What information must come with mussels or oysters on receipt?

Species, harvest date and harvest area

The supplier's suggested recipe

Wholesale price and the fisher's name

Colour and weight of each shell

A cook has had diarrhea. When can he go back to handling food?

48 hours after symptoms have completely stopped

As soon as he feels well enough to work again

After 12 hours in a row without any symptoms

After one full week off, whatever his symptoms

A chef cooks chicken breasts to 55 °C in the morning to finish them at noon. What does the guide say?

Partial cooking of meat is not recommended

It is allowed if the chicken stays on the counter

Can food be prepared with chemically treated water, such as chlorinated water, during an advisory?

Yes, if the advisory lasts over a week

How does the 3.5-hour short session differ from food handler training?

It leads to a manager certificate

Why should fries not be cooked in the same oil as fish?

Fish is an allergen that can contaminate the fries

The fries absorb too much salt from the fish batter

The fish cooks less evenly after a batch of fries

The oil cools down too quickly between the two batches

All Quebec practice tests

MAPAQ Food Handler Practice Test 2026 – Free MAPAQ Food Handler Questions

Original questions written from the official Quebec handbook, with an explanation for every answer.

By the Canada Exam Prep Editorial Team · Updated October 17, 2026

No sign-up
Every answer explained
Independent · not a government site

152 questions
7 practice tests

0/25

Practice test 1 · Question 1Score 0/0

What should you do with a product whose packaging has been gnawed?

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Mandatory training and operator duties
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Food safety, hazards and the 5 M
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Temperatures and the cold chain
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Food origin, labelling and allergens
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Preventing contamination
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Thawing and cooking
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Cooling, reheating, tartares and sushi
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Cleaning and sanitizing
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Personal hygiene and health
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Equipment, premises and pests
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Drinking water and water advisories
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Records and foodborne illness
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Colours summarize progress from your recent practice answers: red suggests more practice, yellow shows progress, and green shows stronger recent performance. Grey means fewer than 5 answers so far. These indicators do not predict official exam results.

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All MAPAQ Food Handler practice tests

7 sets of 25 questions. Each set is fixed, so you can repeat it until you score 100%.

Exam facts

Key facts: MAPAQ Food Handler Exam (Québec Food Hygiene and Safety)

Not publishedNumber of questionsMAPAQ does not publish the number of exam questions; our mock exam uses 25Not officially published · quebec.ca — Food handler training
60%Pass markPassing grade of 60 per centquebec.ca — Food handler training
30 minutesExam lengthThe trainer gives a 30-minute examquebec.ca — Food handler training
Guide allowedOpen bookThe MAPAQ Guide to good hygiene and food safety practices may be consulted during the examquebec.ca — Food handler training
6 hoursTraining lengthSix-hour training with an authorized trainer, leading to the Food handler certificatequebec.ca — Food handler training
Within 90 daysRetakeAfter a fail, you have 90 days from the notice to ask your trainer for a retakequebec.ca — Food handler training
For lifeValidityThe certificate belongs to the person and is valid for life with any employerquebec.ca — Food handler training
French or EnglishExam languageTraining may be offered in other languages, but exams are held only in French or Englishquebec.ca — Training types and registration
Set by trainerCostNo fixed price: each authorized trainer sets the cost of training and examquebec.ca — Food handler training

Free practice tests for Québec's mandatory food hygiene and safety training, the MAPAQ "Manipulateur d'aliments" (food handler) certificate. Every question is original, explains the rule behind the answer and cites the section of MAPAQ's free Guide to good hygiene and food safety practices or the quebec.ca page it comes from. No sign-up, no limits, and your progress stays on your device.

This exam is French-first: the official guide and pages are in French, and our French version was written first. The questions are written from MAPAQ's public guide and quebec.ca, not from any trainer's course material, which belongs to each authorized trainer.

What the test covers

Topics and question bank

Every question is tagged to one topic from the official handbook. Pick a topic to drill just that area.

Try a few

Sample MAPAQ Food Handler questions

Tap a question to see the answer. The full interactive test is at the top of the page.

1What should you do with a product whose packaging has been gnawed?
- A. Sell it first
- B. Discard it
- C. Keep it for staff
- D. Move it into a new container
The guide advises checking packaging and discarding any product with damaged packaging.
2What share of adverse reactions does Health Canada's allergen list cover?
- A. Exactly 100%
- B. About 10%
- C. About 50%
- D. About 90%
Health Canada's list covers the foods responsible for the large majority, about 90%, of adverse reactions.
3What information must come with mussels or oysters on receipt?
- A. Species, harvest date and harvest area
- B. The supplier's suggested recipe
- C. Wholesale price and the fisher's name
- D. Colour and weight of each shell
Bivalve molluscs such as mussels and oysters must be clearly identified on receipt: species, harvest date and area.
4Dry goods sit on a wheeled rack that can be moved for cleaning. How high above the floor must that movable rack be?
- A. 15 cm
- B. 8 cm
- C. 2 cm
- D. 50 cm
Movable shelving must be at least 8 cm off the floor, and fixed shelving at least 10 cm.
5What is the maximum time for cooked food to drop from 60 °C to 21 °C?
- A. 6 hours
- B. 2 hours
- C. 4 hours
- D. 30 minutes
Internal temperature must drop from 60 °C to 21 °C in under 2 hours, and from 60 °C to 4 °C in under 6 hours.
6A cook has had diarrhea. When can he go back to handling food?
- A. As soon as he feels well enough to work again
- B. 48 hours after symptoms have completely stopped
- C. After 12 hours in a row without any symptoms
- D. After one full week off, whatever his symptoms
A person with enteric symptoms must stay off until 48 hours after symptoms fully stop, or be reassigned to tasks with no risk.
7A chef cooks chicken breasts to 55 °C in the morning to finish them at noon. What does the guide say?
- A. Partial cooking of meat is not recommended
- B. It is a good way to save time
- C. It is required for poultry
- D. It is allowed if the chicken stays on the counter
Partial cooking does not reach a safe internal temperature and keeps food in the danger zone; it is not recommended.
8Can food be prepared with chemically treated water, such as chlorinated water, during an advisory?
- A. Yes, if it is well diluted
- B. Yes, for soups only
- C. Yes, if the advisory lasts over a week
- D. No, never
Chemically treated (chlorinated) water must never be used to prepare food.
9How does the 3.5-hour short session differ from food handler training?
- A. It leads to a manager certificate
- B. It has no exam
- C. It must be repeated every year
- D. It is offered only in English
The short session, for certain child care services and intermediate or family-type resources, gives a confirmation of participation and has no exam.
10Why should fries not be cooked in the same oil as fish?
- A. Fish is an allergen that can contaminate the fries
- B. The fries absorb too much salt from the fish batter
- C. The fish cooks less evenly after a batch of fries
- D. The oil cools down too quickly between the two batches
The guide says not to use the same frying oil for different foods, such as fries and fish, which is an allergen.

About the test

About the MAPAQ Food Handler Exam (Québec Food Hygiene and Safety)

In Québec, most food establishments must name a person responsible for food hygiene and safety who holds the "Food establishment manager" certificate, and must either keep a certified person on site during working hours or make sure at least 10 per cent of staff hold a manager or food handler certificate. The food handler training is for people who prepare, handle or serve food and for those who wash dishes and equipment that touches food.

The food handler training lasts six hours with a MAPAQ-authorized trainer, such as ITAQ, ITHQ or a private company. According to quebec.ca, the trainer gives a 30-minute exam, you may consult MAPAQ's Guide to good hygiene and food safety practices during it, and the pass mark is 60 per cent. If you fail, you have 90 days after the notice to ask for a retake. The certificate is mailed to you, belongs to you rather than your employer, and is valid for life. Exams are held in French or English only, and each trainer sets its own price.

MAPAQ does not publish the number of exam questions, so our mock exams use 25 questions and the official 30-minute length. Because the guide is allowed during the exam, the best preparation is knowing where things are in it and recognizing the key numbers quickly: -18 °C, 4 °C and 60 °C, cooling from 60 °C to 21 °C in 2 hours and to 4 °C in 6 hours, reheating to 74 °C, and sanitizing at 82 °C or 77 °C for 30 seconds.

Our 12 topics follow the guide's 5 M method used by MAPAQ inspectors: training duties, food safety and hazards, temperatures, origin and labelling, contamination, thawing and cooking, cooling and reheating, cleaning and sanitizing, personal hygiene, equipment and premises, drinking water and records and foodborne illness. Every question is available in French and English.

This site is independent. It is not affiliated with MAPAQ, the Government of Québec or any authorized trainer, and passing our practice tests does not give you a certificate. Only the exam given by a MAPAQ-authorized trainer does that.

Study plan

How to prepare

1Download MAPAQ's free Guide to good hygiene and food safety practices and read it once from start to finish. You may consult it during the real exam, so learn where each section is.
2Memorize the core temperatures: frozen -18 °C or colder, refrigerated 4 °C or colder, hot holding 60 °C or hotter, and the danger zone between 4 °C and 60 °C.
3Learn the cooling and reheating rules: 60 °C to 21 °C in under 2 hours, to 4 °C in under 6 hours, and reheating to 74 °C, or 63 °C for 3 minutes, within 2 hours.
4Know the cooking table for the most common foods: whole poultry 82 °C, poultry pieces and ground poultry 74 °C, ground beef and pork 71 °C, fish 70 °C, egg dishes 74 °C.
5Study personal hygiene as scenarios: when to wash hands, when gloves are needed, how long to stay off work after diarrhea (48 hours after symptoms end) and what jewellery to remove.
6Review cleaning and sanitizing numbers: 82 °C, or 77 °C for 30 seconds, for heat sanitizing; 43 °C wash water for manual dishwashing; no metal scrubbers.
7Take one topic test at a time and read every explanation. Each one names the guide section or quebec.ca page behind the answer.
8When you score 21 or more out of 25 on two different mock exams within 30 minutes, you are well prepared for the 60 per cent pass mark.

FAQ

MAPAQ Food Handler test questions people ask

How many questions are on the MAPAQ food handler exam?

MAPAQ does not publish the number of questions. quebec.ca says the exam lasts 30 minutes and the pass mark is 60 per cent. Our mock exams use 25 questions in 30 minutes so you can practise at a realistic pace.

What is the passing grade for the MAPAQ exam?

60 per cent, for both the food handler and the food establishment manager exams, according to quebec.ca.

Can I use the guide during the MAPAQ exam?

Yes. quebec.ca says you may consult MAPAQ's Guide to good hygiene and food safety practices during the exam. It is free to download, and every question on this site cites the part of the guide it comes from.

How long is the MAPAQ food handler certificate valid?

For life. The certificate is issued to you, not your employer, so you keep it when you change jobs.

How long is the training?

Six hours for the food handler certificate and 12 hours for the food establishment manager certificate. A 3.5-hour short session exists for some small child care services and residential resources, but it has no exam.

What happens if I fail?

You have 90 days after receiving the notice to ask your trainer for a retake of the exam.

Can I take the exam in English?

Yes. Some trainers teach in other languages, but the exam itself is held in French or English only.

How much does the MAPAQ training cost?

There is no fixed government price. Each authorized trainer sets its own cost; you register directly with a trainer from MAPAQ's list.

Is my food handler certificate from another province valid in Québec?

Many are. MAPAQ lists equivalent programs, such as FOODSAFE Level 1, ServSafe Food Handler and Ottawa Public Health's training; certificates from those programs are valid in Québec with no paperwork.

Are these the real MAPAQ exam questions?

No. The exam questions are not published, and trainers' course material is their own. Every question here is original, written from MAPAQ's public guide and quebec.ca pages.

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