Checked 30 October 2026. Test formats are DMQ's as published on 30 October 2026. Sample questions follow the law as it stood on that date.
The DSC1 written test is 50 multiple-choice questions taken from a bank, and you pass with at least 40 right; the Game Meat Hygiene test is 40 multiple-choice questions with a pass at 32; the visual test shows 20 images of the six UK wild deer species and you need species and sex right on at least 16. Below are two worked questions we wrote for this guide.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not affiliated with Deer Management Qualifications (DMQ) or BASC. Each fee and rule below is attributed to the page it comes from, and the pages are listed in the sources at the foot of the page.
DMQ, Deer Stalking Certificate 1, read 30 October 2026.
The three question tests
| Test | Format | Pass mark (DMQ) | Areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written | 50 multiple-choice questions taken from a bank of written questions | at least 40 (80% by our arithmetic) | DMQ lists seven areas for the whole assessment (deer biology and ecology, legislation, stalking techniques and taking the shot, deer identification, safety, shooting, large game meat hygiene) and its DSC1 page and FAQ do not set out a separate written-test syllabus |
| Game Meat Hygiene | 40 multiple-choice questions taken from a bank of wild game meat hygiene questions | at least 32 (80% by our arithmetic) | DMQ: areas such as normal and abnormal behaviour, common diseases, signs of ill health, possible sources of contamination, hygienic working techniques, risks to human health, use of veterinary medicines on wild deer, food safety, notifiable diseases |
| Visual | 20 images covering the six species of wild deer in the UK | at least 16 marks (species and sex both right for each mark) | DMQ: the six species of wild deer in the UK; the species guides we cite below cover red, sika, fallow, roe, muntjac and Chinese water deer |
DMQ's DSC1 page and FAQ do not specify a time limit for the written or hygiene test; confirm the timing with your centre. By our arithmetic both multiple-choice pass marks are 80%, and DMQ says both tests are taken from a question bank. When you plan your revision, allow for breadth: the law for the country you stalk in, six species, and the larder and food law.
Two worked written-test style questions
We wrote these two for this guide; they are not from DMQ's bank and not from our Exam Pack. Both are on the law in England and Wales. Try each before you open the answer.
Worked question 1 · Legislation (England and Wales)
A landowner in Herefordshire wants to catch a healthy muntjac that keeps raiding his garden, using a net. He has no licence. Under the Deer Act 1991, is that lawful?
- (A) Yes: muntjac are not protected by the Act
- (B) Yes, provided it is done in the open season
- (C) No: using a net to take or kill deer is an offence under section 4, unless a licence under section 8 authorises the net
- (D) Yes, because he is the owner of the land
Show the answer
Answer: (C) No: using a net to take or kill deer is an offence under section 4, unless a licence under section 8 authorises the net. Section 4(1)(b) of the Deer Act 1991 makes it an offence to use any trap, snare, poisoned or stupefying bait, or any net, for the purpose of taking or killing any deer. A licence under section 8 can authorise a net of a type it names; the section 6(3) exception covers a trap or net only for preventing the suffering of an injured or diseased deer, which a healthy muntjac is not.
Worked question 2 · Legislation (England and Wales)
On an estate in Devon, the stalker who holds the right to take deer there finds a man searching for deer with a rifle, without anyone's consent. Under section 1(4) of the Deer Act 1991, what may the stalker require of him?
- (A) To hand over his rifle
- (B) To give his full name and address and to quit the land forthwith
- (C) To stay where he is until the police arrive
- (D) To pay for any deer he has taken
Show the answer
Answer: (B) To give his full name and address and to quit the land forthwith. Section 1(4) lets an authorised person who suspects with reasonable cause that someone is committing or has committed an offence under section 1(1) or (2) require that person to give his full name and address and to quit the land forthwith; failing to comply is itself an offence. Section 1(5) says an authorised person includes anyone having the right to take or kill deer on the land.
Try 5 DSC1 questions free
For more, try the free sample. Our free sample is 5 written-test questions in the test player, with your score by area and the reason behind every answer. The DSC1 Exam Pack has six written mocks of 50 questions, timed and scored against the pass mark of 40, and four game meat hygiene mocks. The questions are our own, written from the law and official guidance; none is copied from DMQ’s banks. Independent practice, not affiliated with DMQ or BASC.
Question and mark counts from DMQ, Deer Stalking Certificate 1, read 30 October 2026; the percentages are our arithmetic.
- 6 written mocks of 50 and 4 hygiene mocks of 40
- Scored against DMQ's pass marks: 40 of 50, 32 of 40
- Every answer explained from the law and official guidance
- England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland rules
- Independent practice: our own questions, not DMQ's
- 5 questions free to try
Our suggested revision topics for the written test
DMQ's DSC1 page and FAQ do not set out a written-test syllabus. The table below is our own revision checklist, a set of editorial suggestions informed by the law and best-practice guides we read; it is not DMQ's list and does not say what any paper will ask.
| Area | Topics to revise (our list) |
|---|---|
| Legislation | close seasons by species and sex in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; legal rifles, bullets and muzzle energy; the night rule; shooting from vehicles; poaching and permission; firearm certificates, borrowing a rifle, public places and trespass; dependent young and mercy killing |
| Deer biology and ecology | ruminant digestion, browsing and grazing; the antler cycle (pedicle, velvet, casting); breeding and the hiding of young; coat changes; signs of deer such as slots, droppings, fraying and wallows; the effect of rising numbers on habitat; ageing by teeth |
| Stalking and taking the shot | wind and scent, approach and high seats; choosing a safe, ethical shot; heart and lung placement; reactions to the shot; waiting, marking the spot and follow-up; dogs; humane dispatch; dependent young |
| Deer identification | size, rump and tail, coat, antlers or tusks and glands of red, sika, fallow, roe, muntjac and Chinese water deer; rut and birth months; names for males, females and young |
| Safety | muzzle awareness, proving a rifle clear, safe backstops and skylined deer, ricochet, crossing obstacles, bore obstructions, zeroing, transport and storage |
Our suggested revision topics for the hygiene test
DMQ's own list for this module is in the table near the top of the page. The rows below are our own checklist, each with the source it comes from; they are not DMQ's syllabus.
| Area | Topics to revise (our list) |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and signs of ill health | normal behaviour against abnormal behaviour seen before killing, which Regulation 853/2004 asks the trained person to take into account; the behaviour changes GOV.UK lists for chronic wasting disease, such as separation from the herd and lowering of the head, and, under posture and movement, stumbling and poor coordination |
| Diseases | tuberculosis in a deer carcass and the duty to give notice (England: Tuberculosis in Animals (England) Order 2021); chronic wasting disease, foot and mouth disease and bluetongue, which GOV.UK lists as notifiable |
| Hygienic handling | removing the stomach and intestines as soon as possible, examining the body and viscera, chilling to not more than 7 °C throughout the meat, avoiding heaping in transport (Regulation 853/2004) |
| Food law | the trained person, the numbered declaration, when the head and viscera go with the body, game-handling establishments, and the exemption for hunters who supply small quantities of wild game or wild game meat directly to the final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying the final consumer (Regulation 853/2004) |
How to practise against the pass marks
Both multiple-choice tests need 80% by our arithmetic, so in our view a score that just clears the line in practice leaves little room for nerves on the day. Take a full mock under a clock first, before you revise, to find your weak areas. Revise those areas, then take a fresh mock with different questions: repeating a mock can make it harder to tell recall of its answers from understanding. Keep a list of every question you got wrong and why, and give extra time to the law for the country you will stalk in and to the hygiene rules on declarations and notifiable diseases.
Our DSC1 Exam Pack follows that pattern: six written mocks of 50 and four hygiene mocks of 40, with no question repeated between mocks, each scored against DMQ's pass mark, with your score by area, your time per question and the reason behind every answer. The clock is our setting (60 and 45 minutes), because DMQ's DSC1 page and FAQ do not specify a time limit; confirm the timing with your centre.
Revision points to check (our list)
These are our own revision reminders, not a record of where candidates lose marks.
| Area | Point to check |
|---|---|
| Legislation | which country the question is about: in Scotland there has been no close season for male deer since 21 October 2023, while the female close seasons remain |
| Species | rut and birth months, and the marks that separate sika from red and muntjac from roe |
| Safety | a safe backstop behind the deer: the Wild Deer Best Practice guide says skyline shots are never safe. DMQ's safety module is separate from the written test: four shoot-or-not targets and nine other questions, all nine of which must be answered correctly |
| Game meat hygiene | when a carcass may not get a declaration (Regulation 853/2004), and which diseases are notifiable |
The visual test
The visual test uses images, so include image-based species and sex identification in your revision. Each of the 20 images is marked only if both the species and the sex are right. Learn each species' size, rump and tail pattern, antlers or tusks and coat, and how males and females differ, then practise on images you are allowed to use.
What to learn for each species
| Species | Marks to learn |
|---|---|
| Red deer | stags 1-1.3 m at the shoulder; bright red-brown summer coat; rut from September, peaking in late October and possibly extending into November |
| Sika deer | distinct white metatarsal gland; stag summer coat reddish-brown with a dark dorsal stripe and white spots; mature stag antlers similar to red deer, typically six to eight points |
| Fallow deer | common colour with a black horseshoe around the tail; the menil variety is paler, lacks the black-bordered rump and keeps white spots all year; a melanistic variety also occurs |
| Roe deer | bucks cast antlers in November-December; antlers in velvet from December into July, with some well-conditioned mature bucks clean as early as February; main rut mid July to mid August (a false rut may follow in October); does in winter coat have distinct white patches on muzzle and chin |
| Muntjac | very large facial glands below the eyes; fairly wide brown tail with a white underside, held erect when disturbed; long pedicles, short antlers and visible upper canines in bucks |
| Chinese water deer | no antlers; long, visible upper canines can help identify males, though they may be hard to see in young males |
Sources for these marks: the Wild Deer Best Practice species guides (Scotland's Wild Deer Best Practice steering group with NatureScot) and the Deer Initiative's Chinese water deer guide, read 30 October 2026 and listed below.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the DSC1 written test?
50 multiple-choice questions, taken from a bank of written questions. You pass with at least 40 correct.
How many questions are in the DSC1 game meat hygiene test?
40 multiple-choice questions. You pass with at least 32 correct.
Is there a DSC1 mock test?
Yes. The DSC1 Exam Pack has six written mocks of 50 questions, each with the full result, and 5 questions are free to try on its page. It is independent practice, not DMQ's test.
What happens if I fail one test?
You resit only that module, with any assessment centre that agrees, within three years of registering for DSC1.
Sources
- official — DMQ: Deer Stalking Certificate 1 (assessment areas, modules, question counts, pass marks, three-year registration, assessment-only, re-assessment, assessment centres)
- official — DMQ: FAQ (fees paid to centres, training, one-day assessment, rifle loan, certificate normally within a maximum of eight weeks after all five assessments are passed, DSC2)
- official — Wild Deer Best Practice: red deer
- official — Wild Deer Best Practice: sika deer
- official — Wild Deer Best Practice: fallow deer
- official — Wild Deer Best Practice: roe deer
- official — Wild Deer Best Practice: muntjac
- official — The Deer Initiative: Chinese water deer (best practice guide)
- official — Wild Deer Best Practice: firearms safety (safe backstop, skyline shots)
- official — Deer Act 1991, Schedule 1: close seasons (England and Wales)
- official — Deer Act 1991, Schedule 2: prohibited firearms and ammunition (England and Wales)
- official — Deer Act 1991, section 6: exceptions, including smaller rifles for Chinese water deer and muntjac (England and Wales)
- official — The Deer (Close Seasons) (Scotland) Order 2011
- official — The Deer (Close Seasons) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2023 (male close seasons removed from 21 October 2023)
- official — The Deer (Firearms etc.) (Scotland) Order 1985
- official — The Deer (Firearms etc.) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2023 (in force 3 November 2023)
- official — The Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, articles 19 and 20 and Schedules 10 and 11
- official — Firearms Act 1968
- official — Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, Annex III Section IV (wild game), as it applies in Great Britain
- official — The Tuberculosis in Animals (England) Order 2021
- official — GOV.UK: Chronic wasting disease
- official — GOV.UK: Foot and mouth disease
- official — GOV.UK: Bluetongue
- official — Deer Act 1991, section 1: poaching of deer, and the authorised person's power to require name, address and leaving the land (England and Wales)
- official — Deer Act 1991, section 4: prohibited weapons and other articles, including traps, snares and nets (England and Wales)
- official — Deer Act 1991, section 8: licences, including for nets and traps of a type the licence authorises (England and Wales)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
