TAKE THE RBS TRAINING TODAY!

California Alcoholic Beverage Control Certified

California Bear

Approved By:

California Department of
Alcoholic Beverage Control

RBS Training Program badge for English.

RESPONSIBLE BEVERAGE SERVER TRAINING

ServeSmart is an ABC accredited RBS Training provider for individuals that need to obtain a Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Certification to serve alcohol at liquor-licensed businesses.

ServeSmart’s RBS training course is self paced and simple to use so servers and bartenders can get certified quickly and efficiently! Our online course features interactive lessons that make learning about California’s liquor laws fun and engaging. This approach provides alcohol servers with more relevant content while meeting ABC’s requirements.

Once you register, you can begin the course right away. The registration, course and final exam are completely online. After you complete our course, you will have 30 days to pass the final exam on the state website. We’ve developed our course to be as painless as possible. Let us help you get certified today!

3 Easy Steps

STEP 1

Register with ABC

Create a personal RBS account with the California Alcoholic Beverage Commission through the RBS Portal

STEP 2

Complete Training

Enroll in our RBS approved training course. 

STEP 3

Pass State Exam

After completion of our course, return to the RBS portal and take the RBS certification exam.

Course Details

Course Outline

  • Introduction
  • Module One: Social Impact of Alcohol
  • Module Two: Impact of Alcohol on the Body
  • Module Three: Laws and Regulations
  • Module Four: Intervention Techniques
  • Module Five: Management Policies

Course Overview

  • Course Length: Self Paced
  • Exam Questions: 25 Questions
  • Exam Attempts: 3x
  • Passing Score: 70%
  • Pass Guarantee: Yes
  • Certification Valid: 3 years

Get Certified

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control requires you to obtain a certification within 60 days of your initial hire date. To get a Responsible Beverage Service Certification for the first time, you must take a ABC certified course.

Renew Certification

Your certification is good for 3 years. In order to renew, you must retake a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control certified course. It is advised that you renew your permit 45 days prior to your expiration date. 

Take the course from your phone!

ServeSmart makes getting your California RBS certification easier than ever! The course is 100% mobile friendly, allowing you to take the course anywhere and from your tablet or smart phone. Just log in from your mobile browser and you’re on your way!

Hand holding a mobile phone with the course displayed on the screen

Course Features

99% Pass Rate

99% of our students pass the exam the first time! Didn't pass the exam the first time? No problem! You can take the exam as many times as you need!

Secure Payment

Our secure payment portal accepts both Stripe for credit card transactions as well as PayPal!

Certificate of Completion

Upon completion of the California Responsible Beverage Training Course, you will be issued a certificate of completion you can show to your employer.

Workbook

After completing the California RBS Alcohol Certification, you will have access to a printable workbook that contains the valuable information you'll learn while taking this course.

Multilingual

Our course is available in the following languages:
- English
- Spanish
- Korean

Support

Our US based customer support is available 8:00AM to 5:00PM Pacific, Monday through Friday.

What Our Students Are Saying!

Mario Lopez
Mario Lopez
2022-11-30
Kamy Pariso
Kamy Pariso
2022-07-04
JC Martinez
JC Martinez
2022-06-15
Olde Library
Olde Library
2022-06-03
Holly Richardson
Holly Richardson
2022-05-29
Viktor Folke
Viktor Folke
2022-05-28
quick n simple
Curtis Cologna
Curtis Cologna
2022-05-28
good detailed and provided guidance.
armin Moloudzadeh
armin Moloudzadeh
2022-05-27
Juan Gomez
Juan Gomez
2022-05-26
Sofía Umanzor
Sofía Umanzor
2022-05-26
Frequently Asked Questions

RBS Training is a mandatory certification in California for anyone who sells or serves alcohol as well as anyone supervises, trains, or directly hires alcohol servers on an ABC licensed premises. 

RBS training and certification is a three-step process:

  1. Register as a server on the ABC website (this includes the managers of alcohol servers) on the RBS Portal.
  2. Take RBS training from an ABC Approved Training Provider.
  3. Return to the ABC website and take the alcohol server certification exam on the RBS Portal.

Getting RBS certified can take between 2.5 to 4 hours, depending on which provider you choose. The course can take between 90 minutes to 3 hours and the 50 question exam can take between 1 to 2 hours.

If you are an alcohol server or alcohol manager, you are required to be RBS Certified.

Yes, as of July 1, 2022, Responsible Beverage Server training is required by CA Assembly Bill 1221 and Assembly Bill 82. On-premises alcoholic beverage servers and their managers must register in the RBS Portal, take training from an authorized Training Provider, and pass the ABC Alcohol Server Certification exam within 30 days of completing the training. The training and certification needs to be completed within 60 days of initial employment.

You can find a searchable list of providers in the RBS Portal. You can also use search engines to find providers, just make sure to verify the course you select is approved by ABC.

The California Alcoholic Beverage Commission is not issuing physical or downloadable RBS certificates. Once you complete training and pass your certification exam, your status on your dashboard will be updated to Certified. Your Server ID number and status are located in the “Server Certificate Details” box on your server dashboard.

Responsible Beverage Server training courses are offered in English and Spanish. The RBS exam is currently available in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hindi, and Punjabi.

ServeSmart’s training is offered for $12.95. In addition to the cost of training, you’ll also be required to pay $3.00 when registering with the Alcoholic Beverage Control.