Exam Information

To become a BCE, in addition to fulfilling the other requirements, each applicant must score at least 70% on the BCE Core or Qualifying exam and at least one specialty examination. One specialty is included in the examination fee, all additional specialties require an additional fee. Nearly all BCE examinations are administered online through the internet. The test instructions will be sent to your proctor about a week prior to your exam. To get a sense of the types of questions asked as well as the style and the format of the exam, please view the sample exam here: https://goo.gl/forms/xTNIOzTmuJnjaRL03

If you are an international BCE candidate, and having trouble finding the recommended books, please email us, we can help you!

BCE Core/Qualifying Exam

You must have applied and been accepted into the BCE application process prior to taking this exam.  After you have been accepted into the program, confirm with your proctor a date when you are ready to take the exam and inform the ESA Certification Coordinator by email at bce@entsoc.org. Please give at least 10 days' notice. The Coordinator will e-mail instructions one week prior to the scheduled test date  to you and your proctor. This exam is administered online.  If your exam date changes please notify the Certification Coordinator at your earliest convenience.

Topics to study for the General Entomology Qualifying exam:

• History of Insects & Entomology
• Importance of Insects to Humans
• Taxonomy, Classification, and Identification
• Insect & Arthropod Anatomy, Biology, Morphology, and Physiology
• Insect & Arthropod Management
• Laws and Regulations Related to Insects & Arhthropods
• BCE Code of Ethics

Helpful Study References

• Adams, J. ed. 1992. Insect Potpourri. Sandhill Crane Press, Gainesville, FL. 336 p., ISBN: 1-877743-09-7 [hb].   
• Borror, D.J., and R.E. White. 1970. Peterson Field Guide [to] Insects. Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, NY. 404 p., ISBN: 978-0-395-91170-9 [sb].  
• Brandenburg, R.L., and M.G. Villani. eds. 1995. Handbook of Turfgrass Insect Pests. Entomol. Soc. Amer., Lanham, MD. 140 p., ISBN:  0-938522-52-3  [sb].  
• Byrd, J.H., and J.L. Castner. eds. 2010. 2^nd ed. Forensic Entomology. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 681 p., ISBN: 978-0-8493-9215-3 [hb].  
• Debboun, M., S. Frances, and D. Strickman. eds. 2007. 2^nd ed. Insect Repellents Handbook. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 495 p., ISBN: 978-1-4665-5355-2 [hb].   
• Gold, R.E., and S.C. Jones. eds. 2000. Handbook of Household and Structural Insect Pests. Entomol. Soc. Amer., Lanham, MD. 154 p. ISBN: 0-938522-78-7 [sb].
• ICZN. 2000. 4^th ed. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, London, UK. 306 p. ISBN: 0-85301-006-4 [hb]; This code has been amended twice, as of 1 January 2012, with the current “e-version” available at: http://iczn.org/iczn/index.jsp.
• Heymann, D.L. ed. 2008. 19^th ed. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual. Amer. Publ. Health Assn. (APHA), Washington, DC. 746 p. ISBN: 978-87553-189-2 [sb].
• Levi, H.W., and L.R. Levi. 1990. Golden Guide [to] Spiders and their Kin. Golden Books, New York, NY. 160 p., ISBN: 0-307-24021-5 [sb].
• Mullen, G.R., and L.A. Durden. eds. 2009. 2^nd ed. Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Academic Press, Orlando, FL. 637 p., ISBN: 978-0-12-372500-4  [hb].
• Triplehorn, C.A., and N. F. Johnson. 2005. 7^th ed. Borror and DeLong’s Introduction to the Study of Insects. Thomson, Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA. 864 p., ISBN: 0-03-096835-6  [hb].
• WHO. 2004. Global Strategic Framework for Integrated Vector Management. WHO, Geneva. 12 p.
• Zim, H.S., and C. Cottam. 1987. Golden Guide [to] Insects. Western Publ. Co., Racine, WI (Div. of Golden Books, New York, NY). 160 p., ISBN: 0-307-24055-X [sb].  
• Inward, D., G. Beccaloni, and P. Eggleton. 2007. Death of an order: a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study confirms that termites are eusocial cockroaches. Biology Letters 3:331-335. 

After the Exam

As mentioned above, a passing score is 70%. The Chair of the Examination Committee contacts the applicant and welcomes them to the BCE program (if they passed) or offers suggestions on how to improve their score for the next test date.

If re-testing is required, the test must be retaken no sooner than 30 days, but no more than 365 days later than you last attempt, or else re-application to the program may be required. 

If the applicant became a BCE in the first 3 quarters of the year (January 1 -- September 31) they will need to renew their certification annually, beginning with the next year. If the applicant successfully passed their exams in the fourth quarter of the year (October 1 -- December 31) fees for the following year will not be required and annual renewals will start one year later.