Funeral Service Practice Test

The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards (ICFSEB) administers a National Board Examination (NBE) to evaluate the knowledge needed to become a licensed funeral director or embalmer.

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Funeral Service Exam Eligibility

To be eligible to take the Funeral Service exam, you must have either graduated from a program that is ABSFE-accredited or met state eligibility requirements.

Funeral Service Exam Outline

The Funeral Service exam is split into two tests, NBE-Arts and NBE-Sciences, which are administered separately. Even though they are administered separately, you must pass BOTH tests to pass the Funeral Service exam and obtain certification. Each test contains 170 multiple-choice questions, 20 of which are unscored questions that are being evaluated for use on future exams. You will be given a time limit of 170 minutes (2 hours and 50 minutes) per test.

NBE-Arts (170 questions)

The NBE-Arts test is split into five sections:

1. Funeral Arranging and Directing (51 questions)
2. Funeral Service Marketing/Merchandising (21 questions)
3. Funeral Service Counseling (19 questions)
4. Legal and Regulatory Compliance (35 questions)
5. Cemetery and Crematory Dispositions (24 questions)
   Unscored Questions (20 questions)

NBE-Sciences (170 questions)

The NBE-Sciences test is split into four sections:

1. Embalming (62 questions)
2. Restorative Art (34 questions)
3. Other Preparation of the Deceased (28 questions)
4. Funeral Service Sciences (26 questions)
   Unscored Questions (20 questions)

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Funeral Service Exam Registration

You can apply for the Funeral Service exam online at the Conference Online website, or by mail. You will need to apply for the NBE-Arts and NBE-Sciences tests separately, and you will need to pay the $285 exam fee for each test.

Once your application is approved, you will be sent an email with an Authorization to Test (ATT), which will tell you how to schedule your exam at a Pearson VUE professional testing facility. These testing facilities are located across the United States. The Pearson VUE website provides information on testing center locations and hours.

If you need to reschedule your exam, you can do so free of charge if you reschedule more than 30 days before your scheduled exam date. Otherwise, you will be charged a rescheduling fee of $25.

Test Day

On the day of the exam, you should arrive 30 minutes early to allow time for the check-in process. Once you arrive, you will be asked to show two valid forms of identification and sign the Candidate Rules Agreement. Your photograph will be taken and a biometric scan of your palm will be performed for security purposes.

You will be provided with a small whiteboard and marker before you enter the testing room, but you will be asked to leave all other items in a secure locker outside the testing room. This includes your cell phone and any bags, hats, jackets, food, books, and pencils. You will also be provided with a basic on-screen calculator to use during the exam.

How the Funeral Service Exam is Scored

As soon as you finish the exam, you will see your pass/fail status on the computer screen. As of January 1, 2023, you will only see your numerical score if you fail the exam.

Since the questions on each administration of the exam are slightly different, the exam is scored using a scaling system. The scaled scores take into account that some questions are more difficult than others depending on which version of the exam y
ou take, meaning that your score will represent your level of knowledge fairly. The passing score for the Funeral Service exam is a scaled score of 75.

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By Peter Rench

Peter Rench joined Mometrix in 2009 and serves as Vice President of Product Development, responsible for overseeing all new product development and quality improvements. Mr. Rench, a National Merit Scholar, graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in mathematics from Texas A&M University.