New Mexico Pesticide Applicator — Requirements & Free Practice

US-NM · License preparation

100 free questions · Answer explanations · No signup required

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Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

Each license and applicant pathway has its own requirements and exemptions. Choosing practice questions does not determine your eligibility.

Initial licensure by examination

Completion window: Complete licensing requirements within sixty days of the original application, otherwise the requirements and fees of a new applicant apply (21.17.50.18(B)).
Fee: Submit the private certification fee after passing; certification runs for five years under 21.17.50.9 and NMDA instructions.
Format: Online and paper testing are alternate delivery methods of the same Private Applicator examination.
Passing score: Grade of 70 on each required examination (21.17.50.18(A)).
Suspension: No license application is considered during an effective license suspension or revocation (21.17.50.18(C)).
Use: Restricted-use pesticides in producing an agricultural commodity on land owned or rented by the applicant or employer; not for compensation except the statutory neighbor exchange.

Recertification after failure to satisfy renewal requirements

Completion window: Complete licensing requirements within sixty days of the original application, otherwise the requirements and fees of a new applicant apply (21.17.50.18(B)).
Fee: Submit the private certification fee after passing; certification runs for five years under 21.17.50.9 and NMDA instructions.
Format: Online and paper testing are alternate delivery methods of the same Private Applicator examination.
Passing score: Grade of 70 on each required examination (21.17.50.18(A)).
Suspension: No license application is considered during an effective license suspension or revocation (21.17.50.18(C)).
Trigger: For annual licenses, more than thirty days after expiration requires new certification examinations under 76-4-22(B); private applicants who have not earned CEUs and returned the renewal form and fee must retake their examination.
Use: Restricted-use pesticides in producing an agricultural commodity on land owned or rented by the applicant or employer; not for compensation except the statutory neighbor exchange.

Department required reexamination for renewal

Completion window: Complete licensing requirements within sixty days of the original application, otherwise the requirements and fees of a new applicant apply (21.17.50.18(B)).
Fee: Submit the private certification fee after passing; certification runs for five years under 21.17.50.9 and NMDA instructions.
Format: Online and paper testing are alternate delivery methods of the same Private Applicator examination.
Passing score: Grade of 70 on each required examination (21.17.50.18(A)).
Suspension: No license application is considered during an effective license suspension or revocation (21.17.50.18(C)).
Trigger: NMDA determines that additional knowledge relating to the applicant’s classification makes a new examination necessary (76-4-22(B)); the classification and individual exemptions govern which retained examinations must be retaken.
Use: Restricted-use pesticides in producing an agricultural commodity on land owned or rented by the applicant or employer; not for compensation except the statutory neighbor exchange.

Renewal without examination under satisfied renewal conditions

No examination is required for this applicant pathway.

Continuing education: Four approved CEUs annually for commercial/public/noncommercial applicators; five CEUs during the five-year private period. The general CEU rule does not list ordinary operators. Termite technicians must attend four approved training hours annually.
Fee: Submit the private certification fee after passing; certification runs for five years under 21.17.50.9 and NMDA instructions.
Format: Online and paper testing are alternate delivery methods of the same Private Applicator examination.
License status: Current valid license in the existing authorized classification; no suspension or revocation and compliance with the Pesticide Control Act.
Reexamination exception: This route is limited to renewal when NMDA has not determined that a new examination is necessary; ordered reexamination is represented separately.
Renewal submission: Return the required renewal form and applicable fee before expiration. A late annual application triggers the doubled renewal fee and, after thirty days, new certification examinations.
Renewal term: Annual renewal for annual licenses; private certification renews every five years.
Use: Restricted-use pesticides in producing an agricultural commodity on land owned or rented by the applicant or employer; not for compensation except the statutory neighbor exchange.

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Examination outline

How to use pesticides safely and effectively
Reading and understanding labels
Identification, biology, and control of agricultural insects, weeds, and diseases
NM Pesticide Control Act & Rules as they apply to Private Applicators
Federal laws that apply to Private Applicators, including the Worker Protection Standard and USDA Pesticide Recordkeeping requirements

Examination sources

NMDA Private Applicators
Preparing for the Private Applicator exam, complete scope
NMDA Private Applicators
How do I get a Private Applicator license?
NMDA / Metro Institute Private Applicator Exam
IMPORTANT, 100 questions and two-hour test
NMDA Pesticide License Types
Examination administration, vendor and NMDA options
NMDA / Metro Institute Private Applicator Exam
Exam identification