ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification Examination — 90 questions (80 scored, 10 unscored pretest) · 120 minutes · Passing score: 70% (at least 56 of the 80 scored questions). PrepPass also publishes a complete study guide for this exam as a downloadable book (151 pages, 240 practice questions inside, $19.99).
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A printable colour cheat sheet for the exam: the format, the content areas and the figures it turns on, each checked against a named source and dated.
ServSafe Food Protection Manager cheat sheet PDF — $9.99 →
6 pages · US Letter · printable PDF · yours to keep
Test what you know · free, all of it
The same 500 questions, dealt five ways. Pick the one that fits the time you have.
Learn what the questions test
Practice finds the gaps. Reading closes them. The eight chapters below are free to read online. The study guide book is a separate download, sold on its own page.
Before you sit
See the questions first
Real items, with the answer marked and the reason written out — the same format as all 500.
What is the maximum temperature at which cold TCS food may be held to keep it safe?
Why: Cold TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety) food must be held at 41°F or below. At 45°F or 50°F the food is inside the danger zone and pathogens can grow. 38°F is safe but is not the maximum allowed limit the question asks for.FDA Food Code §3-501.16
A restaurant wants to smoke and cure its own bacon in-house to preserve it for retail sale. Before starting, what must the operator obtain from the regulatory authority?
Why: Smoking or curing food to preserve it, rather than only to add flavor, is a specialized process: the operator must obtain a variance from the regulatory authority and keep an approved HACCP plan that identifies the hazards and controls specific to that process. Note the scope word in the stem, preserve for retail sale, which is what triggers the requirement. A labeling exemption answers a different requirement, a supplier's written approval carries no regulatory weight for an in-house process, and a certified food protection manager is a separate staffing rule that does not authorize the process.FDA Food Code §8-201.13
Watch
The exam itself
| Questions | 90 questions (80 scored, 10 unscored pretest)ServSafe calls the unscored items “pilot questions … for research purposes only”. They are indistinguishable from scored items during the exam. |
|---|---|
| Time | 120 minutesThe Examinee Handbook states the same limit from the proctor's side: all examination materials must be returned to the proctor two hours after the start. |
| Sections | Foodborne Illness · Contamination & Allergens · Personal Hygiene · Receiving & Storage · Preparation & Cooking · Holding & Service · Management & HACCP · Facilities, Cleaning & Pests |
| Passing score | 70% (at least 56 of the 80 scored questions)Two official ServSafe sources disagree and the older one is wrong: the © 2020 Examinee Handbook PDF still prints “A passing score is 75 percent or better”, while the current live FAQ and the Online Proctoring FAQ both say 70%. The percentage is of the scored questions only. |
| Our bank | 500 questions · updated September 2026Written from National Restaurant Association (ANAB-CFP accredited, proctored via Pearson VUE) |
| Languages | English · Español |
| Source | National Restaurant Association (ANAB-CFP accredited, proctored via Pearson VUE)Verified 2026-09-03 |
Food Safety Certification Exams
Questions
All 500 questions, the timed mock and the report are free with no sign-up. A free account only adds saving your progress. The study guide book is sold separately, $19.99 one-time; nothing in the practice requires it.
Same length: 90 questions in 120 minutes, like the real exam. Use it for stamina and pacing; it is practice, not a score predictor.
70% (at least 56 of the 80 scored questions) — as published by National Restaurant Association (ANAB-CFP accredited, proctored via Pearson VUE). Confirm the current rule with them before your exam date.
Yes. PrepPass sells ServSafe Manager Exam — Complete Study Guide (2026), a PDF + EPUB download, $19.99 one-time; the practice on this page stays free without it. See the study guide →
