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What score do you need to pass the PFH, and what if you fail?

70%. That's the line on the Professional Food Handler (PFH) assessment from NEHA, the National Environmental Health Association. The online course comes with one attempt per purchase, so falling short means buying the course again and retaking all of it.

  • ExamPFH
  • CheckedOct 13, 2026
  • UpdatedOct 14, 2026
On this page 5 sections
  1. Going in with one shot
  2. If the score comes back under 70
  3. How other food handler courses handle attempts
  4. After the score comes back
  5. Sources

Score to pass

70%

NEHA's online course handbook says you need 70% or higher on the summative assessment to earn the PFH certificate, and only one attempt is allowed per online purchase (as of October 2026). There is no appeal on a failed assessment.

Source: NEHA PFH Online Course Handbook · checked Oct 13, 2026

Going in with one shot

A one-attempt test makes people tense, and that's a fair reaction to putting $15 and two hours on a single sitting. Missing by a few points after a double shift says more about the double than about you. Still, the retake you never need costs nothing, so spend an hour before you buy.

Run the timed food handler mock exam once, cold. Look at which topics cost you points, read those, then run it again. If you'd rather have it laid out by the day, the food handler study plan splits the topics into one evening, three days or a week.

If the score comes back under 70

  1. The score stands

    NEHA's complaints and appeals policy says a failed summative assessment is not subject to appeal (as of October 2026). There's no one to argue a question with.

  2. Buy the course again

    NEHA's policies and procedures say a participant who fails must retake the course and the assessment, and that a retake may cost money. Online, that's a new purchase: $15.00 on the NEHA store as of October 2026. Other prices are on the food handler card cost page.

  3. Mind the account limit

    The store lists the course as one purchase per account. If checkout won't let you buy a second time, ask NEHA how to buy the retake.

  4. Do the whole course again, properly

    The retake includes all seven modules. This time you know where you lost points, so slow down on those modules and skim nothing.

How other food handler courses handle attempts

Pass marks and attempts per purchase, on each provider's page, as of October 2026
CoursePass markAttempts includedSource
NEHA PFH, online70%1NEHA handbook
ServSafe Food Handler, online course and assessmentNot on the product page3ServSafe product page
StateFoodSafety Food Handlers Essentials70%2StateFoodSafety course page

Read the attempt count on the product page before you pay. It differs from one provider to the next.

After the score comes back

Is the PFH graded on a curve?

No. NEHA's 2014 program plan describes the 70% as a fixed cut score set by subject-matter experts, and the current online handbook still requires 70% or higher (as of October 2026). Your score is checked against that bar alone; how other people did on the same day doesn't move it.

Can I retake the PFH assessment for free?

Not under NEHA's published rules. The online handbook allows one attempt, and the policies say a retake may cost money. Online, that's the course price again: $15.00 (NEHA store, as of October 2026).

Will anyone see that I failed once?

What NEHA's policies describe is verification of whether someone holds a NEHA certificate (as of October 2026). Pass on the retake and you hold one.

What happens when the three years are up?

You take the course again and pay for it again. NEHA's online handbook says you retake the assessment “by taking (i.e., paying for) the course again” (as of October 2026). The same 70% bar applies.

Sources