———- COVID-19 RESPONSES ———-
CERTIFICATION EXTENSIONS GIVEN AND ONLINE TESTS FOR TEMPORARY CERTIFICATION AVAILABLE
If your Commercial/Private Certification expires after January 31, 2020 or you took the online temporary certification exam and were issued a T-number, your certification has now been extended until Dec 31, 2021. [ DATCP Press Release ]
DATCP has opened limited in-person Commercial testing in Green Bay, Wausau and Waukesha. [ DATCP Press Release ] [ To Register ]
If you need a new certification or a new category and can’t get into an in-person test, online exams are available for some categories in both Commercial (some categories) and Private. These will provide a temporary certification that expires Dec, 31, 2021. To register for an online test go to the UW PAT Store.
Certification has been extended, NOT Commercial Applicator Licenses. These are two different things. You will have to renew your license as you have in the past.
Podcast helping to answer this.
3/25/2021: UPDATE
- DATCP is doing some limited in-person testing see above.
- If you are a new applicator seeking a new certification or new category, online certification exams that provide certification until Dec 31, 2021 are available in the categories listed below. To register go to the PAT Store using the link in the menu above. Registration is currently open for:
- Commercial 1.1 Field & Vegetable Pest Control
- Commercial 2.0 Forestry
- Commercial 4.0 Seed Treatment
- Commercial 7.1 Structural Pest Control
- Commercial 3.0 Turf & Landscape
- Commercial 5.0 Aquatic & Mosquito
- Private 100/101 General Farming
- Private 112/114 Fruit Crops
- Private 104/105 Greenhouse & Nursery
- Your test invite will come from the address UW PAT Program <noreply@qualtrics-survey.com> NOT the UW PAT program or DATCP. Please check your JUNK and CLUTTER folders. Test links are sent a couple of days before the start of the month and on Mondays and Thursdays while the month is open. If you register on Tuesday, you will receive your link on the following Thursday. Access will close a couple of business days before the end of the month.
- Office 365 has been quarantining the test invites. If you are using Office 365 and did not get your invite, it may have been quarantined. Talk to your email admin and ask that the domain be whitelisted. This will let the invites go through.
- To take the online test there are two different numbers that you will be asked for. They can sometimes be confused for each other:
- Your PAT Number – This is a 6-digit number that is given to you when you receive the training materials. It is found on the certificate sent to you in your printed manual OR emailed to you if you ordered a pdf or online course. You MUST enter this number both to register for the test AND in the test itself. This is given to you by the PAT Program. If you do not have this number, you may not have purchased the training fee with materials yet. Also, you will not receive your test invitation if you do not provide your PAT number.
- Your Certification Number – This is a number you received from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) if you have been certified before. If you have never been certified before you do not have one. If you do not have a certification number, or do not provide one, you will have to follow the instructions in the test to provide your SSN to DATCP. It is DATCP that needs your SSN, not the UW.
- Private Applicators will have the option to do an online training. You must pay the training fee with materials of $30.00 either at your County Extension Office or at the UW PAT Store. The online training is not mandatory, you are welcome to self-study and test only. Training will be available each month from the 1st to the 14th (cost $10.00). You can take the training anytime during that 14 day period. To register, go to the UW PAT Store and select the training you want to register for under the Private Applicator Training header. You will receive an invitation with link and password to access the online training. For those that can’t take advantage of an online exam, please contact your County Extension Office to see if they are offering limited in-person testing. Private Greenhouse & Nursery and Fruit Crops exams are available also.
- The PAT program is not scheduling any live in-person training / review sessions in 2021. We will host online training through Zoom, but unfortunately, the certification exam will not be connected to the training at this time. Registration is available through the UW PAT Store. You must register to be accepted into the Zoom session. [How to Join a Zoom Meeting]
For questions about certification, licensing, testing (in-person), regulations and pesticide laws please contact the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) at datcppesticideinfo@wi.gov. If you have questions about training materials and online test access please contact the UW PAT Program at patprogram@mailplus.wisc.edu.
Please be advised that pdf delivery is not automated. Your order will be processed. We aim to process orders the same day they are received (if received before 3 p.m.).
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What is the PAT Program?
The University of Wisconsin Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) Program develops and provides educational material to help you become certified to apply pesticides in Wisconsin. In order to become certified, you must pay a certification fee to obtain some of these educational materials. You can learn more about the certification process on the “Certification” page.
Before ordering, you should determine whether you are a “commercial” or “private” applicator, because your options are different for each. You can find out the difference between commercial and private applicators by clicking on the “certification” or the “ordering materials” menu link above.
There are many different categories you can get certified in (list of categories here). With your certification fee, you can choose to get a printed manual, a PDF manual, or an online course (for some categories only). Don’t know which to choose? Check out this podcast for an introduction to these choices: What Should I Order?
Having trouble navigating through our online ordering process? Here’s a podcast that explains how to do it.
Ready to order?
Click either of the links below.
PLEASE BE AWARE
Training Registration Certificates (TRC): If you ordered a printed manual, your TRC is folded and placed between the front cover and the first page of your manual. If you order a PDF or online course, we email your TRC to you. DO NOT lose this certificate. You must bring this page with you when you take your certification exam. The exam proctor from the DATCP) will collect it. Your exam will not be processed without the certificate. Manuals will no longer have this certificate as a tear out page as it was in the past. If you lose this form there is a $10 fee to replace it. NOTE: for the temporary online exams, you will need the PAT Number that is on this certificate.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s Role in Certification
DATCP enforces the pesticide laws in Wisconsin. DATCP also writes and administers the certification exams and grants certification. DATCP also issues individual pesticide applicator and pesticide application business licenses in the state. Note: The UW PAT program does NOT write or administer the certification exam. Also, the exam is NOT given at the UW-Madison campus. Exams are given ONLY at DATCP test-only facilities or at training/review sessions. DATCP provides the test location on the receipt you get when you schedule an exam. You need to contact DATCP (see below) for any questions dealing with scheduling an exam, exam results or any other exam-related questions.
Contacts
Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT)
Contact PAT for questions about getting training materials, signing up for live review sessions, or any questions or comments you have about our training material.
Mailing address:
Office hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm – Monday to Friday
PAT Program
1575 Linden Dr
Madison WI 53706-1597
Program email: PATprogram@mailplus.wisc.edu
Program phone: 608-262-7588
People
Glenn Nice
PAT Program Manager, gnice@wisc.edu or 608-263-6358
Steve Tomasko
PAT Outreach Specialist, stomasko@wisc.edu or 608-265-4315
Jean Siewert
PAT Program Office Support Staff, jean.siewert@wisc.edu or 608-262-7588
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)
Contact DATCP for questions about certification, licensing, scheduling an exam, exam scores, or issues of pesticide regulations.
General mailing address:
Department of Agriculture
2811 Agriculture Dr.
Madison WI 53708
Pesticide Certification & Licensing program
Phone: 608-224-4548
Website: Bureau of Agrichemical Management
Email: datcppesticideinfo@wi.gov for questions regarding Pesticide Certification and Licensing
Exam scheduling website: Scheduling an Exam
Email: datcpcertexam@wi.gov if you need to schedule an exam or cancel one that you have scheduled (if not using the online exam scheduling site in the link above).
