INFORMATION ON PREPARING FOR THE ADEQ/ABC TEST Prepare for the New ADEQ/ABC Testing Process!! In the Fall of 2008 an entirely new testing protocol will be used for Operator Certification in the State of Arizona. ADEQ has partnered with Gateway Community College and the Association of Boards and Certification (ABC) for all Operator Certification examinations beginning in the fall of 2008. How does this affect you? As a result of this partnership between ADEQ and ABC, ALL certification exams will be administered by community colleges, specifically Gateway Community College in the Phoenix geographic area. These exams will be provided by the Association of Boards and Certification (ABC). The "ABC" exams are based upon an extensive list of "need to know job task" criteria that has been used across the United States for many years. What this means to you, as a Certified Operator in the State of Arizona, is that your Certification will be recognized across the United States as equal to or exceeding many State standards. As a result, whatever your Operator Grade level, you can receive EQUAL reciprocity in many States in the U.S. Will the Exams be different than what I have taken in the past? That depends; many operators from other states have taken the ABC test. If you have only tested and received certification in ARIZONA you will surely notice differences in the type of test questions the topics covered and the level of knowledge required to pass the ABC certification test The ABC exams are based upon a "need to know job task" criteria for every certification grade level. Keep in mind, these test require a level of knowledge that will allow your specific certification grade level to be utilized in many states in the U.S. As a result, the ABC test has questions related to water and wastewater system found not only in Arizona, but in numerous other states. For example: Do you know what a greensand filter is used for? What is the best chemical to use in a water system with iron and manganese problems? If the water temperature drops to 43 degrees F, what effect would this temperature have on your chemical treatment? What would you expect from an oxidation pond in the spring when the ice melts after six month of below freezing temperatures? How does temperature influence digester operation? What is "air binding of a rapid sand filter, and how is it prevented? You get the picture. The ABC test, in general will require that your knowledge, whatever grade level you are seeking, to be complete so that you can demonstrate that you fully understand the concepts necessary for the certification levels you are seeking. Who can prepare you for the new ADEQ/ABC testing process? Water Quality & Training has been providing Operator Certification Training since 1985 in the State of Arizona. Many of you have taken certification classes from Water Quality and Training during the past 20 years. Jim Kaylor is the President of Water Quality & Training and he will be your instructor for all classes. Jim spent 23 years as the Utility Director of Glendale Arizona. Prior to his work in Glendale, Jim was a Grade IV Certified Operator in the State of California taking his first ABC test in 1974. Jim is also a Grade IV Certified Operator in the State of Arizona. Water Quality & Training can prepare you to take and pass the new certification test because we know what is expected for each certification level. We have compiled a comprehensive library of material that is Operator Grade level SPECIFIC to the ABC testing process. What do YOU have to do? Anyone who wants to be successful in getting their Arizona certifications needs to be committed to spending the necessary time in the classroom AND studying the appropriate reference material. Water Quality & Training is dedicated to providing you with comprehensive classroom instruction based upon what you need to know to take and pass the ABC Certification exams. Additionally, we will provide you with a complete list of the resources that you will need to keep your skills current so that, when you decide you are ready to take your certification test, you WILL be ready. Our goal is to provide you with all of the appropriate information in our class so that there will be NO SURPRISES when you take these new exams. Expected Range of Knowledge to successfully pass ABC Certification Tests www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/occupations/Documents/Opcert/WT-ExpectedRangeofKnowledge-2008.pdf www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/23824.html
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