds,
insects, fungi, bacteria, mites and nematodes
One requirement for effective pest control is:
a. Identification of the pest to be controlled
b. New spray equipment
c. Using more than the recommended dosage
d. Spraying only the field margin - correct answer- A. Identifying
the pest is the first step. Additionally, it is necessary to know
what control methods are available; evaluate the benefits and
risks of each method or combination of methods; choose the
methods that are most effective and will cause the least harm
,2 | Page
to people and the environment; use each method correctly; and
observe local, state, and federal regulations that apply to the
situation.
A pest-control method should be used only when that method
will cost less than the expected value of a loss from the pest.
a. True
b. False - correct answer- A. Even though a pest is present, it
may not do very much harm. It could cost more to control the
pest than to allow the damage to occur. The point at which the
cost of the damage exceeds the cost of the control is the
"economic threshold."
Successful pest control is based on the ability to:
a. Eradicate all pests
b. Use pesticides whenever pests are identified
c. Contaminate the environment
d. None of the above - correct answer- D. The best answer
should be to: 1) keep pest damage to a minimum by choosing
an appropriate combination of control methods, 2) recognize
when direct action is necessary, and 3) endanger the
environment as little as possible
Which of the following is NOT a pest control goal?
a. Prevention - keeping a pest from becoming a problem
,3 | Page
b. Suppression - reducing pest numbers to an acceptable level
c. Eradication - destroying an entire pest population
d. All of the above are possible goals - correct answer- D.
Prevention and suppression are common goals. Eradication is
a difficult goal to achieve, especially in outdoor areas, but may
be attempted when a foreign pest has been introduced into an
area (e.g. gypsy moth, Mediterranean fruit fly, etc.). Eradication
is a more common goal in indoor areas.
The strategy of combining pest control tactics into a single plan
to reduce pests and their damage to an acceptable level is
called:
a. Holistic Resource Management Plan
b. Biological Control
c. Best Management Practices
d. Integrated Pest Management - correct answer- D. Biological
control is a tactic of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is
one component of a holistic resource management plan and is
an example of a Best Management Practice.
When the level of a pest population reaches the stage where
pest control action should be taken, you are at the:
a. Scouting stage
b. Monitoring stage
c. Threshold stage
, 4 | Page
d. Pesticide application stage - correct answer- C. Thresholds
maybe based on aesthetic, health, or economic considerations.
Action thresholds have been determined for many pests.
Which of the following is NOT an example of a control tactic?
a. Pesticide resistance - the ability of a pest to resist pesticide
control measures
b. Biological control - using natural predators to control pests
c. Cultural controls - such as crop rotation, date of planting,
cultivation, etc.
d. Chemical control - the use of pesticides - correct answer- A.
Do not confuse pest resistance with host resistance. Some
plants and animals resist pests better than others
The ability of a pest to resist or avoid poisoning from a pesticide
even when it has been properly applied is called:
a. Efficacy
b. Pesticide resistance
c. Dormancy
d. Antagonism - correct answer- B. Each time a pesticide is
used, it selectively kills the most susceptible pests. Some pests
are able to withstand its effects. These pests may be able to
pass along this trait to their offspring. Continued use of the
same pesticide may allow the resistant offspring to multiply.
This phenomenon is known as pesticide resistance.
