The Smart Serve test is the proctored final test at the end of the official Smart Serve course. This page follows the whole process, from paying for the course to holding your eCertificate. Every logistics detail below comes from Smart Serve's own published pages.
The full online course costs $44.95 and includes two test attempts. Your access expires 30 days after purchase. The final test has 33 multiple choice questions that are randomly generated. You need a score of 80% or higher, with no test rule infractions, to be issued a certificate.
Every final test is proctored online with webcam ID verification and screen monitoring. Study Smart Serve is an independent study resource, and it does not run the official course or the final test. To see the question style before you pay, take the free practice test.
What you buy, and what it includes
The full online course costs $44.95 CAD. Smart Serve lists it as non-refundable and non-transferable. Each purchase includes two attempts at the final test.
A separate retail course costs $24.95 CAD, and its test has 20 multiple choice questions that are randomly generated. It is proctored the same way. Retail workers may take either program, so confirm with your employer before you buy.
Employers can buy Online Course Tokens for staff. Online Course Tokens cost $44.95 each and include two test attempts.
If you already hold a current Smart Serve certificate, you can recertify online for a reduced fee of $29.95 before your certificate expires. That purchase is the full course and also includes two test attempts. The Smart Serve recertification guide covers the timing and the price once a certificate expires.
- Full online course: $44.95 CAD, two test attempts, 33 question final test.
- Retail course: $24.95 CAD, 20 question final test, also proctored.
- Online Course Token: $44.95 CAD each, two test attempts.
- Recertification with a current certificate: $29.95 CAD, the full course, two test attempts.
- Recertification after your certificate expires: the full $44.95 course applies.
- Course purchases are non-refundable and non-transferable.
Your 30 days of course access
All courses expire within 30 days of purchase. The clock starts on the day you pay, not on the day you first log in. Once the course expires, you cannot access the training or the final test.
The training is self-paced inside those 30 days. You can start and stop your training as often as you like, and your progress is saved. Fit it around your shifts and come back where you left off.
The full course is fully translated and available in six languages: English, French, Korean, Chinese, Punjabi, and Spanish. The retail course carries the same list without Spanish. The full course is also fully accessible as per AODA compliance requirements.
Plan your test day inside the window. Leave yourself room at the end for a second attempt, because both attempts sit inside the same 30 days.
Getting ready to launch the final test
You do not book an appointment. You can launch your test anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Pick a quiet hour that suits you and start.
The final test is mobile friendly, so a phone or tablet works. Whatever device you use, you must have a working web camera and a microphone.
Have your identification in your hand before you begin. You will be required to produce valid government issued photo identification prior to launching the final test. The proctor checks it through your camera.
Set up somewhere you can stay for about half an hour without interruption.
- A working web camera and a microphone.
- Valid government issued photo identification.
- A spot where you can stay in camera view for the whole test.
- About 30 minutes of uninterrupted time.
Inside the test: proctoring and timing
All final tests are proctored, with no exceptions. Your session runs online with webcam ID verification and screen monitoring.
The test is untimed. Once you start your test, you must remain in camera view, and you complete it in one sitting. On average, it takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
A proctor reviews your session after you finish. If the proctor flags your test session for a violation, you will lose your test attempt, even if you passed the test. So your setup matters as much as your answers do.
Stay in camera view from the moment you start until the moment you submit.
- Untimed, and about 30 minutes on average.
- One sitting. You finish the test in the session you start.
- You must remain in camera view for the whole test.
- A flagged violation costs the attempt, even on a passing score.
Your score, and what the results show
The final test has 33 multiple choice questions that are randomly generated. You are required to achieve a score of 80% or higher, and have no test rule infractions, in order to be issued a certificate. With 33 questions, that means 27 correct answers.
A list of questions that were incorrectly answered will be provided immediately to you. The list names the questions you got wrong. It does not give you the correct answers.
A fail tells you which questions beat you and nothing more. The explanations have to come from your study instead. Work through Smart Serve practice tests before you launch, where every question carries a written explanation.
A full Smart Serve mock test runs the same 33 questions with the same 27 to pass. Score above 27 a few times in a row and you know where you stand.
- 33 multiple choice questions, randomly generated.
- 80% or higher to pass, which is 27 correct answers.
- No test rule infractions, or the attempt does not count.
- Your results list the questions you answered incorrectly, without the answers.
Getting your eCertificate
Your certificate arrives as a digital eCertificate. Allow about 2 hours after the test for proctor review and certificate issue. It appears in the My Results tab of your Smart Serve account.
Plastic cards are no longer mailed. Download the eCertificate and send a copy to your employer. AGCO inspectors may ask a licensee for proof of a staff member's certification at any time, so licensees keep copies on file.
Smart Serve certificates are valid for 5 years from date of issue. Anyone involved in selling, serving, delivering or offering samples of alcohol must have completed their Smart Serve training prior to their first day. The Smart Serve certification guide covers who needs a certificate and how the five years work.
If you use both attempts and still fail
Each course session includes two attempts. If you fail both, you must repurchase the course and complete it again to obtain another two test attempts.
The repurchase sits in the Store tab of your account. Allow about 30 minutes after your second attempt for the status to update, then buy again. The new purchase carries its own 30 days, because all courses expire within 30 days of purchase.
A second $44.95 is a good reason to arrive over-prepared for the first attempt. Our free course and practice tests cost nothing to read, and the Study Smart Serve app tracks which categories keep costing you marks.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Smart Serve test cost?
The full online course costs $44.95 CAD, and that price includes two attempts at the final test. The retail course costs $24.95 CAD. If you hold a current certificate, recertification costs $29.95 CAD before your certificate expires. Every purchase is non-refundable and non-transferable.
How long does the Smart Serve test take?
The test is untimed. On average, it takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Once you start your test, you must remain in camera view and finish in one sitting. Set aside a clear block of time before you launch.
Do I need to book an appointment for the final test?
No. You can launch your test anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The final test is mobile friendly, so a phone or tablet works as long as it has a working web camera and a microphone.
What identification do I need for the Smart Serve test?
You will be required to produce valid government issued photo identification prior to launching the final test. The proctor uses it to verify who you are through your web camera, so have it in your hand before you begin.
What happens if the proctor flags my session?
You lose the attempt. If the proctor flags your test session for a violation, you will lose your test attempt, even if you passed the test. Remaining in camera view for the whole test is the rule to follow.
Do the Smart Serve results show the correct answers?
No. A list of questions that were incorrectly answered will be provided immediately to you, and the correct answers are not provided. Learn the material before you launch, because the results screen will not teach it to you. Our Smart Serve practice tests give a written explanation with every question.
How long does it take to get the certificate after you pass?
Allow about 2 hours after the test. A proctor reviews your session, then Smart Serve issues the digital eCertificate in the My Results tab of your account. Plastic cards are no longer mailed, so you download the certificate yourself.
What happens if you fail both Smart Serve test attempts?
You must repurchase the course and complete it again to obtain another two test attempts. The repurchase appears in the Store tab of your account, and it takes about 30 minutes after your second attempt for the status to update. Before you buy again, run through the Smart Serve practice tests and check your certification timing on the Smart Serve certification guide.