FAQ 5th Semester Culinary Practical Test

1. Where can I find information about this test? On The Portal: CULS-251 5th Sem Culinary Pract Exam a. Introduction i. Orientation information ii. Sample of exam time format iii. Sample of grading form iv. Sample of grading rubric v. 6 menus: One menu will be assigned to you by lottery the day of your exam b. Study Questions A bank of test questions, answers not included, which are representative of the types of questions and subject matter upon which your oral questions will be drawn. It is highly recommended that you spend time to review these questions. 2. May I use a game plan aka time line and recipe cards? YES! You should make a time line for EACH of the 6 menus be sure to include the following: a. A timeline accounting for the step by step order of events, from gathering ingredients to presenting your main course b. Mise en Place c. A consolidated ingredient list d. Recipes/formulas scaled to the correct proportions, you will serve 2 portions of each course, appetizer and main course e. List of any special equipment needed f. List of service ware required to present your food g. A plating diagram, optional 3. How long do I have for the cooking portion of the test? You will have 2 hours start to finish. You must present your first course and your main course within the 2 hour time limit. You must manage your time well. If any course is served after 2 hours time limit has lapsed there is a 1 point deduction for every minute. More than 15 minutes late results in an automatic failure of the test. 4. How do I plan my service time? You should plan on serving your 1st course at the 2 hour mark and return to your station to finish plating and presentation of your main course presenting it not later than the 2 hour mark. You may not serve early. 5. Why do I need a clean uniform, if I am coming from another kitchen? You must look fresh and clean as you should at the start of any work day. All grooming, including hair and beard must be dress code compliant, per p 30 of the student handbook. Plan to have at minimum a spare clean chef coat, apron, hat and side towels the day of your test. 6. When should and shouldnt I wear gloves? When handling any ready to eat food, there is no bare hand contact permitted. Gloves should be worn at service time and it is preferable to serve with clean utensils using gloved hands to touch the food only when absolutely necessary. Gloves also should be worn at all times, if you have a wound on your hand (s). Gloves should not be worn outside of the kitchen. 7. Is it OK for me to not show up and just pay the money and retake it later? NO. When you are a no show for your test: a. you waste food and money b. you rob another student of the opportunity to take their test c. you risk not getting an appointment to take the test at a later time d. you risk not having enough time prior to graduation to retake the test if you are not successful on your first attempt 8. What should I study for the Oral portion of the exam? There is a test question bank posted on the Portal. 9. May I or/should I visit the kitchen before the day of my test? YES! Choose your timing carefully, but most Chef Instructors who are proctoring the test welcome you to look around and familiarize yourself with the kitchen. 10. What should I do if I fail it the first time? Make another appointment within a reasonable period of time to retake the test. Do a good self analysis of what went well and what went wrong. Rewrite game plan/time lines

and recipe/formulas as needed. Make an appointment with the proctor after the fact and ask them for a solid critique of what they saw and how they would advise you to do better in the future. They are on your side and want to help make you better. Meet with your mentor and/or the tutoring center for coaching and a critical review of your timelines and recipes. 11. How many attempts do I have to succeed? You have a total of 3 attempts. After the 2nd failure, it is advisable to meet with the Associate Dean of Culinary Fundamentals for coaching. After the 3rd failure you are required to meet with the Dean of Culinary Education or their designee. 12. What are top 10 reasons students fail? 1. Underestimating the exam, lack of advance preparation in planning, reviewing fundamental techniques, and scaling recipes/formulas to reflect correct volume for each menu items 2. Poor time management, lack of game plan/time lines, late or rushed presentation 3. Improper station set up, no sanitizer bucket, utensils on piano 4. Poor sanitation practices: a. using dirty side towel as plate wipes b. not maintaining food safe temperatures of products both raw and cooked c. cross contamination d. not washing produce prior to fabrication e. debris on station 5. Not wearing gloves at the correct times 6. Use of short cuts, not weighing or measuring ingredients, skipping steps in basic techniques 7. Over production and waste of ingredients 8. Not choosing service ware in advance. 9. Not tasting food, over/under-seasoning food, over/under cooking vegetables, serving food that is inedible 10. Allowing oneself to get nervous and stressed out, making poor decisions under pressure.