Exams - Applicants must pass two exams: a Soil Science Fundamentals Exam and the Indiana Soil and Field Skills Exam. Usually, a Fundamentals Exam and the Indiana Soils Exam can be taken on the same day.
- Fundamentals Exam: You can fulfill the requirements for the Soil Science Fundamentals Exam by passing either the Council of Soil Science Examiners (CSSE) Fundamentals Exam, administered by ARCPACS, or the IRSS Soil Science Fundamentals Exam. The passing grade for the IRSS exam is 70%.
- Indiana Soil and Field Skills Exam: The Indiana Soils and Field Skills Exam covers factors and processes of soil formation in Indiana; soil geography and soil morphology, including describing soil color, texture, structure, and consistency and estimating the percent of sand, silt and clay in soil samples, and related topics. The passing grade for this exam is 70%.
Exam Schedule:
- Exams are held by appointment only - please contact Lisa Mermoud (enter contact info) to schedule your exam.
Pay for your Exam:
There are two ways to pay for the IRSS Exams:
- The regular three-year registration application fee includes the cost of administering both IRSS exams one time. If you must repeat an exam, the cost is $50 per exam. You must pass both exam within three years of the date of the application.
- You may take either or both IRSS exam(s) before you complete the rest of your application for a fee of $50 for each exam. The cost of the exam(s) will be deducted from your application fee when you complete the application.
Credit for passing an exam lasts five (5) years.