Diagnostic
Where do you actually stand?
12 questions from Principles of Installation. The result comes back against the 70 percent line, the way the exam scores each section on its own.
What it measures
12 scored questions from Principles of Installation, marked like the section. Each one is marked as you answer it, with the explanation under it.
Free, no account, and you can stop whenever you like.
What comes back
Your score against the 70 percent pass mark. 30 TAC 30.20(b) sets that mark and TCEQ applies it to each section on its own, so it is the exam's own line and not ours.
See the readout's shape, built from an example sitting, before you sit anything.
Why one section at a time
The exam has four sections and each one has to reach 70 percent on its own. A strong score on one does not carry a weak one on another, so this readout scores a section against its own line instead of adding them together.
What you may take in
A pen or pencil, scratch paper from the proctor and a non-programmable calculator. TCEQ does not allow books, notes, phones or other electronic devices in the examination room. This diagnostic is untimed and you can look things up, so do not read the score as a prediction. On the day, with no notes and a clock running, expect lower.
Before you pay for another sitting
The application fee is $111, paid to TCEQ with the application; it is the fee for a three-year license and is nonrefundable. The computer-based testing center charges its own seat fee on top, and each center sets its own. A failed section cannot be sat again until its result is in, and the application expires after 365 days or on failing the same section four times. The diagnostic is free, and its readout tells you how far a section is from the line.
Every question in this diagnostic
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Where the maker gives no depth figure, irrigation pipe needs a minimum cover of:
Where the manufacturer publishes no depth coverage figure, piping must have at least 6 inches of select backfill between the top of the topmost pipe and the natural grade (30 TAC 344.62(l)(1)). The 2 inch figure applies only where a utility, a structure or roots make the 6 inch cover impractical (30 TAC 344.62(l)(2)).
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On a new system, the isolation valve is installed:
Every new irrigation system must include an isolation valve between the water meter and the backflow prevention assembly, so the valve sits after the meter and ahead of the assembly (30 TAC 344.62(k)).
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Which valve turns a single zone on and off?
A zone valve is the automatic valve that controls only a single zone of the system. A master valve controls flow to the whole mainline instead (30 TAC 344.1(47)).
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According to TCEQ, where does a master valve go when one is installed on a new system?
When a new installation has a master valve, it must go on the discharge side of the backflow prevention assembly. A master valve is optional, and the placement rule applies only when one is provided (30 TAC 344.62(h)).
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What voltage do most valve control wires carry?
The circuit from the controller out to the valves is a low-voltage circuit, and the current it sends to energize each solenoid is usually 24 volts AC. That means 110 and 220 volt figures are not the valve wire circuit.
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How long must an irrigator keep installation records?
An irrigator must keep records for three years from the date the installation, maintenance, alteration, repair or service was completed (30 TAC 344.38).
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How many hours of approved training does an irrigator need to renew the license?
Renewing an irrigator license requires 24 hours of approved training credits on top of the general renewal requirements. The 16 hour figure applies only to an irrigation technician license (30 TAC 30.122(b)).
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How many members sit on the Irrigator Advisory Council?
The Irrigator Advisory Council has nine members, a number the rule sets, all appointed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ): six must be licensed irrigators and three represent the public (30 TAC 344.80(a) to (c)).
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A licensed irrigation technician works under the supervision of:
An irrigation technician installs, maintains, alters, repairs or services systems only under the supervision of a licensed irrigator (30 TAC 344.30(b)(2)).
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What is a group of zone valves installed together in one spot called?
A manifold means control valves grouped side by side in one area rather than spread across the site. A header, a loop and a swing joint are piping terms, not a valve grouping.
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Who may approve a change from the irrigation plan during installation?
During installation the licensed irrigator authorizes changes from the original plan, and each change must be documented in red ink on the plan. The change also must not weaken the system or break a rule (30 TAC 344.61(d)).
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Why is PVC pipe laid in a slight snake pattern in the trench?
Laying the pipe in a serpentine pattern before backfilling leaves slack so that the pipe can expand and contract in the trench.
UFGS 32 84 23, Underground Sprinklers, p. 20 Reference document, not law.
Questions about the diagnostic
- What is the diagnostic?
- A quick 12 scored questions check of Principles of Installation that shows you how far you are from the line. About twenty minutes, untimed, no account.
- How long does it take?
- About twenty minutes. You get the answer and the explanation right after each question.
- Is it really free?
- Yes, with no account and no card. It is drawn from the 60 free questions, which are open to anyone, and the whole readout is shown.
- What does the readout show?
- Your score against the 70 percent pass mark, the line each section has to reach on its own. 30 TAC 30.20(b) sets that mark, so the line is the exam's own and not this site's.
- Do I need an account?
- Not for this. The result is kept in this browser, so you can come back to it on the same device. A free account keeps it anywhere and keeps what you practice afterwards.
- Is IrrigatorExam connected to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality?
- IrrigatorExam is independent and not affiliated with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.