IFSEA-CFM Exam Information and Outline
Certified Food Manager
IFSEA-CFM Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the official IFSEA-CFM exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap, breaking down exactly which technical domains and skills will be tested. By reviewing the syllabus, you can identify your strengths and focus your study time on the areas where you need the most improvement.
The information below reflects the latest 2026 course contents as defined by IFSEA. We provide this detailed breakdown to help you align your preparation with the actual exam format, ensuring there are no surprises on test day. Use this outline as a checklist to track your progress as you move through our practice question banks.
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
Passing Percent – 70%
Number of questions – 80
IFSEA reaches beyond common culinary and restaurant professions- assisting professionals working behind the scenes and those seeking management roles as well. We hold annual conferences- culinary competitions- and award ceremonies to network and discuss current happenings- but mostly to have fun.
We also work on charitable programs such as certifications for homeless veterans. Our connections in the industry have helped countless individuals.
IFSEA membership is perfect for executive chefs- restaurant owners- catering directors- food suppliers- professionals- or students new to the industry. Let us help you broaden your skills and foster relationships needed to reach executive levels within the food service and hospitality industry. Other advantages include:
Culinary Competition
Meeting New Professionals & Life-Long Friends
Education Seminars
Training Programs
Updates on Industry Trends & News
Access to Job Openings & Postings
Assisting with the Development of the Food Service Profession
Food Service Executive Certifications
Student Scholarships & Mentorships
Culinary Competitions
IFSEA Meetups
Students are required to be in a room- monitored by someone who is NOT
providing the direct instruction for the certification- except under extremely limited conditions.
If only one individual is approved by IFSEA as a proctor- then the teacher of the material may
proctor the exams and must be independently monitored by a second individual who does not
provide direct instruction for the certification content to the individuals taking the test.
There are 932 questions in the Classmarker databank- spread across 9 GFI tests and 4 IFSEA
tests. Most of the tests these questions came from have 80 questions- two have 150 questions.
Those questions came from this bank of questions- which were not changed at all- the same
questions reside on one of the 8 other subjects that GFI and IFSEA use. With our experience
about what you need to “know- be and do-” we selected from the data bank questions in 5
subjects – food safety- food service management- customer service- culinary nutrition and
culinary. There are 16 questions in each of those areas. The test was recently updated-
keeping in mind what would be good things for someone new or fairly new to our industry to
know.
In order to provide the teachers with the material to provide the 150 hours of training required- we will
provide them with the PowerPoint slide shows for each of the 5 testing areas. For adults- each
of those takes 6 to 8 hours of training- a full day. The teachers can pick out of this information-
what information they would like to use. We will also provide the shorter (90 or so slides) slide
show which is more test specific. We also have a spreadsheet indicating on that short version-
where the questions are answered- which will help the teachers to cover the broad subject
matter to be taught- being sure to cover the specific questions as well.