Of course, preparation time will vary depending on the individual, but here is a good rule of thumb for the first two levels of the program:

  • Certified Beer Server - about 10 hours of study
  • Certified Cicerone® - about 100 hours of study


Advanced Cicerone® exam and Master Cicerone® exam candidates should expect to spend hundreds of hours studying, including practical experience and training on flavors/sensory evaluation.


To help you prepare, we publish and make freely available a syllabus for each exam which states in considerable detail what content will be tested. From there we leave it up to the individual to decide how best to prepare for the exam by reading or taking classes. For each exam, we list recommended learning resources and various optional programs as well. Some of these items are available directly from Cicerone, some come from other organizations.