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For California REHS candidates

Pass the California REHS exam with confidence

A modern, all-in-one workbook built specifically for the CDPH Registered Environmental Health Specialist exam — focused content review, exam-style practice, and a clear study plan in one streamlined resource.

324
Pages
17
Modules
566
Questions
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Comprehensive Second Edition · launching soon at $45 paperback

PassREHS — A Modern Workbook for the California REHS Exam
Why PassREHS

Preparing for the REHS exam shouldn't mean piecing together outdated handouts

PassREHS is a modern workbook designed for today's candidates — combining focused content review, exam-style practice questions, and a clear study plan in one streamlined resource.

Whether you're a recent graduate, a career-changer, or already working toward your EHS Trainee hours, this workbook walks you through every domain of the California REHS exam with clarity and confidence. Each section pairs essential concepts with practice questions that mirror the real exam — so you're not just memorizing, you're learning to think like a Registered Environmental Health Specialist.

Written from working environmental health backgrounds, PassREHS gives you the tools, structure, and confidence to walk into exam day ready to pass.

Why this workbook

Built for the California exam, by California REHS

Most national REHS materials treat California as one state of many. This one starts with the California content CDPH actually tests.

California-specific

Starts from California's regulatory framework — CalCode, CCR Titles 17 and 22. Federal material appears only where the exam covers it.

Written from the field

Scenarios come from real California county inspections — food, pools, body art, and housing — not from a textbook.

Every reference resolves

525 internal cross-references connect each question to the exact source section it was built from.

Diagnostic pretest

A 40-question diagnostic with a four-tier readiness rubric shows which modules need the most attention.

Citation index

60+ California statutes, regulations, and named acts indexed with the modules where each appears.

12-week study plan

A structured plan calibrated to your diagnostic score — compress to six weeks or extend your runway.

Contents

Seventeen modules covering the CDPH exam scope

Organized for working through over twelve weeks — or a fast review the week before exam day.

General Environmental Health, Statutes & Administration
Food Protection & CalCode
Communicable & Foodborne Disease
Dairy & Milk Science
Potable Water (Drinking Water)
Liquid Waste & Wastewater
Solid Waste Management
Hazardous Materials & Underground Storage Tanks
Medical Waste
Recreational Health (Pools & Spas)
Housing & Institutions
Vector Control & Pest Management
Air Pollution & Toxicology
Light, Noise, Radiation & Sampling
Disaster Response & Personal Protective Equipment
Body Art Facilities (AB 300)
Epidemiology Concepts & Calculations
Four appendices · two quick-reference sheets · glossary

Each module pairs essential concepts with practice questions that mirror the real exam — 566 questions total, plus two cumulative 100-question practice exams and six California outbreak case studies.

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Diagnostic

Diagnostic Pretest

A 40-question self-assessment with full answer key and a four-tier scoring grid. Take it first to find out exactly where you stand before committing weeks to a study plan.

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 Flashcards

Critical Definitions Flashcards

137 term-definition pairs from Appendix B, formatted four-up per page and double-sided. Print on cardstock, cut along the guides, and carry the stack with you anywhere.

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 Exam day

Exam Day Practical Guide

What to bring, what to expect, what to leave behind, the two-pass strategy, and what to do if you don't pass the first time. Four pages of practical, calming preparation.

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What's inside

Everything you need to walk in ready

A peek inside

Built to make the material actually stick

Every module pairs the must-know definitions and concepts with the memory aids that make them stick. Three short examples from the workbook below.

Module 1 · §1.6

Misconduct: three categories

  • Malfeasance
    Doing something wrongful — no legal right to do it.
    Requiring an operator to replace a sink that is fully code-compliant.
  • Misfeasance
    A lawful act performed in a wrongful or improper manner.
    Inspector uses the wrong test strip and erroneously closes a facility.
  • Nonfeasance
    Total omission or failure to perform a required duty.
    Observing hazardous waste dumping and failing to report or stop it.
Memory aid
MAL = BAD (Latin mal). MIS = MIStakenly. NON = doing NOTHING.
Module 2 · §2.1

FAT TOM — bacterial growth factors

  • F
    Food (nutrients)
    Proteins & carbs — meat, dairy
  • A
    Acidity (pH)
    Pathogens thrive pH 4.6–7.0
  • T
    Temperature
    Danger zone 41 °F – 135 °F
  • T
    Time
    Doubles every 15–30 min
  • O
    Oxygen
    Aerobic, anaerobic, facultative
  • M
    Moisture (Aw)
    Aw ≥ 0.85 is ideal for growth
Memory aid
Take away any one factor and you slow or stop growth. CalCode controls primarily attack Temperature and Time.
Module 4 · §4.1

Pasteurization methods

  • LTLT (Vat)≥ 145 °F · 30 min
    Sour cream, yogurt, small-batch products
  • HTST≥ 161 °F · 15 sec
    Common commercial fluid milk
  • HHST191–212 °F · 1–14 sec
    Specialty products
  • UHT≥ 280 °F · 2 sec
    Shelf-stable boxed milk
Key point
Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) is the most heat-tolerant milk pathogen. Vat is calibrated to it — kill Q fever, kill everything less tolerant.

Every module pairs key tables with memory aids built specifically for the California REHS exam — plus scenarios, knowledge checks, and a critical-citations index.

Pricing

Choose the study set that fits you

Get the workbook on its own, add the Practice Companion, or save with the complete bundle. Launching soon — join the list and we'll let you know the moment it's available.

Workbook
The complete 324-page workbook
$45
  • 17 modules across the full CDPH scope
  • 566 practice questions with rationales
  • Two cumulative 100-question exams
  • Six California outbreak case studies
  • 12-week study plan & citation index
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Practice Companion
Extra practice exams & flashcards
$45
  • Three full-length practice exams
  • 300 original questions with rationales
  • Three themed flashcard sets (160 cards)
  • Critical values, citations & scenarios
  • Built for the final six weeks of prep
Pre-order
Best value · save $20
Complete bundle
Workbook + companion together
$70$90
  • Everything in the Workbook
  • Everything in the Practice Companion
  • One streamlined study system
  • Save $20 vs buying separately
Pre-order

Prices shown for the Comprehensive Second Edition. The three study aids in the free-downloads section above remain free; the Practice Companion is a separate paid volume of new exams and flashcards.

Who it's for

If you're sitting for the California REHS exam, this is for you

EH Trainees

Recent graduates in EHS Trainee roles getting ready for a first attempt at the exam.

Career Changers

Moving into environmental health from public health, biology, chemistry, or a related field.

Repeat Candidates

Came up short the first time and want a tighter, California-focused review for the retake.

Out-of-State REHS

Coming in for California reciprocity, where the gap is the California law, not the science.

EH Program Instructors

California EH faculty looking for a current supplement to their course materials.

County Training Programs

County EH departments who want a clear study reference for trainee onboarding.

About the authors

Paracelsus — former California REHS

P
Paracelsus
Former Registered Environmental Health Specialists
“The dose makes the poison.” The principle behind most of the science the REHS exam tests.

Paracelsus is the collective pen name of a group of former Registered Environmental Health Specialists and environmental health supervisors with firsthand experience inspecting food, water, housing, and recreational facilities across California — and training the next generation of REHS professionals.

Together, they have run inspection programs in retail food, public pools and spas, body art facilities, detention facilities, and housing, and have mentored REHS candidates from the trainee phase through the certification exam.

The pen name honors the Renaissance physician and toxicologist who first articulated that “the dose makes the poison.” It's the resource the authors wish had existed when they first took the exam.

From the field

What candidates are saying

★★★★★

"The diagnostic pretest alone saved me weeks — I knew exactly which modules to focus on instead of re-reading everything."

SC
Sarah C.
EHS Trainee
★★★★★

"Finally a guide that leads with CalCode and Title 22 instead of generic national content. The cross-references are gold."

MW
Marcus W.
Out-of-state REHS, reciprocity
★★★★★

"Coming from a biology background with no field experience, the module structure made the material genuinely approachable."

JR
Jessica R.
Career changer
Common questions

Frequently asked

The Comprehensive Second Edition (v2.2, 2026) covers the current CDPH examination scope and reflects California law as of the publication date. California rules amend often, so always check the current text of any cited section before relying on it for the exam.

The CDPH Study Guide is the authoritative scope reference and should be your primary source. This workbook builds on it with practice questions, scenarios, mnemonics, and cross-referenced rationales the CDPH guide doesn't provide.

The questions are calibrated to test the same competencies as the CDPH examination, in the same four-option format, grouped by module for targeted review. They are practice questions, not actual exam items, and CDPH does not publish the official pass point.

The included twelve-week study plan structures the workbook for systematic prep alongside a working schedule. Strong starters can compress to a four-to-six-week intensive review. The diagnostic pretest in the front matter helps you decide.

Three companion PDFs — the Diagnostic Pretest, Critical Definitions Flashcards, and Exam Day Practical Guide. Enter your email in the unlock box above and the download links are sent to you right away.

The Comprehensive Second Edition launches in paperback. A PDF edition is on the roadmap — when you join the launch list, let us know in the message field if you need digital-only access and we'll keep you posted as that's confirmed.

If the workbook isn't what you expected within 30 days of receipt, email info@passREHS.com and we'll make it right. Printed copies must be in resalable condition for a full refund; light study notes are fine.

Yes. County environmental health programs and college EH departments can email info@passREHS.com for group orders of 10+ copies. We offer educational discounts and can stage shipments ahead of trainee cohorts.

Yes. If you find an error — a typo, an outdated citation, an ambiguous question — report it to corrections@passREHS.com. The authors confirm each report and incorporate the fix in the next printing.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or just want to say hi?

We're a small group of former California REHS. Reach out directly — one of us reads every message.

General inquiries

Questions about the workbook, the Practice Companion, the exam, or anything else.

info@passREHS.com

Corrections & errata

Found a typo, an outdated citation, or an ambiguous question? Let us know and we'll fix it in the next printing.

corrections@passREHS.com
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