If you are in the management or food industry then you probably would have heard the name of the ServSafe test. The certification is considered one of the most prestigious ones in the management and food industry. With over 5 million food protection manager certificates awarded all over the world, many people look forward to giving this exam and getting a certification for themselves.
If you are interested in the ServSafe exam and grinding for the exams by giving Servsafe practice tests or are a beginner trying to understand if the exam is for you or not, then this might be the guide for you. We’ll tell you all about the nitty-gritty of the exam. Here’s everything to know about the ServSafe test.
About ServSafe exams
The National Restaurant Association has been serving the restaurant industry in the United States for more than a century. The association was established in 1919. The National Restaurant Association has been administering and running the ServSafe training program. The exam, however, is not a century old and started after a few decades of the association.
Five different programs and six different certifications can be earned through the ServSafe exam. The difference in the number of certifications is due to multiple certifications available in the alcohol department: primary and advanced. Here are the five programs that one can take:
- ServSafe alcohol
- ServSafe food handler course
- ServSafe allergens
- ServSafe workplace
- ServSafe food manager course
Food and beverage safety aspects are covered by the food manager, food handler, alcohol, and allergen courses. Workplace course, on the other hand, covers many topics like harassment in the workplace, issues regarding unconscious bias, etc. You can get a ServSafe workplace certification without even taking an exam.
What does the exam entail?
Any exam that is under the ServSafe name will contain questions in multiple-choice format i.e you will be provided with multiple choices with one correct answer. All of the different exams have different numbers of questions in them and have different criteria to pass. If you are trying to get a certain type of certification, you will need to research the format of the exam.
For example, the ServSafe food handler exam contains 40 multiple-choice questions. The exam has no time limit, and you can take all the time you want to answer the questions. The ServSafe Manager exam, on the other hand, has some characteristics of the food handler exam but has a lot more constraints than the former. The ServSafe Manager exam contains 90 multiple-choice questions, more than double the food handler exam. On top of that, the manager exam has a 2-hour limit in which you have to answer all the questions.
As mentioned, all the exams have a different criteria for passing. The two mentioned above require a score of 75% or higher in order to pass.
Conclusion
If you’ve decided on which program you want to take, you then need to register somewhere for the program. Both online and in-person classes have their own advantages. Find out what works best for you, and start grinding for the certification.