So the exam doesn't involve cutting hair??? I heard something similar in Australia where they removed the apprenticeship from some of the trades like cooking and turned it into a course. So now there are people who have passed the exam but can't tell one vegetable from the other or figure out which spice is which :D
I have done a one-day barista course myself, and nothing teaches you how to make coffee like experience and enjoyment of the beverage, so if you get headaches from smelling coffee like me then nothing is really going to help you make a good cup of coffee :p
It's a multiple choice test.
But, they will likely learn more from the companies that sell those products, once they get out in the real world...
I went through a 4 year apprenticeship to become a journeyman lineman.
BTW I only drink about 2 pots of coffee a day...