Free Social Hygiene Practice Test

How the free social hygiene practice test works

The free test consists of 10 multiple-choice questions on the material covered in the SVH Sociale Hygiëne exam. It is not a course with lessons. If you want to practise for the social hygiene exam, this shows you quickly where you stand. You measure what you already know and see straight away where things still go wrong, which is exactly what you want to find out before you prepare any further.

Getting started is quick. You enter your first name and email address, and a free account is created for you. You will find a login link in your inbox, and with it you can start right away. After the last question you see the correct answer for each question, with an explanation and a note on where you went wrong.

That explanation is the most valuable part of any SVH mock exam. A score on its own tells you little if you don't understand why an answer was wrong. In social hygiene the pitfalls are often in the details: an age limit, who is responsible, or when a guest is visibly drunk and, under article 20 of the Alcoholwet (Alcohol Act), you may no longer let him in.

• Free accountCreated with just your first name and email address.
• Login link by emailUse it to go straight to the first question.
• Explanation per questionAfterwards you see the correct answer for every question, with an explanation.
• Insight into your mistakesYou read where you went wrong, so you know what you still need to learn.

How the SVH Sociale Hygiëne exam works

The exam tests whether you have the knowledge to manage a hospitality business or off-licence where alcohol is served or sold. It is based on the statutory attainment targets in the Alcoholbesluit (Alcohol Decree). SVH writes the exam, and the computer exams are administered by examining institutions licensed by SVH.

You choose between a computer exam and an oral exam. If you are looking for an online exam, the computer exam is the one for you: it consists of multiple-choice questions and you can take it in Dutch, English, Modern Standard Arabic, Mandarin Chinese or Turkish. You take the oral exam in Dutch, in English or in your own language with an interpreter.

If you pass, you receive the SVH Diploma Sociale Hygiëne. With that diploma you can register in the Register Sociale Hygiëne.

• 40Minutes for the computer exam
• 29Correct answers needed out of 40
• 5Languages for the computer exam
• 2Exam formats, computer or oral

Why managers need the SVH exam under the Alcoholwet

So why do you actually have to pass this exam? Article 8 of the Alcoholwet sets requirements for managers of a hospitality business or off-licence. They must be at least 21 years old, must not be of bad conduct and must not be under guardianship. They also need sufficient knowledge and understanding of social hygiene and must be registered in the Register Sociale Hygiëne. The SVH Diploma Sociale Hygiëne serves as proof for that registration.

The diploma matters in practice too. In a business that serves alcohol, someone holding the social hygiene diploma must always be present. That can be the owner, a manager or an employee.

Stricter rules apply to clubs and foundations with a bar. At such a non-commercial establishment, at least two managers must meet the requirements of article 8. Under article 9, the board must also set out in a set of rules how bar volunteers receive information about social hygiene.

What the social hygiene exam tests

The main themes are the Alcoholwet, alcohol and drugs, gambling and smoking, dealing with guests and safety on the premises. For each topic, the Toetstermen tab tells you exactly what you need to know.

Many questions are not about reciting rules. You are given a situation and have to choose what you would do as a manager. Someone orders a beer and you have doubts about their age: the Alcoholwet prohibits supplying alcohol to anyone who has not been established to be 18, and this is established with an identity document as set out in the Wet op de identificatieplicht (Compulsory Identification Act). An adult buying drinks that are clearly meant for a minor also falls under this ban.

Conversations come up as well. You learn to approach a guest using set conversation models, for example when refusing a sale, when a rule is broken openly or covertly, and when dealing with aggression. In the exam you then recognise which model fits which situation.

How to make good use of the Sociale Hygiëne mock exam

Ten questions is a sample. With a pass mark of 72% you need 8 right, because 7 right is 70% and so just short. Each mistake costs you 10 percentage points, so a single doubtful answer can make the difference.

Treat your result as an indication. If you pass comfortably, your foundation is solid. If you fail, look mainly at the type of mistakes: do you go wrong on the legal articles, on the effects of alcohol and drugs, or on the questions about how to approach a guest? The official exam requires 29 out of 40, and that margin is just as tight.

• Go in coldTake the test without preparing, so you see your real starting level.
• Pick apart your mistakesRead the explanation for each mistake and write down which topic is behind it.
• Targeted studyFirst brush up on the topics where you dropped the most points.
• Practise at exam lengthAfter that, move on to tests of 40 questions, the same number as in the computer exam.

When one social hygiene test is not enough

With 10 questions you only cover part of the material. The SVH Sociale Hygiëne training has 10 tests of 40 questions each, 400 exam questions in total, based on the official assessment criteria. Every test has a pass mark of 72%, which works out to the same bar as 29 out of 40 in the exam.

Everything works online, straight after signing up and on any device. Every question comes with an explanation, and your dashboard shows your progress and your weak topics. The questions are checked against current laws and regulations and against the official assessment criteria.

Two things are only available in the paid training and not in the free test. After each test you automatically get extra exam questions on exactly the parts where you made mistakes. And if you don't understand a question or its explanation, you can ask the AI tutor about it straight away, and it answers based on the law and official sources.

• Extra questions on your weak spotsAfter each test, new questions automatically follow on the parts you got wrong.
• Ask the AI tutorYou get explanations based on the law and official sources until the topic is clear.
• Practice mode or exam modeFirst learn at your own pace with explanations, then take a full 40-question test as a dress rehearsal.