Free PFH practice · food handler
Food handler practice that explains every answer
A food handler card, also called a food handler certificate or certification, shows you finished a short food safety course and passed its test. A training provider or a health department issues it. Ticket Rail never does. What you get here is the practice: free practice questions with a note on every option, a timed mock exam, and a study guide by topic.
The app is for iPhone and iPad. On Android or a computer, the free practice here works in any browser.
The PFH, as NEHA lists it
- Online course$15.00
- Pass mark70%
- Tries per purchase1
- Good for3 years
- Built onFDA Food Code 2022
Ticket Rail · Oct 14, 2026
On this page 7 sections
What the card is, and where the PFH fits
The card comes from state and county rules. The FDA Food Code, the model most states build their food rules on, only asks that food employees are “properly trained in food safety, including food allergy awareness” (section 2-103.11(O)). Do you need an actual card, and how soon after you're hired? Your state or county decides.
The PFH is one way to get one. It's the Professional Food Handler certificate course from NEHA (the National Environmental Health Association): a two-hour online course in seven modules, with a final test at the end, built on the 2022 FDA Food Code. As of October 2026, NEHA's shop lists it at $15.00 in English or Spanish, and the directory of ANAB (the ANSI National Accreditation Board) lists NEHA as an accredited food handler certificate issuer (ID 1031).
Score 70% or better and you download and print the certificate. It runs three years from the day you pass, unless your local health department sets its own term (NEHA handbook and policies, as of October 2026). The paperwork side, in order: how to get a food handlers card.
Pick a station
Drill is where the questions live. The other stations handle the paperwork: facts about the test, getting the card, and how the options compare.
5Compare
Certificates and prep options side by side.
How to work the site, start to finish
Read one topic
Open the PFH study guide and start with a heavy topic. Every topic page ends with practice questions on that topic alone.
Drill the mix
The food handler practice test mixes all eight topics. Answer a question and it flips to a note on every option, so a wrong pick tells you which rule you bent.
Put a clock on it
Once you get most questions right without the notes, run the timed PFH mock. Notes stay hidden until you finish, then you get a score by topic.
The eight topics
The bars show our estimate of how much each topic weighs. NEHA publishes five topic areas and no weights, so the shares are ours.
- Foodborne illnessabout 13% (est. weight)1 concept page
- Contamination and allergensabout 10% (est. weight)2 concept pages
- Time and temperatureabout 17% (est. weight)6 concept pages
- Receiving deliveriesabout 9% (est. weight)
- Storage, labeling and rotationabout 13% (est. weight)1 concept page
- Hygiene and sick workersabout 18% (est. weight)3 concept pages
- Cleaning and sanitizingabout 13% (est. weight)2 concept pages
- Pest preventionabout 7% (est. weight)
Check your state before you pay
Some states take any ANAB-accredited food handler course. Others run their own card and won't take an outside one. As of October 2026, Washington's Department of Health names the state's own food worker card site as the only authorized online training, and the Oregon Health Authority says cards issued in other states are not valid in Oregon.
So the course that fits depends on where you work, sometimes down to the county. Each state we checked, with its health department's page linked, is on food handlers card requirements by state.
The usual first questions
Does Ticket Rail issue food handler cards?
No. Ticket Rail is an independent study site, not affiliated with NEHA. The card or certificate comes from the course provider or your health department once you pass their test.
Are these the real PFH test questions?
No. NEHA keeps its assessment items to itself. Ours are written to the same food safety rules, and every answer key is checked against the FDA Food Code where it sets a rule.
What does the PFH cost?
$15.00 for the online course with the test included, and one purchase per account, per NEHA's shop page as of October 2026.
Where the numbers come from
- NEHA, Professional Food Handler Certificate — two-hour course, seven modules, 2022 FDA Food Code checked Oct 13, 2026
- NEHA shop, PFH Online Certificate Course (English) — $15.00, one purchase per account, Spanish course also $15.00 checked Oct 13, 2026
- NEHA, PFH Online Course Handbook (PDF) — 70% to pass, one attempt, three-year term checked Oct 13, 2026
- NEHA, PFH Policies and Procedures (PDF) — printable certificate, local rules supersede the term checked Oct 13, 2026
- ANAB, accredited certificate issuers — National Environmental Health Association, Food Handler Training Certificate, 1031 checked Oct 13, 2026
- FDA Food Code 2022 — 2-103.11(O), employee food safety training checked Oct 13, 2026