The California Landscape Contractors Association offers several tips for landscape professionals taking the Certified Landscape Technician test. According to CLCA, plan reading is a commonly failed CLT test area. This 10-question, 30-minute portion of the CLT test includes reading a plant legend, reviewing a landscape plan, and calculating area and volume. Plan reading requires knowledge of construction math, the ability to use an architect’s scale, and the understanding of plant legends.
The following tips are provided by CLCA to help test applicants in the plan reading portion of the CLT test:
- Know construction math, which is the calculation of length, width, area, volume and the conversion of square feet or square yards to cubic yards. Also know formulas for measuring circles and cylinders.
- Be sure to use the correct scale of measurement on each plan. For example, a plan that shows a scale of 1/8 inch = 1 foot means that every 1/8-inch measurement on the plan is 1 linear foot at the site. Therefore, a 1-inch measurement on the plan would be an 8-foot measurement at the site.
- When measuring irregular areas, consider breaking the area into rectangles and/or triangles. Measure each rectangle or triangle, then add the total of these areas to determine the entire area. Be careful not to double measure an area.
CLCA also offers the "CLT Study Guide," a resource for information on math calculations, formulas and plant material. Visit www.clca.org for more information on the CLT test and the "CLT Study Guide."