ServSafe Food Handler Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

Memorize the temperature danger zone of 41°F to 135°F, hot holding at 135°F or higher, and cold holding at 41°F or lower. For cooking, know that poultry and stuffed items must reach 165°F and ground meat must reach 155°F for 17 seconds. These few numbers cover most temperature questions on the test.

Cooked TCS food must be cooled from 135°F to 70°F within two hours, then down to 41°F within four more hours, for six hours total. A related rule worth memorizing: TCS food must not sit in the danger zone for more than four hours total, and food held longer must be thrown out. Test questions often mix these two rules together, so keep them straight.

Know that handwashing must be done at a designated handwashing sink for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm running water. Also memorize the exclusion rules: do not work with food if you have vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice, or a diagnosis of Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, Hepatitis A, or Norovirus. A common trap is answers that suggest washing hands in a prep or dish sink, which is never correct.

The major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame. For cross-contamination, remember the three-part answer: separate raw and ready-to-eat foods, use separate equipment, and clean and sanitize surfaces. Watch for trap answers that only mention one of the three steps as if it were enough on its own.

Use it as a final memory check, not as your only study tool: read each number or rule, cover it, and try to recall it from memory. Prioritize the temperature numbers and the handwashing and illness rules, since those are the facts most easily confused under time pressure. If any item will not stick, do a few practice questions on that topic before bed rather than rereading the sheet, because active recall works better than passive review.