- CID-AG here means Certified Irrigation Designer - Agriculture, the agriculture track of the Irrigation Association's CID credential.
- It is a two-exam pathway: General Agriculture plus either Sprinkler or Drip/Micro, not one unified test.
- Initial fees are $250 per exam for members and $495 for nonmembers, so two exams total $500 or $990.
- The 20 listed domains cover three separate outlines; you sit General plus only one specialty.
What CID-AG Spells Out
The acronym unpacks to Certified Irrigation Designer - Agriculture. It is the agriculture track of the Certified Irrigation Designer (CID) credential, which recognizes professionals who can design irrigation systems that deliver water efficiently to crops. The "CID" portion names the credential family. The "AG" portion names the agricultural focus, as opposed to landscape or golf work.
A note on terminology: "CID-AG" is a shorthand used on this site to point to the agriculture track. The official credential name is simply CID, issued with an agriculture designation. If you search the acronym elsewhere, you may land on unrelated credentials that happen to share the same letters. Everything in this article refers only to the irrigation design credential. For a broader orientation, see What Is CID-AG? and What Does CID-AG Stand For?.
Who Issues the Credential
The credential is offered through the Irrigation Association (IA). Testing takes place at Kryterion testing centers and at selected IA paper-and-pencil administrations. At-home proctoring has not been verified for this credential, so plan on a testing center or a scheduled IA session rather than assuming you can sit the exam from your office.
The IA also sets the continuing education rules that keep the certification active, which we cover below. If you are weighing whether the investment makes sense for your career, the ROI analysis and cost breakdown go deeper on the numbers.
Why "CID-AG" Is Really Two Exams
This is the single most misunderstood point about the credential. Candidates often search for "the CID-AG exam" as though it were one sitting. It is not. The agriculture pathway has two required components:
- General Agriculture: 150 questions, 4 hours.
- One specialty exam, chosen by you: either Sprinkler (50 questions, 4 hours) or Drip/Micro (75 questions, 4 hours).
| Pathway | General Agriculture | Specialty Exam | Total Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| General + Sprinkler | 150 questions / 4 hours | 50 questions / 4 hours | 200 |
| General + Drip/Micro | 150 questions / 4 hours | 75 questions / 4 hours | 225 |
Both exams must be passed within three years of application. The eight-hour exam allowance is an aggregate across the two sittings, not a single eight-hour block. Questions are multiple choice.
Key Takeaway
Decide early whether you are on the Sprinkler or Drip/Micro track. The specialty choice changes your question count, your domain priorities, and where you spend most of your study hours. Your crop and region mix should drive the decision.
Reading the 20 Domains Without Getting Lost
Published material lists 20 domains, which can look overwhelming until you realize it enumerates three separate outlines stacked together. Entries 1-7 are General Agriculture, entries 8-16 are Drip/Micro, and entries 17-20 are Sprinkler. You study the General outline plus one specialty outline, never all three as a single exam. For the complete breakdown, see the CID-AG exam domains guide.
General Agriculture outline (Domains 1-7)
| Domain | Name | 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% |
Drip/Micro specialty outline (Domains 8-16)
| Domain | Name | 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% |
Sprinkler specialty outline (Domains 17-20)
| Domain | Name | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Pumps and Power | 15%-20% |
| 18 | Hydraulics | 20%-25% |
| 19 | Scheduling | 10%-15% |
| 20 | Sprinkler Type | 40%-50% |
What "Agriculture" Changes in Practice
The agriculture designation shapes which problems you are expected to solve. Rather than turf and ornamental plantings, the content centers on crop water use, field-scale delivery, and the economics of moving water over larger areas. Here is what candidates must be ready to handle.
Hydraulics (General Domain 2, Drip/Micro Domain 9, Sprinkler Domain 18)
This is the backbone of the credential. Expect to reason about how pressure and flow behave through pipe networks and components.
- Friction loss through mainlines and laterals
- Pressure requirements at the field and at individual devices
- How elevation changes and pipe sizing affect system performance
- Balancing flow so that every part of the system receives what it needs
Pumps and Power (General Domain 1, Sprinkler Domain 17, Drip/Micro Domain 16)
Pump selection and operation carry real weight in the General and Sprinkler outlines, and a small share in Drip/Micro.
- Matching pump capability to system demand
- Understanding how a pump and a piping system interact
- Power considerations for running the system
Soil-Water-Plant Relations (General Domain 4, Drip/Micro Domain 13)
Design decisions only make sense when tied to what the crop and soil actually need.
- How soil characteristics influence water holding and movement
- Crop water use and root zone considerations
- Linking application rates to what the soil can absorb
Scheduling and Efficiency/Uniformity (Domains 5, 6, 14, 15, 19)
These topics recur across outlines. Candidates should understand when and how much to irrigate, and how to judge whether a system distributes water evenly.
- Timing and amount of irrigation applications
- Measures of how uniformly a system applies water
- The relationship between uniformity and overall efficiency
Specialty-Specific Topics
If you take Drip/Micro, expect to be tested on filtration, emitting devices, and injection, along with system design and economics. If you take Sprinkler, the exam concentrates on sprinkler types, which is nearly half of that exam's content.
- Drip/Micro: filtration (15%-20%), emitting devices (5%-10%), injection (5%-10%)
- Sprinkler: sprinkler type selection and characteristics (40%-50%)
Exam Format and Testing Rules
The exams are closed book. You receive provided formula material and scratch paper, so you will not carry in your own reference sheets. Calculators are allowed if they are silent, battery-powered, and nonprinting. Programmable models are permitted. A phone, tablet, or watch cannot serve as your calculator.
Breaks do not stop the clock. If you step away from your seat, the timer keeps running, so plan to use your time deliberately rather than counting on a pause. Practice with a calculator you will actually bring, because hydraulics problems reward speed and comfort with your device.
Passing standard
The passing standard is form-dependent, usually falling in the 70%-75% range rather than a fixed universal cutoff. That means you should aim comfortably above the high end of that range in practice rather than targeting a bare minimum. Our passing score guide and pass rate article discuss what is and is not publicly established.
Eligibility
Experience and education are recommended, not mandatory. The handbook suggests three years in the field, or two years plus one related educational year. No required prep course, degree, or reference count has been identified. The linked handbook does not show a verified revision year, and the 2010 Drip/Micro sample is not the blueprint date, so treat any sample material as illustrative of style rather than as a current blueprint. See CID-AG requirements for the full picture.
Fees, Retakes and Renewal
| Item | Member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Initial fee, per exam | $250 | $495 |
| Calculated two-exam total | $500 | $990 |
| Retake, per exam | $200 | $325 |
| Annual renewal | $75 | $125 |
An additional certification adds $25 to the annual renewal. Because you pay per exam, failing only one of your two exams means you retake and repay for only that one. Membership matters here: the gap between member and nonmember pricing on the two-exam total is $490, which is worth weighing before you register. Full pricing context is in the certification cost breakdown.
Keeping the credential active
Renewal requires 20 CEUs per two years, including a minimum of 10 irrigation-related CEUs and 5 Tier 1 / water-efficient CEUs. Build CEU tracking into your routine from the day you certify so you are not scrambling near the deadline. For scheduling and deadlines on the exam side, see CID-AG exam dates.
Who Should Pursue It
The credential suits professionals whose work involves designing, specifying, or evaluating agricultural irrigation systems. Typical fits include:
- Irrigation designers and engineering technicians working on farm and field systems
- Dealer and distributor staff who specify equipment and layouts for growers
- Consultants advising on water management, scheduling, and system performance
- Agricultural operations that want in-house design competence
Employers that design, sell, or manage agricultural irrigation tend to value a recognized design credential, though specific hiring practices and pay vary by region and employer. We avoid quoting figures we cannot support; for qualitative discussion, see the CID-AG jobs and salary guide articles.
Sequencing Your Prep by Domain
Because the content is heavily quantitative, sequencing matters more than raw hours. The plan below ties each phase to the actual domain weights. For a fuller approach, the CID-AG study guide expands on this.
Hydraulics and Pumps First
- Work General Hydraulics (20%-25%) and Pumps (15%-20%) until calculations feel routine
- Practice with your approved calculator under timed conditions
Soil-Water-Plant and Scheduling
- Cover Soil-Water-Plant Relations (15%-20%) and Scheduling (10%-15%)
- Connect crop water needs to application decisions
Components, Efficiency, Economics
- Finish System Components, Efficiency/Uniformity, and Economics
- Sit your General Agriculture exam once these are solid
Your Specialty
- Sprinkler: devote the bulk of your time to Sprinkler Type (40%-50%)
- Drip/Micro: prioritize System Design/Economics, Hydraulics, and Filtration
If you want to gauge readiness, take a practice test and look at which domains cost you points. For a quick pre-exam refresh, the cheat sheet condenses the must-know facts, and the difficulty guide helps set expectations.
Frequently Asked Questions
On this site, CID-AG stands for Certified Irrigation Designer - Agriculture, the agriculture track of the Irrigation Association's CID credential. Other credentials elsewhere may share the acronym, but this article covers only the irrigation design credential.
It is a two-exam pathway. You take General Agriculture (150 questions, 4 hours) plus either Sprinkler (50 questions, 4 hours) or Drip/Micro (75 questions, 4 hours). Both must be passed within three years of application.
The 20 entries combine three separate outlines: entries 1-7 for General Agriculture, 8-16 for Drip/Micro, and 17-20 for Sprinkler. You study General plus one specialty, not all three.
Initial fees are $250 per exam for members and $495 for nonmembers, making the two-exam total $500 or $990. Retakes are $200 or $325 per exam. Annual renewal is $75 for members and $125 for nonmembers.
Experience and education are recommended rather than mandatory. The handbook suggests three years in the field, or two years plus one related educational year, but no required prep course or degree was identified.