How to Build Your ACE/BCE Exam Study Plan

By:  Paul J. Bello ACE, BCE, MBA

June 3, 2025

What do you need and what’s your plan.

There are various things that you need to qualify for, prepare and pass your ACE or BCE exam. He first thing you need is commitment, commitment to yourself, commitment to take the time to sufficiently study to be well prepared for the exam so that you will pass the exam. This commitment cannot be overstated. Many take the exam, few pass. Those who pass were well prepared.

Now that you’re committed, the next thing you need to do is complete and submit your application to take the ACE or BCE Exam to the Entomological Society of America. To qualify for the exam all applicants must have:

• A current US State, US military, territory, or tribal-issued license or certificate that allows the holder to apply pesticides in an urban, industrial, or structural setting without supervision. This licensure must require continuing education to remain current (if the applicant’s state does not require ongoing education to hold a license then the applicant is automatically exempted from this portion of the requirements). Applicant must send a copy of this document to ESA’s Certification Coordinator with completed application.
• A minimum of 5 years of verifiable pest management experience in the United States as proven by a resume, CV, or attestation of employment from your employer.
• Two letters of professional reference. These should be from current or former employers, major clients, professional colleagues, or others who can speak to your professionalism, entomological knowledge, and your ethical standards.
• The application fee, which includes your first year of certification and the online examination.

The current application fee is $395.00.  The fee for existing ESA members is $355.00. For this fee you receive the Study Guide and three years of eligibility once you’ve passed your exam. The ESA has moved the fee term from two to three years. The renewal fee is currently $375.00 for three years. Continuing education of 18 hours is also required.

Once you have submitted your application, paid your fee, received approval to take your exam and received your ESA Study Guide, you will need to do a few more things.

You will need to make arrangements with an ESA approved proctor to take your exam. Such proctors are individuals who are already an ESA ACE or BCE. Contact information for these professionals may be found on the ESA website. You may then communicate with and arrange a mutually convenient test date with your exam proctor.

Now that you’ve accomplished these tasks, you are better able to prepare your exam study plan for yourself. Do you absolutely need to have an exam study plan to pass your ACE or BCE exam? No. However, it is said, those who fail to have a plan, plan to fail. As such, I strongly advise that you have a plan.

 The most important item in your plan is to plan and budget your time for study purposes. In my view, you will need from about 35 to 40 hours of study to be well prepared for the exam. To create a “study time budget” you would then divide the weeks until your exam date by 35 to 40 hours to arrive at the number of hours to study each week to be well prepared for the exam. You can then determine how much time per day you need to study to meet your study plan requirements.

What to study.

What you need to study and which references you need to use for the ACE Exam includes the ESA IPM Study Guide, Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations and the NPMA Field Guide are excellent references which will allow you to be well prepared for and to pass the ACE Exam. In my experience and observation, these references are all you need to pass this exam. A BCE exam candidate will also need to study these references in addition to college level information.

If you’re taking the BCE Exam you will need one college Entomology text book. Such books will include texts written by various authors such as Pedigo, Borror, Delong, Romoser, Stoffolano, Triplehorn, Johnson, Ross and many others. While current versions of these books may be costly at a college bookstore, used and older versions may be found online for about thirty dollars.

How to study.

How to best study for these exams may be a matter of preference. However, there are tried and true study methods which are time efficient and effective. These are the study methodologies that I recommend to all exam candidates. They are the same methods I used myself to pass both the ACE and BCE exams on the same day years ago and there many who have had success using these methods as well.

One of the most effective study techniques is known as annotative study. What annotative study essentially means is taking notes as you study. The act of hand writing notes helps us to remember things because we’re engaging more of our body in the process. Think about it, you’re reading the information followed by writing notes about that information, it works.

Another beneficial methodology is to use 3 x 5 file cards to create your own “flash cards”. You are well served to use a pointed permanent marker to write the questions on your flash cards. You may then write the answer information on the opposite side using a normal ballpoint pen. Here again, you’re hand writing exam related information which helps you to remember it come test time.

File cards are a secret weapon because you can use them every day at any time. You can also purchase a plastic file card holder such that you can carry your flash cards with you each day. You may then go through a few flash cards during break time, lunch and other such times as you see fit. With these flash cards you can essentially study anytime, anywhere for just a few minutes or more.

Another study technique is to write your own exam questions. For example, when using the Truman’s Guide, write ten to fifteen exam questions for each chapter. By doing this, you’re also actively using annotative study when composing each of your exam practice questions.

Baseball cards.

You read that right, I did say baseball cards. If you’ve ever looked at a baseball card, say, for your favorite player, you know that the card has all the key information listed for the player. What I’m suggesting is that you create a baseball card for each of the common pests that you’re anticipating are going to be on the exam. On each of these cards list the factors that you need to know about these pests such that you’ll know exactly all the facts about these pests.

If we were creating a baseball card for Red Imported Fire Ants we might include the following information: Hymenoptera. Formicidae. Solenopsis invicta. Complete metamorphosis. Two nodes. Polymorphic. Stinger. Single or Multiple queens. Prefer protein foods, and other such information. All this information is easily and quickly available for the most commonly encountered pests on just a few pages each in the NPMA Field Guide.

What about ACE study classes.

 I’m often asked about these classes and if I’d be interested in conducting such classes. Here’s my response to this subject. Suppose I run a two hour weekly ACE/BCE study class every Thursday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. You’d walk out of that class thinking there’s a lot to know and that this guy knows a lot about bugs but that’s not the point.

The most important and critical point here is that it is going to be you who needs to be well prepared to take a three-hour exam and pass it. Listening to me or anyone else talk about insects for two hours is not going to help you to learn and remember what you need to know on test day. In fact, and this is solely my opinion, you’re far better off doing annotative study then attending any class.

This is so because annotative study is the most time efficient method to build memory of the information.

Saving time and being efficient.

You are well served to use methods which save you time. Work to become habitual in your study time. Set aside and study at the same time or times each day. Make it a habit. Do not skip a day on your study schedule and keep after it. Remember that you’ve already made a commitment to yourself to be well prepared to pass this exam. Additionally, do not waste time studying things that you already know. If you already know certain pests very well, you’re probably going to answer the exam questions on these pests correctly. You’re better served to study the pests and topics that you don’t know as well.

If you have any questions, let me know as I’m happy to help you !