Get Started with CFESA's Certification Testing Program
About Certification
The Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA) is committed to sponsoring professionalism in servicing food equipment. Knowledgeable servicers who can repair swiftly, efficiently and professionally are the foundation of the food equipment industry. To support quality service, CFESA has established a program whereby technicians are tested and certified only upon successful completion of an exam.
CFESA offers certification tests in the areas of Electricity, Gas, Steam and Refrigeration.
This guide will help the technician prepare for the CFESA test. It will be useful in determining the technical knowledge and additional reference materials needed to prepare for testing. The reference materials and the tests were written by servicers who have the hands-on experience in the field of food equipment repair.
Service technicians are encouraged to take the CFESA tests and earn certification credentials. Certified technicians promote consumer trust and add professionalism to the industry. Trust and professionalism are the first steps to a better, more prosperous business.
CFESA challenges technicians to take the tests and join the pros who wear the CFESA CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN seal of excellence.
HOW DO I BECOME CERTIFIED?
A technician is required to have at least one year of hands-on experience in food equipment repair, in order to quality for certification testing.
CFESA Online Certification Testing Procedures:
1. CFESA Certification Testing Contract: CFESA member company owner/president must complete and submit a certification testing contract. This contract holds the owner/president responsible for the actions of their employees who take part in the testing and ensures that all procedures are ethically followed. In order to participate in the certification testing program, this contract must be completed to be held on file at CFESA Headquarters. This form is available by download (.doc) via the link at the beginning of this paragraph or the "Testing Contract" link on the sidebar.
2. Proctor Compliance Agreement: CFESA companies will be allowed to assign an in-house proctor for their certification testing. This means that the owner of the company must submit a proctor compliance agreement for each location that wishes to test. For example, ABC Service Company has a main location and one branch location. The owner/president would assign a manager from each location to be the proctor, and submit a proctor compliance agreement for each with the required information to CFESA Headquarters. You are allowed to have one proctor for multiple locations. You will not be allowed to proctor any certification tests until we have received a proctor compliance agreement from your company. This form is available by download (.doc) via the link at the beginning of this paragraph or the "Proctor Agreement" link on the sidebar.
3. The process to request a certification test will remain the same. Booklet testing is still available. You must indicate which method you wish to use (online or booklet). At least two weeks before the exam (10 WORKING DAYS), download and complete the CFESA test request form and submit (fax or email) to CFESA Headquarters.
4. The fee for the certification testing will remain the same at $75.00 per test per technician. If for any reason the scheduled test is not taken on the initial testing date, a cancellation fee of $75.00 per test will be assessed. Rescheduling of a test is permitted 10 working days after your initial testing date. A $75.00 fee per test will be assessed if the new test date is WITHIN 10 working days of the initial test date.
TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE MEASURED BY THE TESTS
The knowledge necessary to pass the tests is as follows:
Basic technical knowledge of what makes up the food equipment system and how it works. This includes the proper procedures and precautions to be taken when repairing the equipment.
A working knowledge of the National Codes that cover gas, electricity, refrigeration and steam power, plus the regulations of the National Sanitation Foundation and the AGA.
Knowledge of testing equipment and usage tests your ability to use meters and measuring equipment to diagnose the problem and repair the equipment. It also tests your ability to use manufacturers’ specifications, diagrams and drawings to trace the effects of a symptom and communicate the problem in writing to the manufacturers’ engineers for a solution.
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR TESTING?
Download the Technician Training Order Form here. This is an order form for reference materials necessary for study. These reference materials are the primary study books from which the theoretical materials were taken.
In addition, some technicians have attended local Vo-tech schools to brush up on basic theory to enhance their hands-on training.
