- The CSC written exam covers six domains: Cooking, Safety and Sanitation, Baking and Pastry, Nutrition, Finance, and Team Management and Supervision.
- Cooking carries the most questions (37 of 100) and Safety and Sanitation is second (25 of 100).
- The written exam is 100 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, closed book, with a passing scaled score of 72.
- Mandatory 30-hour courses in Nutrition, Food Safety and Sanitation, and Supervisory Management map directly to three of the six domains.
Why the Six Domains Matter
The Certified Sous Chef (CSC) written examination isn't a loosely organized trivia test - it's built around six defined subject areas set out in the American Culinary Federation's (ACF) handbook, revised September 1, 2021. Every one of the 100 multiple-choice questions on the written exam is drawn from one of these six domains, and the two largest - Cooking and Safety and Sanitation - together account for 62 of those 100 questions. Understanding how the domains are structured, and how heavily each is weighted, is the single most useful thing a candidate can do before opening a study guide.
This guide breaks down each of the six CSC exam domains in detail: what ACF expects a working sous chef to know, how that knowledge shows up in multiple-choice format, and how to sequence your preparation so you're not spreading effort evenly across topics that aren't weighted evenly. If you haven't already reviewed the broader mechanics of the exam - timing, scoring, and format - the CSC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt is a good companion piece to this one.
Domain 1: Cooking
Cooking is the largest domain on the CSC written exam, contributing 37 of the 100 questions - more than a third of the entire test. This reflects the exam's core premise: a Certified Sous Chef is first and foremost a hands-on kitchen leader who has already spent years supervising a shift or food station.
Cooking
Expect questions on fundamental and advanced culinary technique, classical and contemporary methods, ingredient functionality, and the reasoning behind why a technique produces a given result - not just the steps themselves.
- Cooking methods (dry-heat, moist-heat, combination) and when each is appropriate
- Stocks, sauces, and mother sauce derivatives
- Protein fabrication, doneness, and temperature control
- Mise en place principles and kitchen workflow at the station level
- Flavor development, seasoning, and menu-appropriate technique selection
Because this domain is weighted so heavily, it deserves the largest single share of study time. Candidates coming from a strong back-of-house background often find this domain the most intuitive, since it mirrors day-to-day supervisory kitchen work rather than testing obscure trivia.
Domain 2: Safety and Sanitation
Safety and Sanitation is the second-largest domain, contributing 25 of the 100 written questions. Combined with Cooking, these two domains make up nearly two-thirds of the entire exam - a fact that should shape how you allocate review time.
Safety and Sanitation
This domain tests food safety systems, sanitation protocols, and workplace hazard awareness at a supervisory level, not just line-cook basics.
- Time-temperature control for safety (TCS) foods
- Cross-contamination prevention and allergen management
- HACCP principles and critical control points
- Cleaning, sanitizing, and pest control standards
- Workplace safety: burns, cuts, slips, and equipment hazards
This domain aligns directly with the mandatory 30-hour Food Safety and Sanitation course required as part of the certification package. If your course is older than five years, ACF requires an eight-hour refresher - plan for that timeline when scheduling your exam. For a full breakdown of every prerequisite, see CSC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Key Takeaway
Cooking and Safety and Sanitation together represent 62 of 100 questions. Prioritize these two domains first; the remaining four domains share the rest of the exam.
Domain 3: Baking and Pastry
Baking and Pastry rounds out the culinary-skills side of the exam. While ACF's handbook doesn't publish a specific question count for this domain the way it does for Cooking and Safety and Sanitation, candidates should expect it to test a working sous chef's baseline fluency in pastry fundamentals - not pastry-chef-level specialization.
Baking and Pastry
Focus on foundational concepts a sous chef would need to oversee a bakery station or manage a menu that includes baked and pastry items.
- Baking ratios and formula basics
- Leavening agents and their functions
- Doughs, batters, and pastry classifications
- Storage and quality issues specific to baked goods
Candidates without a strong pastry background sometimes underestimate this domain. Because it's tested alongside heavily weighted domains like Cooking, it's worth building at least a working vocabulary here even if it isn't your professional specialty.
Domain 4: Nutrition
Nutrition is one of the three subject areas tied directly to a mandatory 30-hour course requirement for CSC certification. That course requirement is a strong signal of how seriously ACF treats this domain on the written exam.
Nutrition
Expect questions that connect nutritional science to real menu decisions a sous chef makes - not abstract dietetics.
- Macronutrients and micronutrients and their roles in cooking
- Menu modification for dietary restrictions and allergies
- Nutritional impact of cooking methods on ingredients
- Basic nutrition labeling and menu-planning considerations
As with Safety and Sanitation, if your Nutrition course was completed more than five years before you sit for the exam, an eight-hour refresher is required. Build this into your registration timeline well ahead of your target test date - see CSC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling for scheduling mechanics.
Domain 5: Finance
Finance is where many culinary-focused candidates feel least comfortable, simply because it draws on cost-control and business skills rather than hands-on technique. It's also the domain where the permitted basic nonprogrammable calculator becomes genuinely useful.
Finance
Expect applied, calculation-based questions tied to kitchen operations rather than general accounting theory.
- Food cost percentage and plate costing
- Menu pricing strategy
- Inventory control and purchasing basics
- Labor cost as it relates to kitchen scheduling
Because this domain relies on formulas rather than memorized facts, it responds well to practice problems rather than flashcards. Working through cost-calculation scenarios repeatedly is more effective here than passive review.
Domain 6: Team Management and Supervision
The sixth domain, Team Management and Supervision, reflects the leadership expectations baked into the CSC credential itself - remember, eligibility requires two years supervising a shift or food station. This is the domain tied to the mandatory 30-hour Supervisory Management course.
Team Management and Supervision
Expect scenario-based questions that test judgment in staff leadership, communication, and kitchen operations management.
- Staff scheduling and delegation
- Conflict resolution and performance feedback
- Training and onboarding of kitchen staff
- Communication between back-of-house and front-of-house teams
Like Nutrition and Safety and Sanitation, this course also carries the five-year refresher rule. Candidates who completed their Supervisory Management coursework early in their career path should double-check the date before registering.
How the Domains Are Weighted on the Written Exam
ACF publishes exact question counts for two of the six domains - Cooking (37 questions) and Safety and Sanitation (25 questions) - which together account for 62 of the 100 total questions. The remaining 38 questions are distributed across Baking and Pastry, Nutrition, Finance, and Team Management and Supervision. Because exact per-domain counts for those four areas aren't published in the same granular way, it's more useful to think of Cooking and Safety and Sanitation as your foundation and the other four as supporting pillars that still require real preparation.
| Domain | Approximate Share of Exam | Tied to Mandatory Course? |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking | 37 of 100 questions | No |
| Safety and Sanitation | 25 of 100 questions | Yes (30-hour course) |
| Baking and Pastry | Portion of remaining 38 questions | No |
| Nutrition | Portion of remaining 38 questions | Yes (30-hour course) |
| Finance | Portion of remaining 38 questions | No |
| Team Management and Supervision | Portion of remaining 38 questions | Yes (30-hour course) |
For a deeper look at what "passing" actually requires numerically, see CSC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. And if you're still deciding whether the overall difficulty and time commitment fit your schedule, How Hard Is the CSC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through that in detail.
Mapping a Study Schedule to the Domains
Rather than studying all six domains evenly, an efficient plan mirrors the exam's actual weighting: heaviest focus on Cooking, strong focus on Safety and Sanitation, and steady coverage of the remaining four. A domain-weighted timeline for candidates preparing over roughly six weeks might look like this.
Cooking
- Review cooking methods, stocks, sauces, and protein technique
- Work through scenario-based questions tied to station supervision
Safety and Sanitation
- Refresh HACCP, TCS foods, and allergen protocols
- Confirm your food-safety course refresher status if it's over five years old
Baking and Pastry, Nutrition
- Cover baking ratios, leavening, and menu-based nutrition questions
- Check refresher requirements on your Nutrition course
Finance, Team Management and Supervision
- Practice plate-costing and food cost percentage calculations
- Review supervisory scenarios on scheduling and conflict resolution
Full Review
- Take timed practice sets across all six domains
- Focus remaining time on your weakest domain based on practice results
This structure isn't a rigid formula - it's a framework to keep your time proportional to how the exam is actually built. For a condensed version of the same material you can review the week before your test, check the CSC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts. You can also build domain-specific familiarity with the multiple-choice format itself by working through timed sets on our practice test platform before exam day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Six: Cooking, Safety and Sanitation, Baking and Pastry, Nutrition, Finance, and Team Management and Supervision, as defined in ACF's September 1, 2021 handbook revision.
Cooking, with 37 of the 100 total multiple-choice questions. Safety and Sanitation is second with 25 questions.
Yes. Nutrition, Food Safety and Sanitation, and Supervisory Management each require a 30-hour course as part of certification, and these map directly to three of the six exam domains.
No, it's closed book. A basic nonprogrammable calculator and scratch paper are permitted, which is particularly useful for Finance domain questions involving cost calculations.
See CSC Jobs for career context and Is the CSC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 for a broader look at the value of the credential, including how it connects to the CSC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.