- The PGMS handbook lists seven illustrative exam subjects: chemicals and fertilizers, insects and disease, irrigation, management, soils, trees and shrubs, and...
- These seven are unweighted preparation headings, not a published weighted blueprint, so no domain can be called the largest.
- The exam has 75 multiple-choice and true/false questions in 90 minutes, and you need 80% to pass.
- The PGME portfolio categories are a separate, portfolio-graded step and must not be confused with exam domains.
What the Seven Content Areas Actually Are
If you are searching for "CGM exam domains," you will probably expect a tidy table with percentages next to each content area, the way many professional exams publish them. For the Certified Grounds Manager credential from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS), the reality is more nuanced, and understanding that nuance is the first step to preparing intelligently.
The PGMS certification handbook lists seven illustrative subjects for the application exam: Chemicals and Fertilizers, Insects and Disease, Irrigation, Management, Soils, Trees and Shrubs, and Turf Grasses. This guide treats them as seven content areas because that is how the handbook presents them to candidates. They are not, however, a complete weighted blueprint. PGMS does not publish a dated current blueprint, does not state how many questions come from each subject, and does not say whether the seven listed subjects are the only ones that can appear. The handbook's annotations date from 2022, so the source material is itself a little dated.
This is a different kind of exam from the ones many people are used to. It is written by and for working grounds professionals, and the seven subjects reflect the practical knowledge a person responsible for a landscape, campus, park, or institutional property needs every day. For background on the credential itself, see our overview of what CGM certification is, and for the bigger picture of how the exam fits into the credential path, the CGM study guide walks through the full preparation process.
Exam Format and Registration Mechanics
Knowing the format helps you decide how deeply to study each content area, because the format determines what kinds of questions you will face.
| Item | What PGMS Publishes |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) |
| Delivery | Online exam with an approved proctor |
| Number of questions | 75 (scored/unscored split not published) |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Question types | Multiple-choice and true/false |
| Passing requirement | 80% |
| Fees | $200 member, $300 non-member, $400 join-and-apply |
| Retest fee | $50 |
| Initial testing window | 30 days |
A few details deserve emphasis. First, the 80% requirement is high compared with many certification exams, which means a thin understanding of any single subject can cost you. With 75 questions, there is not much room to skip an entire area and hope the rest carries you. Our article on the CGM passing score breaks down what 80% means in practice.
Second, the exam is delivered online with an approved proctor. The public references reviewed for this guide do not establish whether the test is open-book, and rules about calculators, adaptive questioning, or testing from home are unverified. Confirm all of these with PGMS when you register rather than relying on assumptions. Third, PGMS has said the exam includes both scored and unscored questions but has not published how they split, so treat every question as if it counts.
If you are weighing the money side, our CGM certification cost breakdown covers the full pricing picture, and the CGM exam dates guide explains how the 30-day initial testing window fits into your scheduling.
Chemicals and Fertilizers
Domain 1: Chemicals and Fertilizers
This area covers the products a grounds manager applies to maintain plant health and appearance, and the responsibility that comes with applying them safely and legally.
- Fertilizer fundamentals: the major nutrients, how labels express them, and how to match a product to a site need
- Pesticide categories and how to choose between them for a given problem
- Reading and interpreting product labels, including application rates and restrictions
- Safe handling, storage, and application practices
- Calibration concepts so that applied rates match intended rates
Questions in this area tend to reward practical judgment. A grounds manager is accountable for what goes onto the property, so expect scenarios that ask what you would apply, how you would apply it, or what a label requires. Because this subject overlaps with soils (nutrient availability) and with insects and disease (when a chemical control is appropriate), it is a good one to study alongside those areas rather than in isolation.
Be careful about local specifics. Pesticide regulation and licensing vary by jurisdiction, so build your understanding on principles, such as reading the label as the governing document, rather than memorizing rules that apply in only one state.
Insects and Disease
Domain 2: Insects and Disease
This area tests whether you can recognize, diagnose, and respond to the pests and pathogens that affect turf, trees, shrubs, and ornamentals.
- Identifying common insect pests and distinguishing them from beneficial insects
- Recognizing disease symptoms and understanding the conditions that favor them
- Integrated pest management thinking: monitoring, thresholds, and choosing control options in sensible order
- Cultural practices that reduce pest and disease pressure before chemicals are needed
- Separating biological causes from environmental or cultural problems that look similar
The diagnostic skill is the heart of this subject. Many landscape problems that look like disease are actually irrigation errors, compaction, nutrient imbalance, or mechanical damage, and exam questions often probe whether you can tell the difference. Studying this area alongside irrigation and soils will sharpen that judgment, since the same brown patch of turf can have very different underlying causes.
Irrigation
Domain 3: Irrigation
Irrigation questions test your command of how water is delivered to a landscape and how to deliver it efficiently.
- System components and how they work together
- Scheduling concepts: matching water application to plant need, soil type, and weather
- Recognizing uniformity and coverage problems
- Water conservation practices and efficiency
- Troubleshooting common system failures
This is a subject where hands-on experience pays off. If you have spent seasons adjusting heads, diagnosing zones, and adjusting schedules, much of it will feel familiar. If your background is more on the horticultural side, spend extra time on system mechanics and scheduling logic. The relationship between soil type and water-holding capacity makes irrigation a natural companion to the soils material.
Management
Domain 4: Management
The Management subject reflects the fact that a Certified Grounds Manager is a manager, not only a horticulturist. The credential's experience requirements include supervisory years, and this subject is where that side of the role shows up.
- Planning and scheduling grounds operations across seasons
- Budgeting and resource allocation
- Supervising, training, and communicating with crews
- Safety practices and risk awareness on the job
- Equipment and materials considerations
Management is the area where candidates with deep technical backgrounds sometimes underestimate the exam. The eligibility paths require at least one year at your current facility plus a combination of education and grounds experience, and those paths include supervisory time, for instance four years of grounds experience with two supervisory for a candidate with a relevant four-year degree. If you have mostly worked as a crew member, lean into this subject. Our CGM requirements guide lays out each experience path in detail.
Soils
Domain 5: Soils
Soils underpin nearly every other subject on the list. Fertilizer recommendations, irrigation scheduling, turf performance, and tree health all depend on understanding the medium plants grow in.
- Soil texture and structure, and how they influence drainage and water-holding
- Soil pH and its effect on nutrient availability
- Organic matter and its role in soil function
- Compaction: causes, effects, and remedies
- Soil testing and interpreting results to guide decisions
Because soils connects so many other topics, strong understanding here pays dividends across the exam. A question about why fertilizer is not producing results, why turf is thinning, or why a tree is declining may turn on a soil concept. If you only have time to deepen one subject beyond your comfort zone, soils is a smart place to invest because the knowledge transfers.
Trees and Shrubs
Domain 6: Trees and Shrubs
This subject covers the woody plant side of a landscape, from selection and planting to long-term care.
- Selecting appropriate species for site conditions
- Proper planting techniques and early establishment care
- Pruning principles: purpose, timing, and correct cuts
- Recognizing stress, decline, and structural problems
- Ongoing maintenance, including mulching and watering practices
Pruning and planting questions tend to be practical and procedural, so expect to be asked what is correct rather than only what is possible. Candidates whose experience is mostly in turf maintenance should budget extra time here, since woody plant care is a distinct body of knowledge. It also connects to insects and disease, because many pest and pathogen questions involve trees and shrubs specifically.
Turf Grasses
Domain 7: Turf Grasses
Turf is often the visible face of a grounds operation, and this subject tests how well you understand growing and maintaining it.
- Distinguishing cool-season and warm-season grasses and where each performs well
- Mowing practices, including height and frequency
- Fertility and cultural programs for healthy turf
- Aeration, overseeding, and renovation concepts
- Diagnosing common turf problems and their causes
Turf questions frequently draw on other subjects at the same time. A thin, discolored lawn might involve a soil issue, an irrigation problem, a nutrient shortfall, or a disease, and the exam may expect you to reason across those areas. That cross-subject quality is one more reason to avoid studying the seven content areas as sealed compartments.
Exam Subjects vs. PGME Portfolio Categories
One of the most common sources of confusion for candidates is mixing up the application exam with the portfolio stage that follows it. They are separate steps with separate content structures.
| Feature | Application Exam | PGME Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | 75-question online test | Portfolio of evidence and mentorship |
| Organized by | Seven illustrative subjects (unweighted) | Nine portfolio categories |
| Scoring | 80% required | Graded separately with a portfolio rubric |
| Timing | Initial 30-day testing window | Due within one year |
| Pass rate | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
Because PGMS does not disclose pass rates for either stage, be skeptical of any figure you see quoted online. Our CGM pass rate article explains what is and is not actually known, and how hard the CGM exam is offers a realistic look at difficulty given those unknowns.
Sequencing the Seven Areas in Your Prep
Since the subjects are unweighted, the best sequencing logic is dependency-based: learn the foundations first, then the subjects that build on them. Here is one sensible order that reflects how the content areas interact, assuming a roughly five-week runway.
Soils
- Texture, structure, pH, organic matter, and compaction
- Soil testing and result interpretation, since later subjects depend on this
Turf Grasses and Irrigation
- Cool-season versus warm-season grasses and cultural programs
- Irrigation system components, scheduling, and troubleshooting
Trees and Shrubs, then Insects and Disease
- Selection, planting, and pruning principles
- Pest and disease identification, IPM, and diagnostic reasoning
Chemicals and Fertilizers
- Fertilizer nutrients, labels, and calibration
- Pesticide selection, safety, and the label as governing document
Management and Full Review
- Scheduling, budgeting, supervision, and safety
- Mixed-topic practice under a 90-minute time limit
Adjust this based on your own background. A career turf manager might compress weeks two and five and spend longer on trees and shrubs; an arborist-turned-supervisor might do the reverse. The point is to work from foundations outward and to finish with mixed practice, since the real exam will not group questions by subject for you. For a compact reference to revisit as you go, our CGM cheat sheet condenses the must-know facts, and you can test yourself with the CGM practice tests on the main site.
Key Takeaway
Because the 80% bar is high and the subjects are interlinked, aim for working competence in all seven rather than mastery of a few. Use realistic practice questions from the CGM Exam Prep practice test to find the subjects where your reasoning is shakiest, then return to those areas first.
Finally, remember that the credential is not a one-time event. Certification is maintained by renewing every three years with 25 CEUs, at least 80% of which must be PGMS-approved, and the renewal fee is $75 less $25 for each year of membership. If you are still deciding whether the investment fits your career, see our analyses of whether the CGM certification is worth it and the CGM salary guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
The PGMS handbook lists seven illustrative exam subjects: Chemicals and Fertilizers, Insects and Disease, Irrigation, Management, Soils, Trees and Shrubs, and Turf Grasses. They are unweighted preparation headings, not a complete weighted blueprint, so the exact number of formal weighted domains is unverified.
PGMS does not publish a largest-domain weight or any per-subject percentages. Treat the seven subjects as roughly equal in importance for planning purposes and shore up whichever ones are weakest for you.
No. The nine PGME categories organize the separate portfolio, which is graded with its own rubric after the application exam. They are portfolio categories, not exam domains, and should not be added to the seven exam subjects.
The initial exam has 75 multiple-choice and true/false questions to be completed in 90 minutes through an online test with an approved proctor. You need 80% to pass. A retest costs $50.
The public references reviewed do not establish open-book status, and rules on calculators, adaptive questioning, or testing from home are unverified. Confirm the current rules directly with PGMS at registration.