10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The CGT exam has 50 questions and runs 1 hours 30 minutes.
These 10 free CGT questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Grounds Technician blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Inspection notes for an ornamental shrub: young leaves are yellow between green veins; older leaves remain green; soil pH is 7.8; roots are healthy and soil moisture is adequate. Which nutrient deficiency most closely matches this pattern?
Correct answer: D - Iron deficiency
While identifying a tree, a technician follows a stalk bearing several separate blades back to a woody twig. There is a bud where the stalk joins the twig, but none where the individual blades join the stalk. What has the technician traced?
Correct answer: A - One compound leaf divided into leaflets
Before backfilling a newly delivered shade tree, a technician finds its root flare beneath 3 inches of loose nursery soil. The hole was dug to the full, uncorrected root-ball height, leaving the top of that soil level with the surrounding ground. The site drains well. How should the planting depth be corrected?
Correct answer: C - Remove the excess nursery soil and reset the ball on firm soil with the flare at finished grade.
Ten days after planting, a container-grown shade tree wilts each afternoon. Moisture checks at several depths find the original root ball dry, although the surrounding backfill is moist. Planting depth is correct and the trunk is undamaged. Which change is most likely to improve establishment?
Correct answer: B - Apply water slowly to the root ball and verify penetration.
A tall-fescue lawn looks whitish the morning after mowing. Close inspection shows shredded leaf tips above otherwise green blades. The uncut strip beside a bench remains green, soil moisture is adequate, and no leaf spots are present. What should the crew address first?
Correct answer: C - Inspect the mower blades and sharpen or replace them as needed.
A turf fertilization work order specifies 0.75 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet and no added phosphorus. The measured turf area is 4,800 square feet. Which fertilizer load meets both requirements?
Correct answer: A - 15 pounds of 24-0-12
A healthy forsythia has finished flowering but is crowding nearby plants. The client wants selective size reduction while preserving next spring's flowers. There is no hazardous or diseased growth. Choose the pruning schedule that meets both goals.
Correct answer: C - Prune soon after the current flowers fade.
Black material on a shrub's leaves wipes away, exposing intact green tissue. The leaves are sticky, and aphids are feeding on shoots above them. The coating is heaviest on the leaves directly below those shoots. Which explanation accounts for the entire pattern?
Correct answer: B - Sooty mold is growing on honeydew deposited by the aphids.
An irrigation zone has 90-degree, 180-degree, and 360-degree rotors with equal throw radii and the same operating pressure. The 90-degree nozzles discharge 1.5 gallons per minute. For matched precipitation, what should the respective flows of the 180-degree and 360-degree nozzles be?
Correct answer: B - 3.0 gallons per minute and 6.0 gallons per minute
During hot-weather grounds work at a U.S. campus, a coworker becomes confused and staggers. His skin is hot and he is still sweating. Another employee suggests waiting for his skin to become dry before calling for help. What response is warranted now?
Correct answer: D - Call 911 and cool him with cold water or ice while someone stays with him.
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