# Certified Arborist Test



## StewartTreeCare (Jan 3, 2010)

ok here is my situation, I am studying my balls off so I can pass this test. I am reading to study guide from cover to cover and I am starting to feel comfortable with the material. There isnt alot of companies around here that are certified so I will get a leg up on them by passing, and also better myself. The one problem I have is the tree identification. I got the list off of the Penn-Del chapter if the trees that can possibly be on the test. My question is: How many questions pertain to tree identification and what percentage of the score does it impact?


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## sharkfin12us (Jan 3, 2010)

StewartTreeCare said:


> ok here is my situation, I am studying my balls off so I can pass this test. I am reading to study guide from cover to cover and I am starting to feel comfortable with the material. There isnt alot of companies around here that are certified so I will get a leg up on them by passing, and also better myself. The one problem I have is the tree identification. I got the list off of the Penn-Del chapter if the trees that can possibly be on the test. My question is: How many questions pertain to tree identification and what percentage of the score does it impact?



Hi i passed my CA about 2 years ago.Read that book 3 times and do the review questions.I also studied another book on tree and shurb the black book alone is not enough.As far as tree id they had pictures and you and there was about 5 or six but you dont know which ones they will through at you.Study tree id before you go in for the test.For me i could not sleep the night before the test so i stayed up all night got to location about 4 hours before and studied in the diner.There are 10 domains i failed the tree biology just missed it so i had to take it over.Hope that helps.Oh yeah when you answer the questions go over the entire test again i did about half but i was too tired to do all of it.There was about 200 questions good luck


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## lxt (Jan 3, 2010)

Stewart, my advice on the test is this: answer all the questions at the end of each chapter, the tree ID part kinda scared me too, I was expecting something much, much harder than what it was.

The tree ID part for me was 10 pictures, tree, leaf, bark......they were very recognizable species, dont sweat the ID part, but......make sure your Biology & tree/soil along with fertizer knowledge is good!

Good Luck!

LXT...............


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## danieltree (Jan 3, 2010)

It was 10 questions for me as well. Not to bad but I did have to retake two domains.​


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## StewartTreeCare (Jan 3, 2010)

lxt said:


> Stewart, my advice on the test is this: answer all the questions at the end of each chapter, the tree ID part kinda scared me too, I was expecting something much, much harder than what it was.
> 
> The tree ID part for me was 10 pictures, tree, leaf, bark......they were very recognizable species, dont sweat the ID part, but......make sure your Biology & tree/soil along with fertizer knowledge is good!
> 
> ...



thanx lxt i appreciate it. what part of Pa are you in?


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## lxt (Jan 3, 2010)

In the beaver county area....just north of Pittsburgh!


LXT............


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## lync (Jan 3, 2010)

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/factsheets.cfm 

is a great site for tree id scroll down to angiosperm/gymnosperm it will take you to an alphabetical listing hit the tree you want to see the photos have leaves bark seeds flowers just like the arb test. You have to get 7 of 10 right


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## ArborSmithNw (Jan 3, 2010)

danieltree said:


> It was 10 questions for me as well. Not to bad but I did have to retake two domains.​



Exact same here. One of the domains WAS the id section though, you can not overstudy the ID. Unfortunately they had pictures that were literally the size of postage stamps, which I found relatively unfair to try and ID.

Just make sure you have 90% of it down, its always free to retake one or two domains, so study the :censored: out of what you find easiest to ensure you pass, then if need be you can dedicate weeks to studying the failed domain as you don't have to retake the entire exam.


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## BCbound (Jan 4, 2010)

From what I under stand it's a 72 to pass the test now or a full retake, not just the domain you failed. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


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## mckeetree (Jan 4, 2010)

danieltree said:


> It was 10 questions for me as well. Not to bad but I did have to retake two domains.​



Yes, it's ten questions. If you have been doing tree care any length of time the test itself is a walk in the park, if you have just been "a cuttin and a trimmin trees" probably tougher.


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## RUBE (Jan 4, 2010)

BCbound said:


> From what I under stand it's a 72 to pass the test now or a full retake, not just the domain you failed. Please correct me if I'm wrong.



You would be correct! 72% on all 15 domains overall and you get the prize.


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## StewartTreeCare (Jan 5, 2010)

mckeetree said:


> Yes, it's ten questions. If you have been doing tree care any length of time the test itself is a walk in the park, if you have just been "a cuttin and a trimmin trees" probably tougher.



i have been working around tree since i was about 15, it was a summer job, then when i graduated high school it was a 40 hr a week job with asplundh now i own my own business. everything i know is self taught, you dont learn #### with asplundh well except electrical safety. im going to schedule the test sometime soon and take it, if i fail then i know what to expect and i can retake it for free one time within a year. im studying tho!!!.


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## danieltree (Jan 5, 2010)

Good luck. When I studied I focused on the things I was not familiar with and neglected those I thought were a breeze. I failed tree ID and cabling and bracing, I figured I had these easy, my mistake but If you score an overall passing score I think that you can retake the domains you fail that's how it was for me anyways. It sucks though when you only miss passing a domain by one question.​


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## Badnad (Jan 6, 2010)

Iam also studying and preparing to challenge this exam. I have many years experience in logging and line clearing so i should have my foot in the door. I feel im gonna have problems with tree soil relations, biology and the health care. I have 0 experience in anything like that, as the only thing i have ever done was make sure they hit the ground safely. 
Heres a link you may find helpful also, it has the exam breakdown - and basically anything you want to know about it. 

ISA Certified Arborist Application Handbook 

http://www.isa-arbor.com/certification/exams.aspx

good luck!! and thanks for the advice everyone!


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## outonalimbts (Jan 19, 2010)

*ISA Certified Arborist exam*

The ID pictures they showed me were B&W, pretty good resolution, but not much help with colors of the leaves and bark. The biggest things to remember while you are looking at the pics, The shape of a mature tree of that species. 

many of the pictures were just far enough away to be able to see their shapes, not many details on the bark.

Soil domain, you need to know the formulas for this domain- bring a calculator you will need it.

if you don't have the Best Management practices set - you need to get it.... there are many questions that can be answered by studying this material.

Good Luck!


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## John Paul Sanborn (Jan 19, 2010)

The WI chapter has twig samples for the test takers to pickup and look at.


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## Tr33Climb3r (Jan 19, 2010)

John Paul Sanborn said:


> The WI chapter has twig samples for the test takers to pickup and look at.



I am taking the exam in february....twigs samples huh? good thing we had twig id in a class I took at Mid-State last semester


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## John Paul Sanborn (Jan 19, 2010)

What Mike does is lay a whole bunch out during the review session, then takes the test samples from those on display.


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## BCbound (Jan 24, 2010)

Did any of you guys take the online version of the test?


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## defensiblespace (Jan 25, 2010)

Know all your key terms at the beginning of each chapter in the study guide. If you are comfortable with all of the terms, you will be well on your way to passing. Also, see if there are any test prep clinics in your area. I took a 3 day one that helped me a lot. As for the ID, Virginia Tech has a great online site for studying. Here it is: http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/factsheets.cfm Good Luck


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## Golf (Jan 25, 2010)

I am from Ontario Canada and when I took the ISA exam in Ohio, they used Ohian trees. I believe there were 20 questions and they were all live samples ie. twigs, buds, fruits....That was nine years ago. I don't know how much it has changed.


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## RUBE (Jan 25, 2010)

BCbound said:


> Did any of you guys take the online version of the test?



Just last fall I decided to get cert., again and took it online.


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