BPCA Certificated Advanced Technician (CAT) in Pest Management

This certification tests your knowledge, ability to think quickly and experience as an all-around pest control technician.

To achieve the Certificated Advanced Technician (CAT) in Pest Management accreditation, you will be assessed on:

Your ability to identify a wide range of invertebrates and vertebrate pests, infestation evidence and pest control equipment

• Your knowledge of different types of sites you might survey
• Your understanding and ability to carry out and complete a risk and environmental assessment
• Your knowledge of pest behaviour and biology
• Your understanding of legislation and stewardship relating to pest management
• Your ability to provide effective pest management strategies to your customers safely and responsibly.
• Upon completing this programme, you will receive a BPCA Certificate in Advanced Pest Management (PASS or DISTINCTION).

This accreditation was previously called the Advanced Technician in Pest Management (ATPM).

Online and remote assessment programme

There is no course or online learning provided for this programme.

This is an online and remote assessment consisting of four modules:

Online assessments

• Module 1: Identification
• Module 2: Knowledge
• Module 3: Treatment Report
• Module 4: Risk & environmental assessment
• Module 5: Professional discussion. 
• System requirements

Our online assessment portal requires the following:

Desktop:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Safari
• Edge

Internet Explorer 11 and above.

There are known compatibility issues with:

• Internet Explorer 10 and below
• Safari 7 and below.

We recommend that you take this assessment on a desktop or laptop computer.

Video call

• Module 4: Professional discussion.

This oral assessment will take place in either a Zoom or Microsoft Teams portal. The assessment will be one-to-one with an approved BPCA assessor.

For the video call, you will need:

• A computer, laptop or tablet with a microphone and camera
• An internet connection.

We recommend you refer to the BPM Manual when preparing for the assessment. Other training courses you could consider as part of your preparation include:

Principles of Pest Identification online classroom course or the Insect Identification classroom course.

Completing Risk Assessments online learning course.

You will have five tests to pass:

1. A multiple-choice identification examination (13 minutes)
2. A multiple-choice knowledge-based examination (10 minutes)
3. A written treatment report based on a site scenario (30 minutes)
4. A written Risk & Environmental report based on a site scenario (15 minutes)
5. A oral examination (professional discussion) – (30-45 minutes).

Module 1: Identification

This module will test your ability to identify a range of vertebrates, invertebrates, evidence and equipment.

You will have 13 minutes to identify 50 vertebrate and invertebrate pests, infestation evidence and pest control equipment over 32 questions.

You will be presented with photographs and where relevant, approximate size measurements will be included to provide context.

Module 2: Knowledge

This online assessment consists of 30 randomly selected multiple-choice questions around pest behaviour, pest management, stewardship and health & safety legislation.

You will have ten minutes to complete this module.

Module 3: Treatment Report

Candidates will be provided with a site diagram and a number of scenarios. The will have 30 minutes to study the diagram and complete your treatment report.

You will be expected to include within their report:

• Details of the pests you have identified
• Any pesticides you feel are required, including formulations, active ingredients and concentrations
• Any non-chemical control measures they would take
• Indications where on the site the various measures would be used.

Module 4: Risk and environmental assessment

You will also be asked to demonstrate your ability to write a risk and environmental assessment clearly indicating the hazards, risks and mitigations required.

You will have 15 minutes to complete the risk, and environmental assessment based on the scenario provided within the assessment. Images from the site diagram will still be available to review once you have started your risk and environmental assessment.

Module 5: Professional discussion

The professional discussion will take place on a one-to-one basis using a Zoom or Microsoft Teams video-call.

This module will take the form of a role-play exercise where you will play the role of a pest professional reporting back to your customer (the assessor). You will explain your recommendations for bringing the pest infestations on-site under control and how you plan to mitigate any risks involved.

The assessor will use your treatment report and risk assessment documents to challenge and question the rationale around your recommendations.

The module will focus on four areas relative to the case study: vertebrate pests, invertebrate pests, risk & environmental assessment and customer service.

Your professional discussion will last between 30-45 minutes.

Accreditation and certificate

Upon completion of this programme, you will receive the Certificated Advanced Technician (CAT) accreditation (PASS or DISTINCTION).

Pass award

If you achieve a percentage mark of between 65% and 84% in ALL five modules (identification, knowledge, treatment report, risk & environmental assessment and professional discussion), you will receive a pass award.

Distinction award

If you achieve a percentage mark of 85% or more in ALL modules (identification, knowledge, treatment report, risk & environmental assessment and professional discussion), you will receive a distinction award.

If you have to re-sit any module, you will NOT receive a distinction award even if subsequently you achieve a distinction grade in the modules you re-sit.

Re-sits

If you fail one of the five modules, you will be able to re-sit the module you have failed. Should you fail more than one module, you will be required to re-sit the whole assessment.

Re-sits need to be completed and passed within a 12-months of the date you initially sat the assessment. You can resit a module any number of times within that period. Should you not successfully complete the re-sit within that timescale, you will need to sit the full assessment again.