QISP Exam Prep Free practice test →

Free QISP Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Qualified Industrial Stormwater Practitioner (QISP) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free QISP practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

A storm begins at 4:00 AM Tuesday and produces discharge from the facility's drainage areas starting at 5:30 AM. The most recent prior discharge from any drainage area at the facility ended at 7:00 AM Sunday. Total precipitation for this storm is 0.08 inches. Does this event qualify as a Qualifying Storm Event (QSE) under the California Industrial General Permit?

  1. No, because total precipitation did not reach the 0.1-inch threshold required for a QSE
  2. No, because the antecedent dry period was less than 72 hours between storm events
  3. Yes, because there was a discharge and the prior discharge ended more than 48 hours earlier
  4. Yes, but only if the facility's MIP includes a precipitation-threshold waiver
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Yes, because there was a discharge and the prior discharge ended more than 48 hours earlier

Question 2

A facility samples Total Suspended Solids (TSS) at Discharge Point 001 four times during the reporting year. The results are: 60 mg/L, 85 mg/L, 425 mg/L, and 95 mg/L. Based on these results, which NAL exceedance(s) occurred at Discharge Point 001 for TSS?

  1. Annual NAL exceedance only
  2. Instantaneous Maximum NAL exceedance only
  3. Both Annual and Instantaneous Maximum NAL exceedances
  4. No NAL exceedances occurred
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - No NAL exceedances occurred

Question 3

A facility experienced a Zinc Annual NAL exceedance during Reporting Year 2024-2025. The facility was already in Level 1 ERA status for Zinc from a prior reporting year. The Discharger asks the QISP what the resulting status change is and when documentation is due. Which response is correct?

  1. Level 2 status begins July 1, 2025; the Level 2 ERA Action Plan is due January 1, 2026
  2. Level 2 status begins immediately upon the Annual Report submission; the Action Plan is due 60 days later
  3. Level 1 status continues; only an updated Level 1 ERA Report is required by January 1, 2026
  4. Level 2 status begins July 1, 2025; the Level 2 Technical Report is the only required submittal and is due July 15, 2025
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Level 2 status begins July 1, 2025; the Level 2 ERA Action Plan is due January 1, 2026

Question 4

A QISP is reviewing a SWPPP for a metal-recycling facility. The site map identifies all building footprints, all drainage areas with flow direction, all BMP locations, and all sampling locations. The QISP determines the site map is non-compliant. Which omitted element is the MOST likely basis for that determination?

  1. GPS coordinates for each BMP location
  2. Areas of industrial activity and locations where industrial materials are stored, received, shipped, or handled
  3. The facility's emergency evacuation routes
  4. The seasonal high groundwater elevation across the site
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Areas of industrial activity and locations where industrial materials are stored, received, shipped, or handled

Question 5

A QISP prepares a Level 1 ERA Evaluation and Report for a Discharger. Before the documents are uploaded to SMARTS, who must certify the submittal?

  1. The QISP, because the QISP prepared the documents and holds the technical credential
  2. The Trainer of Record (ToR) who issued the QISP credential
  3. The Legally Responsible Person (LRP) or a Duly Authorized Representative (DAR)
  4. The Regional Water Quality Control Board reviewer assigned to the facility
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - The Legally Responsible Person (LRP) or a Duly Authorized Representative (DAR)

Question 6

A facility has three discharge points (001, 002, 003). During the first half of the reporting year (July 1 - December 31), the facility sampled two QSEs at all three points. During the second half (January 1 - June 30), only one QSE occurred that produced a sampleable discharge, which the facility sampled at all three points. The facility's Annual Report indicates only three QSE sampling events for the year. Which statement BEST describes the compliance status?

  1. Non-compliant - the facility must sample four QSE events regardless of how many qualifying storms occurred
  2. Compliant if the facility documents that no additional QSEs occurred during the second half despite reasonable monitoring efforts
  3. Non-compliant - the facility must reallocate samples and treat the three first-half samples as covering both halves
  4. Compliant - three samples per discharge point at three points equals nine total samples, which exceeds the four-event minimum
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Compliant if the facility documents that no additional QSEs occurred during the second half despite reasonable monitoring efforts

Question 7

A facility in Level 2 ERA status for Aluminum operates in a region where regional soils are naturally high in aluminum due to local geology. The QISP, after reviewing receiving-water and upstream data, concludes that the facility's BMPs are sound and that elevated aluminum in discharges reflects local background concentrations rather than industrial activity. Which Level 2 Demonstration is MOST appropriate?

  1. Industrial Activity BMP Demonstration
  2. Non-Industrial Pollutant Source Demonstration
  3. Natural Background Pollutant Source Demonstration
  4. Receiving Water Limitation Demonstration
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Natural Background Pollutant Source Demonstration

Question 8

During a routine inspection, a QISP observes that a facility has implemented good housekeeping, preventive maintenance, spill response, material handling, erosion controls, and employee training. The facility maintains BMP inspection logs but has discarded all monitoring records and training records older than three years to save storage space. Which IGP requirement, if any, has been violated?

  1. No violation - three years exceeds the standard NPDES recordkeeping period
  2. The Quality Assurance and Record Keeping minimum BMP - IGP records must be retained for five years
  3. Only the training-record portion is non-compliant; monitoring records have a three-year retention requirement
  4. Only a violation if the facility is in Level 1 or Level 2 ERA status
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - The Quality Assurance and Record Keeping minimum BMP - IGP records must be retained for five years

Question 9

A facility's analytical laboratory reports a TSS result of '<5 mg/L' (non-detect, with a method reporting limit of 5 mg/L) for one of four QSE samples. The other three TSS results were 90, 110, and 120 mg/L. The facility's MIP specifies that non-detect values are reported at the method reporting limit for compliance calculations. What is the correct annual average TSS value, and has the Annual NAL been exceeded?

  1. Annual average is 81.25 mg/L; Annual NAL not exceeded
  2. Annual average is 106.7 mg/L (the non-detect is excluded); Annual NAL exceeded
  3. Annual average is 80 mg/L (using zero for the non-detect); Annual NAL not exceeded
  4. The non-detect invalidates the dataset; the facility must resample to determine compliance
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Annual average is 81.25 mg/L; Annual NAL not exceeded

Question 10

A facility's loading dock generates wash water from cleaning delivery trucks. The wash water historically flowed into a paved drainage area that discharges to a municipal storm drain. The facility's SWPPP describes this flow as an 'authorized non-stormwater discharge' under the IGP. A QISP reviewing the SWPPP should:

  1. Confirm the classification, because vehicle-cleaning water from on-site operations is one of the seven authorized non-stormwater discharges
  2. Require the SWPPP to be revised because vehicle-wash water is NOT an authorized non-stormwater discharge under the IGP and must be eliminated, contained, or covered by a separate NPDES permit
  3. Require the facility to add wash-water sampling to the MIP and continue the discharge under monitoring
  4. Confirm the classification only if the wash water is collected and discharged during a Qualifying Storm Event
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Require the SWPPP to be revised because vehicle-wash water is NOT an authorized non-stormwater discharge under the IGP and must be eliminated, contained, or covered by a separate NPDES permit

Ready for the real thing?

Practice hundreds more QISP questions with instant scoring, weak-area drills, and full exam simulations.

Start the free practice test See pricing