The complete guide
Everything about the Cook Test
This test is one part of screening every applicant from one link: add a one-way video interview and resume scoring, and compare candidates in one report.
What is the Cook Test?
The Cook Test is built for hiring kitchen staff. Food safety questions cover safe cooking and holding temperatures, cooling, cross-contamination, allergens and storage order in the fridge. Technique questions cover cooking methods, knife cuts, sauces, doneness and fixing common mistakes. Kitchen operations questions cover mise en place, prep lists, FIFO, waste, yields and portion costs. Service questions cover reading tickets, timing dishes for one table, communicating on the pass and keeping standards in a rush. The questions are practical, so they suit cooks from quick service to full-service kitchens.
What the Cook Test does not measure
It does not measure knife speed, palate or plating skill, and it is not a food handler certificate. Add a short cooking trial and confirm any certificate your area requires.
How does the Cook Test work?
The Cook Test is an auto-scored multiple-choice test. Each candidate answers 20 questions drawn at random from a bank of 60, so two candidates rarely see the same set, and most finish in 8 to 12 minutes. The questions are spread evenly across food safety, cooking techniques, kitchen operations and service and teamwork, with a mix of easy, medium and hard items, and the report shows a score for each area as well as an overall score.
Why is the Cook Test important to employers?
One food safety lapse can close a kitchen, and a disorganised cook slows every plate on the pass. This test shows who knows safe temperatures and allergen handling, who preps properly and who keeps their station and their team moving during service, before you book a trial shift.
