10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free ME-PEST questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Maine Commercial Pesticide Applicator Core Exam blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Domain 1: pesticide labeling
Question 1
A turf insecticide label permits 1-2 fluid ounces of product per 1,000 square feet per application, no more than 6 fluid ounces per 1,000 square feet per calendar year, and at least 14 days between applications. The entire 8,000-square-foot lawn has already received 4.5 fluid ounces per 1,000 square feet this year. The last application was 21 days ago. What is the greatest amount of product allowed for today's treatment of the whole lawn?
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Correct answer: B - 12 fluid ounces
Question 2
A pesticide labeled for greenhouse tomatoes has a 12-hour restricted-entry interval and a 3-day preharvest interval. Eighteen hours after application ended, the foliage is dry and all other entry conditions have been met. Routine workers are scheduled to tie plants to supports and pick ripe tomatoes. Which assignment is permitted at that time?
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Correct answer: B - Tying plants is permitted, but harvesting must wait.
Domain 2: safety
Question 3
On a hot afternoon, an applicator using an organophosphate insecticide becomes sweaty and nauseated. A coworker also notices pinpoint pupils, heavy salivation, muscle twitching, and wheezing. Spraying has stopped, and the applicator is away from the exposure source. What should the coworker do next?
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Correct answer: C - Call 911 immediately and begin label-directed decontamination while preventing exposure to anyone assisting.
Question 4
EPA acute-toxicity testing of a pesticide gives an oral LD50 of 2,400 mg/kg and a dermal LD50 of 3,200 mg/kg. Its inhalation toxicity and skin irritation are Category IV, but it causes irreversible eye damage. Based on these results, which front-panel labeling combination is required?
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Correct answer: B - DANGER, without a requirement for POISON or the skull-and-crossbones symbol.
Domain 3: environmental concerns
Question 5
A pesticide binds strongly to clay and has low water solubility. Following a storm that erodes a treated slope, monitoring at the pond below finds most of the pesticide on suspended sediment rather than dissolved in the water. Which transport mechanism best accounts for these findings?
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Correct answer: D - Pesticide attached to eroded soil was carried into the pond by runoff.
Domain 4: pest organisms
Question 6
After snowmelt, turf and several unrelated shrub species show browning along a heavily salted sidewalk. The same plants farther from the sidewalk are healthy. Damage follows the sidewalk rather than spreading from plant to plant, and inspection finds no feeding injury or signs of a pathogen. Which cause should lead the investigation?
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Correct answer: D - Deicing-salt injury
Domain 5: pesticides
Question 7
An insect-control program has repeatedly used Brand A. A supplier proposes switching to Brand B, which has a different active ingredient but the same mode-of-action group number on its label. For resistance management, what does this switch actually accomplish?
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Correct answer: C - It changes the active ingredient, but not the mode of action.
Domain 6: equipment
Question 8
Four identical boom nozzles are rated at 0.40 gallon per minute at 40 psi. After cleaning, repeated catch tests at that pressure give 0.40, 0.41, 0.48, and 0.39 gallon per minute for nozzles 1-4, respectively. The manufacturer's replacement criterion is output more than 10% above the new-nozzle rating. Which correction addresses the fault rather than compensating for it elsewhere?
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Correct answer: A - Replace nozzle 3 with a matching tip and recheck individual outputs.
Domain 8: applicable laws and regulations
Question 9
A Maine crew plans to mix pesticide 40 feet from a lake's high-water mark and begin terrestrial broadcast spraying 35 feet from its mean high-water mark. No exception, variance, permit, or stricter label or local setback applies. How does this plan compare with the separate water-protection requirements in Maine BPC Chapter 29?
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Correct answer: A - The mixing setback is deficient; the broadcast buffer meets the requirement.
More ME-PEST practice questions
Question 10
A 20-year-old unlicensed trainee will make a commercial restricted-use pesticide application in Maine. Required training, records, PPE, and job instructions are in place, and the label allows supervised use. The firm's licensed Operator will remain on the client's property in continuous visual and voice contact. Its Master is immediately reachable and can arrive within two hours. Both licensees hold the applicable category. Does this arrangement meet the trainee's on-site supervision requirement?
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Correct answer: D - Yes; a properly licensed Operator may supply the on-site supervision while the Master remains available.