Free LCQ Practice Test 2026
200 original questions for New Zealand's Licence Controller Qualification: the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, licences and manager's certificates, minors and ID, assessing intoxication, refusing service and a safe drinking environment. Four 50-question mock tests. Tuned for mobile. No account needed.
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The LCQ exam at a glance
The Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ) is the New Zealand qualification for people who manage the sale of alcohol on licensed premises, and you need it to apply for or renew a manager's certificate. It is awarded on two NZQA Level 4 unit standards: 4646, knowledge of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 and its implications for licensed premises (2 credits), and 16705, knowledge of host responsibility requirements as a duty manager (3 credits). Each is graded Achieved or Not Achieved by the approved course provider, which sets its own assessment; no national question count or pass mark is published, so Tigertest's mock tests use an 80% readiness target.
Tigertest has 200 LCQ practice questions with explanations, all free with no account required.
- Unit standards
- 4646 (the Act, 2 credits) and 16705 (host responsibility, 3 credits)
- Level
- NZQA Level 4
- Grading
- Achieved or Not Achieved, per unit standard
- Assessment
- Set by the provider; no national question count or pass mark
- Needed for
- Applying for or renewing a manager's certificate
- Offered by
- ServiceIQ (online) and other approved course providers
Updated by the Tigertest team. Practice questions follow NZQA unit standards 4646 v11 and 16705 v7 (March 2023), checked November 2026. Exam rules change, so confirm current details with NZQA: unit standard 16705.
How It Works
Train One Topic at a Time
Four training sets: the Act and licences, managers, minors and offences, alcohol and intoxication, and a safe drinking environment. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
Mixed Mock Tests
Four mock tests of 50 questions that cover both unit standards, with an 80% readiness line set by Tigertest. No question appears in more than one test, and every answer is explained with the rule behind it.
Built on Unit Standards 4646 and 16705
The LCQ has no published question count or pass mark: each unit standard is graded Achieved or Not Achieved by the course provider. Every mock test here follows the unit standards' performance criteria, with 28 questions on the Act and 22 on host responsibility.
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Share FeedbackHow to Pass the LCQ
1. Learn who does what
District licensing committees decide applications, ARLA hears appeals and enforcement cases, and the police, the council's licensing inspector and the Medical Officer of Health report on applications. Many questions turn on knowing which body acts.
2. Know the numbers that matter
Purchase age 18, manager's certificate from 20, default hours of 8am to 4am for on-licences and 7am to 11pm for off-licences, 48 hours to give notice of a new manager, two working days for a temporary manager to apply, and 10 grams of alcohol in a standard drink.
3. Use the legal test for intoxication
A person is intoxicated when two or more of appearance, behaviour, coordination and speech are affected. Step in at the influenced stage with slower service, food, water and lower-alcohol drinks, and refuse calmly once the signs are there.
4. Think like the duty manager
The right answer keeps people safe and the premises lawful: check ID, never serve or keep an intoxicated person, back staff who refuse, record incidents, keep exits clear and help patrons get home. Finish each training set, then aim for 80% on every mock test.
LCQ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ)?
The LCQ is the New Zealand qualification for people who manage the sale of alcohol on licensed premises. It is awarded on two NZQA Level 4 unit standards: 4646, knowledge of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 and its implications for licensed premises (2 credits), and 16705, knowledge of host responsibility requirements as a duty manager (3 credits). You need it to apply for or renew a manager's certificate.
How is the LCQ assessed, and what score do I need?
Each unit standard is graded Achieved or Not Achieved against its performance criteria, and the approved course provider (ServiceIQ online, polytechnics and hospitality associations) sets and marks its own assessment. No national question count or pass mark is published. The mock tests here are Tigertest's own: 50 questions with an 80% readiness line, so aim to clear it on every test before you are assessed.
What happens after I get the LCQ?
The LCQ is one step towards a manager's certificate. You apply to your district licensing committee, which sends your application to the police and the licensing inspector to report on your suitability, and the inspector usually interviews you. Councils say you must be at least 20 and have recent experience in licensed premises. A first certificate runs for one year and renewals for three years.
What do these practice questions cover?
Each mock test has 28 questions on the Act (unit standard 4646: the object of the Act, ARLA and district licensing committees, local alcohol policies, licence types, trading hours and conditions, manager's certificates, minors, evidence of age, offences and enforcement) and 22 on host responsibility (unit standard 16705: alcohol and the body, assessing intoxication, intervention and refusal, host responsibility policies, overcrowding, evacuation and trespass).
Are these the real LCQ assessment questions?
No. Every question is original, written by Tigertest from the two unit standards, the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, Ministry of Justice guidance and the host responsibility resources on alcohol.org.nz, as in force in November 2026. It is free practice, not affiliated with NZQA, ServiceIQ, any course provider or the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority, and it does not replace an approved LCQ course.
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