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Food Protection Manager - Proctor Expectations & Overview

Learn how an Always Food Safe internal proctor runs the Food Manager exam, so your team's certifications stay secure and valid.

Written by Ben Brunken

As an Always Food Safe (AFS) internal proctor, you keep the Food Manager exam secure and give every examinee an equal chance to succeed.

Your team completes the Food Manager Certification training in Opus, and the exam itself takes place in the Always Food Safe portal. To protect the exam, an internal proctor must administer it in person and on-site with your team members.

Table of Contents:

Proctor Responsibilities

Always Food Safe mandates these responsibilities for every internal proctor. As a proctor, you:

  • Maximize the security of exams.

  • Make sure every examinee receives fair and equal treatment.

  • Make sure each examinee has the materials they need and follows the directions for filling out forms and online answer sheets.

  • Choose an exam site that meets health, safety and accessibility standards for every registered examinee.

  • Follow every policy and procedure in this guide.

  • Report any procedure violations to Always Food Safe.

Report any compromise of the exam to Always Food Safe immediately, and complete an Exam Irregularity Report by the end of the testing day.

Record anything out of the ordinary that you believe could affect the reliability or validity of the test on this form. If you're unsure whether to report a situation, file a report.

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest is a situation in which the concerns or aims of two parties are incompatible. For example, you can't have a personal interest in an examinee passing the CFPM exam.

Follow these rules:

  • Don't proctor the exam of a friend, family member, or relative.

  • Don't proctor your own exam.

  • Don't advertise, offer or solicit business by claiming "a guaranteed pass". Always Food Safe uses advanced algorithms to monitor proctor and examinee performance, and a "guaranteed pass" is easily detected.

Always Food Safe mandates these policies. A confirmed conflict of interest usually results in an immediate suspension of proctoring rights, from a minimum of 6 months up to an indefinite suspension.

Exam Security

Policy

The integrity and security of the exam come first. Exam security includes protecting the exam from risks such as illegal transfer or storage, unauthorized publication, or unofficial access.

Exam security is the responsibility of everyone involved, including:

  • Regulatory, government and law enforcement agencies in the United States

  • American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

  • Course and exam providers

  • Proctors

  • Examinees and their employers

  • The public

Security Procedures for Proctors

As a proctor for Always Food Safe, strictly follow these exam security procedures:

  • Follow the guidelines in the Always Food Safe handbook for exam administration.

  • Stay up to date with any changes to the established procedures.

  • Report any breach of exam security immediately, and cooperate fully with any related inquiry.

  • Set up every exam site to create a fair, standardized and secure environment.

  • Make sure there is one proctor for every 35 examinees in each room.

  • Keep documentation showing that the exam site conforms to requirements.

  • Verify the identity of each examinee, so no one takes the exam on someone else's behalf. See the Examinee Attendance List for details.

  • Treat every examinee respectfully and equally, regardless of background.

  • Conduct every exam in strict adherence to local and state regulations.

  • Stay present at all times during the exam.

  • Make sure assistant proctors are fully trained, supervised, and available if you need to leave the exam room for any reason.

  • Add assistant proctors when there are more than 35 examinees or the exam runs in more than one room.

To protect the integrity and validity of the exam, proctors and assistant proctors must not:

  • Keep or discuss the exam in any form, including storing or publishing copies of it without permission.

  • Share any information or advice about the exam or its questions with anyone at any time, especially examinees.

  • Grade exams themselves, copy answer sheets, or print or screenshot any online exam.

  • Falsify or tamper with any exam materials.

  • Leave exam materials unattended outside a secure area.

  • Administer any exam where they have a conflict of interest (for example, a friend or relative is an examinee), or to anyone who might pose a security risk.

  • Let examinees enter the session after it has begun.

Renewing Your Proctor Certification

Renew your proctor certification in your Always Food Safe portal account once it's within 30 days of expiring.

  • A Renew button appears where your proctor certificate is displayed, and Always Food Safe sends you a notification when it becomes renewable.

  • Selecting Renew adds the renewal training and exam to your account. They're the same training and exam you completed for your initial proctor certification.

If you or your team run into issues with proctor renewal, email help@alwaysfoodsafe.com or support@opus.so.

💡 On exam day: Only the Food Manager exam is proctored. You and the examinee both log in to www.alwaysfoodsafe.com/learn before the test starts.

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