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Free Practice Questions for Hygienist Licensing Examination

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Key Facts: Hygienist Licensing Examination Exam

220 items

Official exam questions: 180 written across 5 subjects + 40 practical visual items

https://www.kuksiwon.or.kr

195 minutes

Total testing time across three sessions (Period 1: 90 min, Period 2: 65 min, Period 3: 40 min)

https://www.kuksiwon.or.kr

40% / 60%

Passing standard: 40% floor per written subject, 60% written average (108/180), 60% practical (24/40)

https://www.kuksiwon.or.kr

KRW 88,000

Official Kuksiwon national examination fee

https://www.kuksiwon.or.kr

Kuksiwon

Administered under the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Public Health Control Act Art. 6-2)

https://www.kuksiwon.or.kr

위생사 (Hygienist) is South Korea's national sanitation license administered by Kuksiwon under the Ministry of Health and Welfare pursuant to the Public Health Control Act. The official 220-item examination spans three sessions (180 written, 40 practical) with a KRW 88,000 fee and requires a 40% subject floor and 60% overall average. OpenExamPrep provides an independent 100-item English study adaptation.

Sample Hygienist Licensing Examination Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Hygienist Licensing Examination exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Under Article 2 of the Public Health Control Act (공중위생관리법), which business category is classified as a statutory public health business (공중위생영업)?
A.Bathhouse business (목욕장업)
B.General restaurant business (일반음식점영업)
C.Pharmacy business (약국영업)
D.Medical clinic establishment (의원개설업)
Explanation: Article 2, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the Public Health Control Act explicitly designates lodging business (숙박업), bathhouse business (목욕장업), barber business (이용업), beauty salon business (미용업), laundry business (세탁업), and building sanitation maintenance business (건물위생관리업) as public health businesses. Food establishments and healthcare facilities are governed under separate health acts.
2Under Article 8-2 of the Public Health Control Act (공중위생관리법), which function is specifically defined within the statutory scope of duties for a licensed Hygienist (위생사)?
A.Clinical diagnosis and medical treatment of vector-borne infectious diseases
B.Sanitary control of drinking water supply facilities and domestic waste disposal facilities
C.Dispensing and formulation of prescription antimicrobial pharmaceuticals
D.Veterinary pathology examination of livestock slaughtered for commercial markets
Explanation: Article 8-2 of the Public Health Control Act (위생사의 업무범위), together with Article 6-3 of its Enforcement Decree, lists the hygienist's statutory duties: sanitary management of public health businesses, public-use facilities and sanitary products; treatment and sanitary management of drinking water; disposal of refuse, human waste, sewage and other wastes; sanitary management of the manufacture and processing of food, food additives and their apparatus, containers and packaging; control of harmful insects, rodents and vectors; and disinfection and health-management work. Clinical diagnostic or pharmacological tasks belong strictly to medical practitioners and pharmacists.
3Under Article 3 of the Public Health Control Act, to whom must an applicant report (신고) when intending to operate a public health business such as a lodging or laundry facility?
A.Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)
B.Minister of Health and Welfare directly
C.Head of the competent Si/Gun/Gu (Special Self-Governing City/Province Mayor or District Head)
D.Chief of the competent local fire and rescue station
Explanation: Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Public Health Control Act mandates that any person intending to operate a public health business must prepare facilities and equipment meeting Ministerial regulations and report to the Special Self-Governing City Mayor, Special Self-Governing Province Governor, or the head of a Si/Gun/Gu (시장·군수·구청장). The Minister of Health and Welfare delegates local business reporting to municipal authorities.
4Which of the following describes a statutory disqualification criterion (결격사유) for obtaining a Hygienist license under Article 6-2 of the Public Health Control Act?
A.A person who was discharged from bankruptcy proceedings following court debt restructuring
B.A person who has a congenital color vision deficiency or corrected visual acuity below 1.0
C.A person whose passport application was denied due to pending civil litigation
D.A person diagnosed with mental illness under the Mental Health and Welfare Act, unless recognized by a medical specialist as fit to perform hygienist duties
Explanation: Article 6-2, Paragraph 7 of the Public Health Control Act sets three grounds of disqualification: a person with a mental illness as defined in Article 3, subparagraph 1 of the Mental Health Welfare Act, unless a specialist certifies that they are fit to work as a hygienist; a narcotics addict under the Narcotics Control Act; and a person sentenced to imprisonment without labour or heavier for violating that Act, the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, the Quarantine Act, the Food Sanitation Act, the Medical Service Act, the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, the Narcotics Control Act, or the Act on Special Measures for the Control of Public Health Crimes, where the sentence has not yet been completed or remitted.
5Under Article 2 of the Food Sanitation Act (식품위생법), how is 'food sanitation' (식품위생) formally defined?
A.Sanitation regarding food, food additives, apparatus, containers, and packaging
B.Sanitation limited strictly to cooked dishes and beverages sold in collective cafeterias
C.Sanitation concerning municipal water supply systems, industrial wastewater, and sewers
D.Sanitation relating to the pharmaceutical manufacturing and clinical testing of dietary supplements
Explanation: Article 2, Item 11 of the Food Sanitation Act defines food sanitation as sanitation pertaining to food (식품), food additives (식품첨가물), apparatus (기구), containers (용기), and packaging (포장). This comprehensive definition ensures that all contact surfaces, storage vessels, and processing equipment are subject to regulatory standards.
6Under Article 4 of the Food Sanitation Act, which condition explicitly categorizes food as prohibited from being sold, manufactured, imported, or distributed?
A.Food that is packaged in unprinted biodegradable cardboard without proprietary branding
B.Food that is rotten, deteriorated, or contaminated with toxic or harmful substances that may injure human health
C.Food that contains food additives permitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety within established limits
D.Food that has been preserved using blast-freezing technology below minus 18 degrees Celsius
Explanation: Article 4 of the Food Sanitation Act prohibits the sale, manufacture, importation, processing, or display of foods that are rotten, deteriorated, contaminated with toxic or harmful chemicals, infected with pathogenic microorganisms, or collected without statutory inspection. Permitted additives within statutory tolerances and blast-freezing are standard compliant practices.
7Under Article 2, Item 12 of the Food Sanitation Act, what are the criteria that define a 'collective meal facility' (집단급식소)?
A.A seasonal festival food booth providing fast food to 30 or more attendees during weekend hours
B.A commercial buffet restaurant providing catering to 100 or more unspecified walk-in patrons daily
C.A non-profit dining facility that continuously provides meals to 50 or more specific persons at a time
D.A convenience store preparing heated ready-to-eat meal boxes for the general public
Explanation: Article 2, Item 12 of the Food Sanitation Act and Article 2 of its Enforcement Decree define a collective meal facility as a non-profit dining facility established in schools, hospitals, welfare institutions, enterprises, or public agencies that continuously provides meals to 50 or more specific persons (특정 다수인) at a time. Profit-oriented restaurants serving unspecified patrons are classified as food service businesses (식품접객업).
8Under Article 40 of the Food Sanitation Act and its Enforcement Rule, what is the mandatory frequency of health examinations (건강진단) for food handlers directly engaged in cooking and serving?
A.Only upon initial hiring with no recurring examination required
B.Once every six months (semi-annually)
C.Once every two years
D.Once every year (annually)
Explanation: Article 40 of the Food Sanitation Act and Article 49 of its Enforcement Rule specify that personnel directly engaged in food production, cooking, processing, or serving must undergo a health examination once every year. The examination screens for communicable conditions including typhoid fever (장티푸스), infectious tuberculosis (결핵), and contagious skin diseases (전염성 피부질환).
9Under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act (감염병의 예방 및 관리에 관한 법률), what is the primary basis for classifying legal infectious diseases into Groups 1 through 4?
A.Disease severity, fatality rate, transmission speed, and urgency of negative-pressure isolation and reporting
B.The biological kingdom of the pathogen (viral, bacterial, fungal, or protozoan)
C.The demographic age group with the highest clinical incidence in the preceding calendar year
D.Whether the pathogen was first discovered in domestic wildlife or imported from abroad
Explanation: The Korean statutory classification system established under Article 2 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act categorizes diseases into Groups 1 through 4 based primarily on biological severity, case fatality rate, epidemic potential, required level of isolation (e.g., negative pressure isolation for Group 1), and reporting urgency (immediate vs. 24 hours).
10Under Article 2 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, which of the following is classified as a Group 1 Infectious Disease (제1급 감염병) requiring immediate reporting and negative-pressure isolation?
A.Seasonal Influenza (인플루엔자)
B.Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS / 중동호흡기증후군)
C.Varicella / Chickenpox (수두)
D.Hepatitis B (B형간염)
Explanation: Group 1 Infectious Diseases exhibit high case fatality rates or high epidemic potential, requiring immediate reporting upon diagnosis and high-level isolation such as negative pressure. Diseases in this group include Ebola, Marburg, Plague, Anthrax, SARS, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Seasonal influenza is Group 4, while Varicella and Hepatitis B are Group 2.

About the Hygienist Licensing Examination Exam

The Hygienist Licensing Examination (위생사 국가시험) is a national professional qualification administered by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board (국시원 / Kuksiwon) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare pursuant to Article 6-2 of the Public Health Control Act (공중위생관리법). Licensed hygienists oversee sanitation, disinfection, water quality monitoring, pest and vector control, waste disposal, and food safety across public facilities, catering enterprises, and industrial worksites. The official examination features 180 written questions and 40 practical visual items. OpenExamPrep provides an independent 100-question English MCQ study adaptation covering all five blueprint subjects, not an official Kuksiwon translation or simulation.

Exam sponsor: Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board (한국보건의료인국가시험원 / Kuksiwon) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare (보건복지부). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Three examination periods: Period 1 written (Hygiene Legislation 25, Environmental Hygiene 50, Hygiene Entomology 30; 90 min), Period 2 written (Public Health 35, Food Sanitation 40; 65 min), and Period 3 practical (Visual & Applied Sanitation 40; 40 min). Total 220 items in 195 minutes.

Time Limit

195 minutes (Period 1: 90 min, Period 2: 65 min, Period 3: 40 min)

Passing Score

40% floor per written subject, 60% overall written average (108/180), and 60% on practical (24/40)

Exam / Certification Fees

KRW 88,000 (Kuksiwon official fee schedule, 2026)

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

20 of 100 questions

Hygiene and Sanitation Legislation (위생관계법령)

Statutory mandates, administrative enforcement, business notifications, and legal duties under the Public Health Control Act, Food Sanitation Act, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, Management of Drinking Water Act, Wastes Control Act, and Sewerage Act.

20 of 100 questions

Environmental Hygiene (환경위생학)

Atmospheric air indicators (CO2, CO, PM2.5, PM10), drinking water purification sequence (coagulation, rapid/slow sand filtration, chlorination, trihalomethanes THM), sewage biological treatment (activated sludge, SVI, bulking), noise measurement (dB(A), Leq), and indoor air quality standards.

20 of 100 questions

Medical/Hygiene Entomology (위생곤충학)

Morphology, life cycle, and taxonomic differentiation of disease vectors (mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, bedbugs, lice, fleas, ticks, chigger mites), vector transmission cycles (malaria, Japanese encephalitis, scrub typhus, SFTS, plague), and integrated pest management (IPM) insecticides.

20 of 100 questions

Public Health & Epidemiology (공중보건학)

Community health indicators (infant mortality rate, maternal mortality ratio, proportionate mortality indicator), epidemiological study methodologies (descriptive, cohort, case-control, cross-sectional), demographic population pyramids, maternal-child health, and chronic disease epidemiology.

20 of 100 questions

Food Sanitation & Practical Hygiene (식품위생학 및 실기)

Pathogenesis of bacterial food poisoning (Salmonella, Vibrio, C. botulinum, S. aureus) and viral gastroenteritis (Norovirus), natural marine and fungal toxins, toxic chemical residues and food additives, three-step coliform testing, and practical visual inspection instrumentation.

Preparing for the Hygienist Licensing Examination Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 40% floor per written subject, 60% overall written average (108/180), and 60% on practical (24/40)
  • Assessment: Three examination periods: Period 1 written (Hygiene Legislation 25, Environmental Hygiene 50, Hygiene Entomology 30; 90 min), Period 2 written (Public Health 35, Food Sanitation 40; 65 min), and Period 3 practical (Visual & Applied Sanitation 40; 40 min). Total 220 items in 195 minutes.
  • Time limit: 195 minutes (Period 1: 90 min, Period 2: 65 min, Period 3: 40 min)
  • Exam / certification fees: KRW 88,000 (Kuksiwon official fee schedule, 2026) Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Hygienist Licensing Examination: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master the statutory thresholds across all six hygiene laws: Focus on notification requirements under the Public Health Control Act, collective catering facility definitions under the Food Sanitation Act, and legal reporting periods under the Infectious Disease Control Act.
2Understand water purification chemistry and calculations: Memorize the chlorination curve, free vs. combined residual chlorine efficacy (HOCl is ~80 times more potent than OCl-), disinfection byproduct (THM) formation, and dilution calculations for sodium hypochlorite.
3Differentiate disease vectors by anatomical characteristics: Note Anopheles resting posture (45-degree angle) and spotted wings, Culex blunt abdomen and larval siphon, Blattella germanica two longitudinal pronotal stripes, and chigger mite larvae transmitting Orientia tsutsugamushi.
4Contrast epidemiological study designs: Remember that cohort studies calculate relative risk (RR) and incidence rates from exposure to outcome, while case-control studies select by outcome, calculate odds ratios (OR), and are susceptible to recall bias.
5Memorize bacterial food poisoning incubation times and toxin heat stability: Distinguish between heat-stable preformed enterotoxins (Staphylococcus aureus) and heat-labile neurotoxins (Clostridium botulinum inactivated at 80°C for 30 minutes), as well as low-temperature infection-type pathogens like Listeria.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Hygienist Licensing Examination (위생사 국가시험)?

It is South Korea's official national qualification examination for professional sanitation specialists, administered by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board (Kuksiwon) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare pursuant to Article 6-2 of the Public Health Control Act.

Who is eligible to take the Hygienist exam?

Candidates who have completed or are expected to complete a recognized major in public health, hygiene, environmental sanitation, or food science at an accredited junior college or university, or individuals possessing statutory equivalent hygiene qualifications recognized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

What is the examination structure and question format?

The official examination consists of 220 five-option multiple-choice questions administered across three periods: Period 1 written (105 items in 90 minutes), Period 2 written (75 items in 65 minutes), and Period 3 practical (40 items in 40 minutes), totaling 195 minutes of testing time.

What are the passing score requirements?

Candidates must achieve at least 40% in each of the five written subjects (과락 floor), an overall average of 60% or higher on the written component (at least 108 of 180 points), and at least 60% on the practical component (at least 24 of 40 points) during the same administration.

What does the practical examination (실기시험) cover?

The practical examination consists of 40 visual multiple-choice items featuring high-resolution color photographs, diagrams, microscopic specimens, and measurement instruments evaluating practical sanitation tasks such as vector identification, coliform culture interpretation, water quality testing, and sanitation monitoring.

How does this OpenExamPrep practice bank support exam preparation?

This 100-question practice bank is an independent English-language study adaptation developed by OpenExamPrep covering the five core blueprint subjects. It is not an official Kuksiwon translation or sitting simulation, but provides high-yield practice on core scientific and regulatory concepts tested on the national examination.