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Responsible Beverage Service (Alcohol Server) Certification

Smart Serve and training (ON): practice questions

Our Responsible Beverage Service bank has 11 questions on this topic. Here are 5 of them with answers; the full mock exam draws from every topic, like the real one.

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Question 1 · Ontario

Which body approves liquor service training programs such as Smart Serve in Ontario?

  1. The AGCO Board
  2. The LCBO
  3. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation
  4. Health Canada
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A. The AGCO Board — Training must be a course approved by the Board of the AGCO.

Question 2 · Ontario

How long is an Ontario liquor training certificate, such as Smart Serve, valid?

  1. Five years
  2. Two years
  3. Three years
  4. For life
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A. Five years — AGCO: all liquor training certifications in Ontario must be renewed every five years.

Question 3 · Ontario

A Smart Serve certificate was issued on 2 July 2018. When did it expire?

  1. 1 July 2023 at 11:59 p.m.
  2. 2 July 2020 at midnight
  3. 1 July 2028 at 11:59 p.m.
  4. It never expires
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A. 1 July 2023 at 11:59 p.m. — AGCO's example: certificates issued on or after 1 July 2018 expire five years from issuance, so 2 July 2018 expires 1 July 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

Question 4 · Ontario

In Ontario, who must hold a valid AGCO-approved training certificate such as Smart Serve?

  1. Only the licence holder
  2. Only bartenders who pour spirits, not wine or beer servers
  3. Anyone who sells, serves, delivers or takes liquor orders
  4. Only staff working after 11 p.m.
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C. Anyone who sells, serves, delivers or takes liquor orders — Under the Registrar's standards, any person involved in the sale, service, sampling or delivery of liquor, or in taking orders for it, must hold valid certification from an AGCO Board-approved course.

Question 5 · Ontario

A clerk holds only a liquor retail training certificate from a grocery store job. May they serve drinks in a bar?

  1. Yes; any AGCO certificate covers any role
  2. Yes, for up to 30 days
  3. Yes, if a Smart Serve holder supervises
  4. No; retail-only training does not cover bars
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D. No; retail-only training does not cover bars — Retail programs are approved only for staff at licensed retail stores; holders are not certified to sell or serve outside a retail setting.

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