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Practice and exam technique

Practice questions: HACCP and managing controls

Compiled by the Sitonce editorial team from the FDA Food Code and the accredited providers listed belowUpdated 3 min readFacts verified 1 September 2026
The short answer

Managing controls is thirteen of the eighty questions. These five cover identifying critical control points, deciding corrective actions, when a variance is needed, and the system-versus-instance distinction.

Thirteen questions, and they reward a way of thinking rather than a set of facts. That makes them harder to revise and easier to reason through.

Question 1

Prawns are thawed under refrigeration for a cold prawn cocktail. Is thawing a critical control point?

  1. No, because refrigeration is a control point rather than a critical one
  2. Yes, because nothing downstream will destroy pathogens
  3. No, because the prawns were already cooked
  4. Yes, because all thawing is critical
Answer: B. The test is whether a later step catches the failure. In a cold dish there is no cooking step, so thawing is critical. The same step for prawns going into a cooked dish would not be, which is why a question naming a step without the process is incomplete.
Question 2

A steam table has fallen below 135°F on three consecutive Fridays. What is the best corrective action?

  1. Reheat the food to 165°F each time it happens
  2. Discard the food each Friday
  3. Investigate the equipment and staffing on Fridays and change the procedure
  4. Move the food to a different steam table
Answer: C. A repeated failure is a system problem. Fixing the food each week treats the symptom indefinitely, which is the reactive approach active managerial control exists to replace. The food still needs handling, and the question asks for the best action.
Question 3

Which process requires a variance from the regulatory authority?

  1. Smoking ribs for flavor before cooking them to temperature
  2. Adding vinegar to sushi rice so it can be held at room temperature
  3. Cooling stew in shallow pans
  4. Reheating soup to 165°F for hot holding
Answer: B. Using an additive to render a food non-TCS is a special process requiring a variance and usually a HACCP plan. Smoking for flavor is a cooking method and needs nothing; the qualifier in the option is the whole test.
Question 4

What distinguishes verification from monitoring?

  1. Verification is done by an inspector; monitoring by staff
  2. Monitoring checks the food; verification checks that monitoring is happening and working
  3. Verification happens before the process; monitoring during it
  4. They describe the same activity
Answer: B. A cook taking a temperature is monitoring. A manager reviewing the logs, calibrating thermometers and noticing that Thursday evening is always blank is verifying. Both are HACCP principles and questions swap them deliberately.
Question 5

A power cut has lasted three hours and refrigeration is off. What should the person in charge do?

  1. Keep the walk-in closed and continue service
  2. Check food temperatures and continue with what is still cold
  3. Cease operations and notify the regulatory authority
  4. Move food to a neighboring business
Answer: C. An extended interruption of electrical service is an imminent health hazard. The response is to cease operations and notify the regulatory authority, reopening with their approval. Food is then assessed using the normal four-hour and two-hour rules.

The question to ask yourself

Does this option fix the instance, or does it fix the system that produced it?

Where both are on offer, the exam usually wants the system. That single habit answers a large share of this area.

Common questions

How do you decide whether a step is a critical control point?

Ask whether a later step will catch the failure. If nothing downstream fixes it, the step is critical. The same step can be critical in one process and not in another.

What is the best response to a repeated failure?

Change the system that produced it. Fixing the food each time treats the symptom indefinitely, which is the reactive approach active managerial control replaces.

When does adding vinegar require a variance?

When it is used to render a food non-TCS - acidified sushi rice held at room temperature, for instance. Vinegar added for flavor requires nothing.

What is the difference between monitoring and verification?

Monitoring checks the food during the process. Verification checks that the monitoring is happening and working - reviewing logs, calibrating thermometers, noticing gaps.

What do you do during an extended power cut?

Cease operations and notify the regulatory authority, since it is an imminent health hazard. Food is then assessed using the normal four-hour and two-hour rules once power returns.

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