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Sources and method

How we write and check our questions

A practice question with the wrong answer key does more harm than no question at all. So every question here follows the same process before anyone sees it.

1. Written to the official outline

Questions are mapped to the domains and tasks (see our exam guide) in the official ISA Certified Arborist Examination Outline (based on Job Task Analysis 2022), and weighted the same way in our mock exams. They are written from scratch. We do not copy or adapt questions from ISA's study guide, from the real exam, or from other question banks.

2. Built on public, authoritative sources

Each question cites at least one public source a reader can check: USDA Forest Service publications, university extension services, OSHA and NIOSH, state forestry agencies and peer-reviewed research. For every question we keep the exact passage from the source that supports the answer.

3. Checked a second time, blind

A separate reviewer answers every question without seeing the answer key, then reads the cited source. If the reviewer's answer differs from ours, or the source does not clearly support the answer, the question goes into a review queue. It is fixed and checked again, or dropped.

4. Published only when both checks agree

Only questions that pass both checks appear on the site, in the free practice sets and the paid question bank. Right now that is 591 questions built on 293 sources.

5. Fixed when you find a problem

Every question has a "Report a problem" link in the study app, or you can email hello@arboristpracticetest.com (or use our contact form). We review reports and correct or remove the question.

Standards change. ISA's tree care standards (such as ANSI A300 and ANSI Z133) are revised from time to time, and the exam follows them. Where a fact depends on a specific edition of a standard, we either say so in the question or leave it out.

Sources we cite

Sorted by how many questions use them.