- What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
- The Two-Exam Pathway at a Glance
- Fees, Retakes and Renewal Numbers
- General Agriculture: Seven Domains to Know Cold
- Drip/Micro Specialty: Nine Domains
- Sprinkler Specialty: Four Domains
- Exam-Day Rules: Calculators, Formulas and the Clock
- Where the Weight Sits: A Priority Table
- Sequencing Your Prep by Domain
- Who Hires for This Credential
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CID-AG is a two-exam pathway: General Agriculture plus either Sprinkler or Drip/Micro, never all three outlines.
- Exam fees run $250 member or $495 nonmember per exam, so the two-exam total is $500 or $990.
- Sprinkler Type is the heaviest single domain at 40%-50% of the Sprinkler exam.
- Hydraulics carries 20%-25% on both General Agriculture and Sprinkler, making it the highest-leverage review topic.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
This page is a compressed reference for the Certified Irrigation Designer - Agriculture credential, issued through the Irrigation Association. The official credential is the Certified Irrigation Designer (CID) with an agriculture track, and this review keeps strictly to that pathway. If you want the deeper treatment of any single area, the CID-AG study guide walks through preparation in sequence, and the complete domains guide expands every content area below.
Think of this as the page you reread the night before each sitting. It front-loads structure, money, weights and rules, then lists the concrete engineering topics worth drilling.
The Two-Exam Pathway at a Glance
The single most common misunderstanding about this credential is treating it as one exam. It is not. You sit a required General Agriculture exam and then one specialty exam of your choice.
| Component | Questions | Time Allowance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Agriculture (required) | 150 | 4 hours | Seven domains |
| Sprinkler (specialty option A) | 50 | 4 hours | Four domains; 200 questions total with General |
| Drip/Micro (specialty option B) | 75 | 4 hours | Nine domains; 225 questions total with General |
Key structural facts to memorize:
- All questions are multiple choice.
- You must pass both exams within three years of application.
- The eight-hour exam line you may see referenced is the aggregate allowance across two sittings, not a single eight-hour session.
- The 20 domains listed in the outline are really three separate outlines: entries 1-7 are General Agriculture, 8-16 are Drip/Micro, and 17-20 are Sprinkler. You take General plus one specialty.
- Testing is delivered at Kryterion testing centers and through selected IA paper-and-pencil administrations. At-home proctoring is not something to assume is available.
Fees, Retakes and Renewal Numbers
Every dollar figure below comes straight from the credential's fee structure. Membership in the Irrigation Association changes the price of each exam substantially.
| Item | Member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Initial fee, per exam | $250 | $495 |
| Two-exam total (calculated) | $500 | $990 |
| Retake, per exam | $200 | $325 |
| Annual renewal | $75 | $125 |
| Additional certification add-on (renewal) | $25 | |
A nonmember pays roughly double at initial application, so compare the cost of joining against the savings before you register. For a fuller accounting that includes study materials and retakes, see the certification cost breakdown.
Renewal Mechanics
- Continuing education requirement: 20 CEUs per two years.
- Within those 20, at least 10 must be irrigation-related.
- Also within those 20, at least 5 must be Tier 1 or water-efficient CEUs.
- Renewal fees are annual even though the CEU cycle is two years.
General Agriculture: Seven Domains to Know Cold
The General Agriculture exam is the larger of the two at 150 questions. Its weights, in the order the outline lists them:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1. Pumps | 15%-20% |
| 2. Hydraulics | 20%-25% |
| 3. Economics | 5%-10% |
| 4. Soil-Water-Plant Relations | 15%-20% |
| 5. Scheduling | 10%-15% |
| 6. Efficiency/Uniformity | 10%-15% |
| 7. System Components | 10%-15% |
Hydraulics (20%-25%)
The largest General Agriculture domain and the one that quietly feeds every other section. Pump selection, sprinkler layout and drip lateral sizing all depend on it.
- Friction loss in pipe and how it scales with flow and diameter
- Pressure-versus-elevation relationships across a field
- Velocity limits and surge considerations in mainlines
- Working multi-step calculations quickly without losing units
Pumps (15%-20%)
Expect questions that connect pump performance to system demand rather than abstract pump theory.
- Reading pump curves and matching them to a system curve
- Power and efficiency relationships
- Operating-point shifts when system conditions change
Soil-Water-Plant Relations (15%-20%)
The agronomic foundation. Designers who skip this domain tend to over-rely on hydraulics knowledge and lose points here.
- Soil water holding characteristics and how they drive application depth
- Crop water use and root zone concepts
- Infiltration and its limits on application rate
The remaining General Agriculture domains, Scheduling, Efficiency/Uniformity, System Components and Economics, are individually smaller but together make up a large share of questions. Economics at 5%-10% is the lightest, yet it rewards candidates who can compare cost options cleanly. The domains guide breaks each of these down further.
Drip/Micro Specialty: Nine Domains
If you choose the Drip/Micro track, you sit 75 questions across nine domains (domains 8-16 in the combined outline).
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 8. System Design/Economics | 20%-25% |
| 9. Hydraulics | 15%-20% |
| 10. Filtration | 15%-20% |
| 11. Emitting Devices | 5%-10% |
| 12. Injection | 5%-10% |
| 13. Soil-Water-Plant Relations | 5%-10% |
| 14. Scheduling | 5%-10% |
| 15. Efficiency/Uniformity | 10%-15% |
| 16. Pumps | 1%-5% |
System Design/Economics (20%-25%)
The heaviest Drip/Micro domain. It tests whether you can assemble a coherent system, not just recite components.
- Laying out manifolds, submains and laterals for a given block
- Balancing design choices against cost
- Recognizing how emitter spacing and flow interact with field geometry
Filtration (15%-20%)
Far more weight than many candidates expect. Clogging is the defining operational risk of low-flow systems, so the exam treats filtration as a core design competency.
- Matching filter type to the water source and contaminant load
- Sizing and pressure-loss considerations across filters
- Why filtration choices connect directly to emitter performance
Notice that Pumps drops to just 1%-5% in this specialty, so do not let General Agriculture pump study crowd out filtration and design time when you prepare for the Drip/Micro exam. Injection and Emitting Devices are each small at 5%-10%, but they are fast points if you have reviewed them even once.
Sprinkler Specialty: Four Domains
The Sprinkler exam is short, 50 questions, and sharply lopsided.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 17. Pumps and Power | 15%-20% |
| 18. Hydraulics | 20%-25% |
| 19. Scheduling | 10%-15% |
| 20. Sprinkler Type | 40%-50% |
Because the exam has only 50 questions, each one carries real weight. With Hydraulics at 20%-25% and Sprinkler Type at 40%-50%, those two domains together can approach three-quarters of the exam.
Exam-Day Rules: Calculators, Formulas and the Clock
The logistics matter because they change how you should practice.
- Closed book. No personal references. Formula material and scratch paper are provided.
- Calculators: silent, battery-powered, nonprinting models are permitted, and programmable models are allowed.
- Not allowed as calculators: phones, tablets and watches.
- Breaks do not stop the clock. Time spent away from your seat still counts against you.
Because formula material is supplied, rote memorization of every equation is less valuable than knowing when to apply each one and how to carry units cleanly through a multi-step problem. Practice with the calculator you will actually bring, and confirm it fits the permitted category well before test day.
Key Takeaway
Because breaks do not pause the timer, do your practice sets in single uninterrupted blocks. Budget your pacing per question rather than assuming you can reset your focus during a break.
Where the Weight Sits: A Priority Table
When time is short, spend it where the percentages are largest. This table ranks the biggest single-domain opportunities across the pathway.
| Priority | Domain | Exam | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sprinkler Type | Sprinkler | 40%-50% |
| 2 | Hydraulics | General Agriculture | 20%-25% |
| 2 | Hydraulics | Sprinkler | 20%-25% |
| 2 | System Design/Economics | Drip/Micro | 20%-25% |
| 3 | Pumps | General Agriculture | 15%-20% |
| 3 | Soil-Water-Plant Relations | General Agriculture | 15%-20% |
| 3 | Filtration | Drip/Micro | 15%-20% |
Hydraulics appears as a major domain in all three outlines (it is also 15%-20% in Drip/Micro), which makes it the single best return on study hours regardless of specialty. If you are uncertain how this feeds into your result, the passing score article explains why the standard varies by exam form, usually landing between 70% and 75%.
Sequencing Your Prep by Domain
This is the only study-planning section in this cheat sheet, and it is organized around domain dependencies rather than generic scheduling. Hydraulics comes first because pumps, sprinklers and drip layouts all build on it.
Hydraulics Foundation
- Friction loss, pressure and flow calculations
- Practice carrying units through multi-step problems
Pumps and Soil-Water-Plant Relations
- Pump curves against system demand
- Soil water holding and application depth concepts
Scheduling, Efficiency/Uniformity, Components, Economics
- Irrigation timing and depth logic
- Uniformity concepts and cost comparisons
Your Specialty
- Sprinkler: dedicated time on Sprinkler Type
- Drip/Micro: System Design/Economics and Filtration
Many candidates sit General Agriculture first and the specialty second, since the General exam's hydraulics foundation supports the specialty material. Because you have three years from application to pass both exams, you can space the sittings out if you want a break between them. For eligibility context, see the requirements overview: experience and education are recommended, with the handbook suggesting three years in the field or two years plus one related educational year, but they are not mandatory.
Who Hires for This Credential
The credential signals competence in designing agricultural irrigation systems, so it is most relevant to roles where design responsibility sits. Typical employers and roles include:
- Irrigation dealers and design-build contractors serving growers
- Equipment manufacturers and distributors with technical sales or design support teams
- Consulting engineering and irrigation design firms
- Farm operations and agricultural enterprises with in-house irrigation staff
- Water-efficiency and conservation programs that rely on credentialed designers
Because compensation varies widely by region, role and employer, we do not quote figures here. The salary guide and the ROI analysis discuss how to evaluate the credential's value for your situation, and the jobs overview covers the roles in more depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The 20 domains are three separate outlines. Entries 1-7 cover General Agriculture, 8-16 cover Drip/Micro, and 17-20 cover Sprinkler. You sit General Agriculture plus one specialty, not all three.
General Agriculture has 150 questions. Adding Sprinkler (50) brings the total to 200, while adding Drip/Micro (75) brings it to 225. All questions are multiple choice.
The standard is form-dependent and usually falls between 70% and 75%, rather than being one fixed universal cutoff. The passing score guide explains this in more detail.
Yes, silent battery-powered nonprinting calculators are permitted, including programmable models. Phones, tablets and watches cannot serve as calculators. Formula material and scratch paper are provided, and the exam is closed book.
Initial fees are $250 per exam for members and $495 for nonmembers, totaling $500 or $990 for two exams. Annual renewal is $75 for members and $125 for nonmembers, with 20 CEUs required every two years. To check your readiness against realistic questions, try the CID-AG practice tests before you register.