Free IDALS In-person Pesticide Exam Sites 

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) pesticide applicator testing is offered monthly (September to May) for free at the ISU Extension Offices in Black Hawk, Cerro Gordo, Dallas, Dubuque, Fayette, Johnson, Jones, Marshall, Scott, and Woodbury counties.  Pre-registration is required.

Schedule Outline for In-person Exam Sites

  • There will be three in-person exam periods scheduled per site per day. Each time slot will have applicants scheduled, as determined by site location capacity with social distancing (6-ft) in mind.
  • The exam sessions are 90 minutes in length.  The first session will start at 9:00 AM.  The second exam session will start at 11:00 AM.  The third exam session will start at 1:00 PM.  The end of the third session will be 2:30 PM. 

 

Scheduling

  1. All exams must be scheduled two days in advance of the exam date using the following web link:

https://data.iowaagriculture.gov/pest_signup/

  1. The examinee must agree to follow all testing protocols below, prior to registering for an exam.
  2. Each examinee must register with a personal email address (cannot share).
  3. The examinee should consider the following questions prior to signing up or showing up for a scheduled exam.  If the examinee answers “yes” to any of the questions, they should cancel their exam and reschedule for a future exam session when all questions below can be answered “no”.
    • Within the last 2 weeks have you been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
    • Do you have a fever or respiratory illness?
    • Do you have shortness of breath?
    • Have you been ill or are you visibly showing signs of illness (sore throat, coughing or sneezing)?
  4. An examinee can only schedule one 1.5-hour exam session per day and must identify what exams they wish to take (up to 4 maximum). No changes to exams can be made at the exam site and must be submitted through the online sign-up system. 
  5. Exam sessions are non-transferrable to other persons.
  6. Examinees acknowledge that exam sites are owned and operated by Iowa State University Extension and that these sites may choose to implement site-specific polices for use by the general public, requiring additional public health guidelines, use of face masks, social distancing (6-ft) etc. Any member of the general public wishing to enter these sites must be willing to adhere to these policies if required.  

 

Exam Day

  1. All examinees must bring a valid government-issued photo ID.
  2. Examinees will arrive at the site location at their scheduled time and stop at the check-in point.
  3. Examinees that arrive at the site early should remain in their vehicle until their scheduled exam time.
  4. IDALS staff will ask the examinee to display their government-issued photo ID. IDALS staff will practice social distancing at sites and maintain a 6-ft. distance if required by site rules.
  5. Examinees will return all exam materials to IDALS staff.
  6. Examinees will be notified of their exam scores by email within 2 business days. Please do not contact the office prior to 2 business days.
  7. Please email pesticides@iowaagriculture.gov  if you need more information.

 

Sign Up Online

If you are a private applicator without access to email?

Call 515-281-8591 to register by phone.

(You will be registered for the 1:00 PM session only if space is available)