The ServSafe® Manager's certification examination is given as a Pass/Fail grade at the end of the Food Safety course or Introduction to Food Science. It is a prerequisite for Externship Culinary Arts (EXTN-220) or Externship Baking & Pastry Arts (EXTN-225), and a graduation requirement. The ServSafe certification exam consists of 80 multiple-choice questions and is recognized by 95% of jurisdictions that require or encourage food safety certification. The certifying body is the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, which provides many different versions of the secured exam.
Exams in Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and French Canadian are available, but requests must be made by the end of the first full week of the student's Food Safety or Introduction to Food Science class to make the accommodations.
A certification exam score of 70% or better is required to pass the exam and become certified. Students who score below 70% will see an "F" on their transcript and must reschedule to take the exam. Students can schedule a retake of the exam proctored by the CIA by submitting the ServSafe Exam Registration form found on the Student Portal (Library Learning Commons or Career & Academic Advising). Students can also schedule an online proctored exam directly with the National Restaurant Association (NRA). Students who schedule their exam with the NRA will need to submit proof of certification to the transfer credit coordinator to fulfill their ServSafe requirement prior to their anticipated externship date. Please see Fee That May Be Assessed for fees associated with the ServSafe certification retake proctored by the CIA. Fees for exams provided by the NRA can be found on its website: https://www.servsafe.com/ServSafe-Manager.
No more than four attempts to pass the exam are allowed in a year, and a 60-day waiting period is required between the second and third attempt and again between the third and fourth attempt. After the fourth attempt, examinees must wait a full year from their first exam attempt before they are eligible to retake the exam a fifth time.
Students who register for a retake through the CIA will have access to the ServSafe Moodle Boot Camp designed to support learning outcomes. Students must complete five hours of tutoring or the equivalent number of study hours using the ServSafe Moodle Boot Camp, no more than 30 days before the scheduled exam date. Students should use the "Raise Your Hand" feature in CIA Cares to schedule ServSafe tutoring.
If students have a valid ServSafe Manager Certification that has not expired within the first two years of their CIA education, they qualify for credit for the ServSafe Exam (CUSC-100A) but are still required to complete the Food Safety (CUSC-100) course or Introduction to Food Science (CUSC-105).