RSA Ireland Certification study plan

Map the licensing framework: identify the licence types and the statutory bodies that grant and enforce them

Summarise the core statutory duties a licence holder owes (permitted hours, authorised sales, record-keeping) in your own words

Define the key legal terms you will be tested on and build a personal glossary of 25+ entries

Locate and read the primary Act and the main amendments, noting which sections changed

Distinguish the offences, penalties and endorsement/consequence rules that attach to licence breaches

Explain the conditions and process for applying for, varying and transferring a licence

Outline the enforcement and inspection powers and what an inspector may require of staff

Connect licensing law to on-premises practice by writing three scenario answers citing the relevant rule

Describe the pharmacological effects of alcohol on the body and the factors that alter them

Explain standard drink measures and calculate units/standard drinks for a range of serve sizes

List the responsible-service obligations a server must meet for every sale

Identify the signs of alcohol's effects on behaviour and judgement and how they escalate

Define intoxication operationally using observable, testable indicators rather than opinion

Build a staged intoxication assessment tool (mild/moderate/severe) with concrete behavioural markers

Practise applying the assessment tool to written scenarios and justify each rating

Explain the interaction between alcohol, other substances and medical conditions that raises risk

State the age-verification standard and the acceptable forms of identification

Explain the legal position on serving minors, proxy purchasing and adults buying for minors

Write the refusal script and escalation path for a failed age check

Distinguish acceptable ID from forged or altered ID and describe how to handle suspicion

Enumerate lawful grounds for refusing service and match each to the correct statutory or policy basis

Draft and rehearse refusal language that is firm, respectful and non-escalating

Describe de-escalation techniques and the point at which to involve a manager or Gardaí

Explain how to document a refusal and what records must be retained

Identify the duty-of-care obligations owed to patrons, staff and the public

Outline fire safety, evacuation, occupancy and safe-premises requirements relevant to bar staff

Explain how to respond to a medical emergency, including when to call emergency services

Describe safe transport and leaving-the-premises duties and how to discharge them

Consolidate all six domains into a single revision sheet of the highest-yield rules

Complete a timed full-length practice set and score it against the domain weightings

Diagnose your two weakest domains from the practice results and re-study them

Rehearse integrated scenarios that combine licensing, intoxication, age and refusal issues