Certified Pool Operator Handbook Practice Test – 2023 (A+
Graded Solutions)
1. You operate a 120,000-gallon pool, and upon performing your hourly chemical tests you
observe the following readings: Total Available Chlorine reading is 1.6 free available chlorine
reading is 1.5 pH is 7.4 Your supervising lifeguard has just informed you that you have had a
fecal incident occur; a solid stool has been discharged into the pool. According to the Centers for
Disease Control, as the CPO, you should do the following: correct answers clear the pool and
raise the free chlorine to 2 ppm
2. Assuming that your local health department requires you to raise the free chlorine to 5 ppm,
how much sodium hypochlorite would be needed to raise the free chlorine in the pool in question
#1 to that level? correct answers 3.5 gallons
3. You are the CPO for an indoor health club pool. The facility manager informs you that he is
receiving complaints about a strong chlorine odor in the pool area, and several members have
complained of eye irritation. The most likely cause of these complaints is: correct answers high
levels of chloramines in the pool
4. To determine the level of chloramines in the water, you should do which of the following?
correct answers test for total chlorine and free chlorine, then subtract the free chlorine number
from the total chlorine
5. You operate a 45,000 gallon indoor pool, and upon doing your hourly chemical tests you
observe the following readings:Total available chlorine is 2.2 Free available chlorine is 1.4 and
pH is 7.6 What is the level of chloramines in this pool? correct answers 0.8
7. You are the operator of a 330,000 gallon outdoor pool. Your local health department requires
you to perform a water balance calculation once monthly. Upon performing the water tests
necessary to perform this calculation, you observe the following readings in your pool: Total
alkalinity is 50 ppm pH is 7.2 Calcium Hardness is 150 ppm Temperature is 76 degrees F Total
Dissolved Solids is 500 ppm Using these readings, what is the Saturation Index for this pool?
correct answers -0.8
8. To adjust the tested Total Alkalinity in the pool in question #7 to an acceptable level, which
chemical would be most appropriate? correct answers Sodium Bicarbonate
9. To adjust the tested pH in the pool in question #7 to an acceptable level, which chemical
would be most appropriate? correct answers Sodium Carbonate
10. You are the CPO for a 28,000 gallon hotel pool. You perform a water balance chemical test,
and to your surprise, the Calcium Hardness is only 100 ppm. How much calcium chloride (77%)
would be required to increase this to 400 ppm?" correct answers 100.8 lbs.
, 11. You are the CPO for a 100 foot long, 50 foot wide country club pool. The average depth of
this pool is 7 feet. You return to the pool on Monday morning, after a rare weekend off, and find
that the auto-fill feature has failed to work, and the pool water level is four inches too low. How
many gallons of water must be added to return the water to the proper level? correct answers
12,495 gallons
12. You are the operator of a 3,000 gallon health club spa, which has an average of 100 users per
day. According to the CPO Handbook, how often should the water in this spa be changed?
correct answers 10 days
"13. You are the CPO for a large municipal swimming pool. This pool has a volume of 560,000
gallons of water,and has an average daily bather load of 1300 people. The pool is operated using
high rate pressure sand filters. How often should you backwash the filters?" correct answers
When the influent and effluent gauges are 10 to 20 psi apart
14. In testing for Chlorine/Bromine in a commercial pool, DPD is preferred over OTO because:
correct answers OTO only tests for Total Chlorine
15. Safety and rescue equipment should always be: correct answers Kept easily accessible
around the pool
16. Which type of filter system will remove the smallest micron particles? correct answers
diatomaceous earth
17. If the pump fails to prime, which of the following does not have to be checked? correct
answers filter system pressure is too high
18. Oxidation Reduction Potential testing (ORP) is measured in? correct answers mV
19. High calcium hardness can result in what condition? correct answers cloudy water
20. Head first entry dives are: correct answers only allowed in areas of the pool that are not
marked as 'NO DIVING'
21. Opening and closing checklists: correct answers all of the above
22. You can become sick from ingesting water infected with Legionella bacteria correct answers
false
23. Channeling of filters occurs when: correct answers the FMR is exceeded, and water cuts a
channel through the media
24. The only physical factor that affects water balance is: correct answers temperature
25. To be classified as a disinfectant, a compound must kill or inactivate 99.9% of contaminants
as well as: correct answers leave a measurable residual in the water
Graded Solutions)
1. You operate a 120,000-gallon pool, and upon performing your hourly chemical tests you
observe the following readings: Total Available Chlorine reading is 1.6 free available chlorine
reading is 1.5 pH is 7.4 Your supervising lifeguard has just informed you that you have had a
fecal incident occur; a solid stool has been discharged into the pool. According to the Centers for
Disease Control, as the CPO, you should do the following: correct answers clear the pool and
raise the free chlorine to 2 ppm
2. Assuming that your local health department requires you to raise the free chlorine to 5 ppm,
how much sodium hypochlorite would be needed to raise the free chlorine in the pool in question
#1 to that level? correct answers 3.5 gallons
3. You are the CPO for an indoor health club pool. The facility manager informs you that he is
receiving complaints about a strong chlorine odor in the pool area, and several members have
complained of eye irritation. The most likely cause of these complaints is: correct answers high
levels of chloramines in the pool
4. To determine the level of chloramines in the water, you should do which of the following?
correct answers test for total chlorine and free chlorine, then subtract the free chlorine number
from the total chlorine
5. You operate a 45,000 gallon indoor pool, and upon doing your hourly chemical tests you
observe the following readings:Total available chlorine is 2.2 Free available chlorine is 1.4 and
pH is 7.6 What is the level of chloramines in this pool? correct answers 0.8
7. You are the operator of a 330,000 gallon outdoor pool. Your local health department requires
you to perform a water balance calculation once monthly. Upon performing the water tests
necessary to perform this calculation, you observe the following readings in your pool: Total
alkalinity is 50 ppm pH is 7.2 Calcium Hardness is 150 ppm Temperature is 76 degrees F Total
Dissolved Solids is 500 ppm Using these readings, what is the Saturation Index for this pool?
correct answers -0.8
8. To adjust the tested Total Alkalinity in the pool in question #7 to an acceptable level, which
chemical would be most appropriate? correct answers Sodium Bicarbonate
9. To adjust the tested pH in the pool in question #7 to an acceptable level, which chemical
would be most appropriate? correct answers Sodium Carbonate
10. You are the CPO for a 28,000 gallon hotel pool. You perform a water balance chemical test,
and to your surprise, the Calcium Hardness is only 100 ppm. How much calcium chloride (77%)
would be required to increase this to 400 ppm?" correct answers 100.8 lbs.
, 11. You are the CPO for a 100 foot long, 50 foot wide country club pool. The average depth of
this pool is 7 feet. You return to the pool on Monday morning, after a rare weekend off, and find
that the auto-fill feature has failed to work, and the pool water level is four inches too low. How
many gallons of water must be added to return the water to the proper level? correct answers
12,495 gallons
12. You are the operator of a 3,000 gallon health club spa, which has an average of 100 users per
day. According to the CPO Handbook, how often should the water in this spa be changed?
correct answers 10 days
"13. You are the CPO for a large municipal swimming pool. This pool has a volume of 560,000
gallons of water,and has an average daily bather load of 1300 people. The pool is operated using
high rate pressure sand filters. How often should you backwash the filters?" correct answers
When the influent and effluent gauges are 10 to 20 psi apart
14. In testing for Chlorine/Bromine in a commercial pool, DPD is preferred over OTO because:
correct answers OTO only tests for Total Chlorine
15. Safety and rescue equipment should always be: correct answers Kept easily accessible
around the pool
16. Which type of filter system will remove the smallest micron particles? correct answers
diatomaceous earth
17. If the pump fails to prime, which of the following does not have to be checked? correct
answers filter system pressure is too high
18. Oxidation Reduction Potential testing (ORP) is measured in? correct answers mV
19. High calcium hardness can result in what condition? correct answers cloudy water
20. Head first entry dives are: correct answers only allowed in areas of the pool that are not
marked as 'NO DIVING'
21. Opening and closing checklists: correct answers all of the above
22. You can become sick from ingesting water infected with Legionella bacteria correct answers
false
23. Channeling of filters occurs when: correct answers the FMR is exceeded, and water cuts a
channel through the media
24. The only physical factor that affects water balance is: correct answers temperature
25. To be classified as a disinfectant, a compound must kill or inactivate 99.9% of contaminants
as well as: correct answers leave a measurable residual in the water
