United States · Food safety certificationPut in your exam date and the planner spreads 29 short lessons over the days you have, across the seven areas the exam leans on: holding and cooling, cooking temperatures, cross-contamination, sick workers, cleaning and sanitizing, allergens and HACCP. The last two days go to our 20 practice questions and a redo of the ones you missed.
Pick the date of your test and how long you can study each day. You’ll get a plan that takes you right up to the test.
Which ServSafe certification tips matter on exam day?
- Book a ProctorU session more than 72 hours ahead. It's $8 extra at 24 to 72 hours and $12 under 24 hours.
- Use a laptop or desktop. Phones, tablets and Chromebooks aren't supported, and you can use only one monitor.
- Log in about 20 minutes early. After 15 minutes late, the session is cancelled.
- Have your photo ID and your access code ready. A ProctorU code starts with SSMPU; copy it with no extra spaces.
- Answer every question. Ten of the 90 are unscored pilot questions, and you won't know which.
- You get 2 hours. The launch steps don't count against that time.
What to study first
Temperatures and time limits: 41°F or lower for cold holding, 135°F or higher for hot holding, cooling from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours and to 41°F within 6, and the cooking temperatures for poultry, ground meat, steaks and fish. Then sick-worker rules, cleaning and sanitizing, allergens and HACCP. Each of these is a topic in the planner and in our practice test, all taken from the 2026 FDA Food Code.