In-Person VS. Online
The number one question we get asked by far is, “Can’t we just take that online?” The short answer, is yes you can obtain your ServSafe Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Certification online. BUT and it’s a BIG but, it is not as easy as you think and In-Person may really be the way you want to go. Here’s why…
Let’s take a step back and look at what the requirement is. A lot of states require that each food establishment has at least one person who carries a CFPM certification. Some states have a minimum number of training hours that they require and some states simply require that the individual has the certification. I have never taught classes in a state where there was a minimum number of training hours requirement so we are going to focus on the certification itself and the ways to obtain it.
There are a variety of accredited exams that you can take in order to obtain your CFPM certification, however the national leader in CFPM certifications is ServSafe. To obtain a CFPM certification through ServSafe you must receive a 70% or higher on their 90 question exam and you must take your exam under the supervision of a ServSafe proctor. If you believe you can pass the exam without first attending a training you may seek out ways to either find an in-person proctor or schedule an online proctor through ProctorU on ServSafe’s website. For those who chose the on-line training option, simply finding a proctor can be a challenge in and of itself. While ProctorU is a great option, especially for people in remote areas, it isn’t perfect and requires scheduling and taking the exam while a live proctor watches you through your computer. There is no certification option where you take the exam without a live person watching you.
For those who know they would like to have a refresher or go through a training for the first time, you can either seek out an in-person training, such as the one we offer or can you can pay to go through the online training offered by ServSafe. To go through the online training and take the online exam, bundled is about $180 through ServSafe’s website. Be aware, the $180 bundle does not include the ServSafe Manager Coursebook that is included in the cost of our trainings.
Online may be a good option for you, however some students struggle with the online option. It can be a challenge to self motivate and concentrate well enough to complete the training and retain enough of the information to pass the exam. There is a time limit on how long you have to complete the training and students tell us that they did not complete the training in time and it expired. We have had many students attend our training after attending the online training and not successfully completing the exam. This is not to say that the online training is not a good option, it just may not be the best option for everyone.
The in-person trainings that we offer are one day trainings that include the entire day of in-person instruction, followed by the proctored exam. We spend the morning and most of the afternoon going over the material that you will need to know in order to feel confident on the exam and then we finish the afternoon by completing the exam. After the exams are completed we mail them back to ServSafe and students receive their scores in about 7-10 business days. While of course there are still students who may not be able to pass the exam on their first try after attending an in-person training, the good majority of our students are able to pass the exam after completing our training and we walk students through what they need to do to retake the exam should they not pass the exam on the first try.
As a benefit to taking our training, if you do not pass the exam on the first try and you would like to sit through another one of our trainings, we will not charge you for the training portion of the ticket price. Whether you need to retake the exam on ServSafe’s website or you need to retake the exam with us, you are looking at around $100 in exam fees and proctoring fees. If you would like to sit through another one of our trainings, we will not charge you for the training portion of the class.
We may be biased, but we firmly believe that taking a one day all inclusive training with exam is the best and most time efficient way to complete your certification. When you are ready to sign up visit our class schedule to see, what dates we will be in your area. If we are not yet in your area send us a message to see if we can travel your direction.