UF/IFAS is extending testing hours for Florida Pesticide Certification Exams ahead of major changes to the state’s pesticide exam process.
In order to safely keep homes, businesses and farms pest-free, Florida’s pesticide applicators must routinely pass licensing exams. Historically, UF/IFAS has proctored those exams for test-takers, but that’s about to change.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has selected another contractor to take over all pesticide exams in Florida, so UF/IFAS’s proctoring role will end this fall. To prepare for this, UF/IFAS Extension is encouraging pesticide applicators to register for exams as soon as possible, if they wish to take their exams at an Extension office, said Brett Bultemeier, director of the UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office.
Since 2021, UF/IFAS via Everblue, an online exam provider, has offered remote exams throughout Florida. Everblue will continue its remote testing service and will also be the new contractor in charge of providing in-person tests. On Oct. 1, Everblue will be the sole provider of exams.
Services will overlap during the transition. UF/IFAS will continue testing for free at UF/IFAS Extension offices through Sept. 30, and exam registration can be done via the UF/IFAS pesticide exam website for in-person IFAS tests only after Aug. 5.
Users will schedule online Everblue exams directly through FDACS and Everblue, no longer via the UF/IFAS exam schedule platform. A weblink for that will release closer to Aug. 5. In-person exams through Everblue centers will launch no later than October 1st. A map of the locations will be shared prior to their launch.
A new fee structure will also apply, with Everblue in-person exams costing $59, online $32, and UF/IFAS exams will remain free until Oct. 1. UF/IFAS will continue to remain involved in parts of the exam preparation, such as offering Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
“UF/IFAS will be providing testing up until Sept. 30, and after that, we will continue to serve our stakeholders through recertification, training, preparing for the exam itself, the study manuals for the exam and writing the exam,” Bultemeier said. “This gives us the opportunity to focus on what we do best, which is education.”
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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