CDM study plan

Describe the four foodservice systems (conventional, commissary, ready-prepared, assembly-serve) and state two operational implications of each.

Diagram the flow of food from procurement through service and mark where cost controls and safety controls attach at each step.

Distinguish central production kitchen duties from satellite/service-unit duties in a multi-site operation.

Apply menu planning principles (nutritional adequacy, client acceptance, cost, equipment capacity, labor skill) to sketch a 7-day cycle menu outline.

Convert a 100-portion standardized recipe to 250 portions and identify two quality changes likely to occur at the larger batch size.

Sequence the procurement steps from requisition through specification writing, bid comparison, and receiving.

List the receiving checks (count, weight, temperature, condition, documentation) and state the accept/reject decision rule for each.

State the seven HACCP principles in correct order and identify three likely critical control points in a cook-chill operation.

Classify the six nutrient groups and state one primary function plus one consequence of deficiency or excess for each.

Differentiate the major modified diets (consistent carbohydrate, low sodium, renal, low fat, dysphagia levels) by their defining restriction and typical food exclusions.

Explain the nutrition care process steps (assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring/evaluation) and locate the dietary manager's role within them.

Identify malnutrition screening triggers and describe the correct referral path and documentation for a positive screen.

Interpret a basic lab panel (albumin, prealbumin, hemoglobin/A1c, BUN, creatinine, cholesterol) and match each abnormal value to its diet implication.

Apply food-drug interaction rules for warfarin and vitamin K, levothyroxine and minerals, and MAOI drugs and tyramine.

Match five major foodborne pathogens (Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, E. coli O157:H7) to source, onset window, and control measure.

Apply temperature danger zone rules and the required cooling and reheating time-temperature limits to two realistic scenarios.

Outline the steps of a progressive discipline process and draft a five-sentence documentation entry for a repeated-tardiness case.

Separate the dietary manager's responsibilities across recruitment, selection, orientation, training, and evaluation.

Describe grievance procedure steps and distinguish a union contract term from a departmental policy.

Apply adult-learning principles to design a 20-minute in-service session on handwashing with a measurable objective.

Build a departmental budget line for food and labor cost from raw volume and wage figures.

Compute food cost percentage, labor cost percentage, cost per meal, and break-even volume from given inputs.

Read a profit-and-loss statement and name three plausible causes of a cost variance.

Compare FIFO, LIFO, and weighted-average inventory valuation and state the effect of each on reported food cost.

Complete a timed 100-question mixed practice set under exam pacing.

Categorize every missed item by domain and by error type (knowledge gap, misread, calculation slip).

Re-teach the two weakest topics from your own notes without referring to the original material.

Rehearse all calculation types under a five-minute-per-item limit.

Recite the 20 must-know numbers (holding temperatures, cooling and reheating limits, cost-percentage formulas) from memory.

Retake a second 100-question mixed practice set and compare domain scores against the week 7 baseline.

Re-drill only the domains still below 80% until each clears the threshold.

Confirm exam-day logistics and rehearse a time-allocation plan for the full test.