Tasting Exams

  • All tasting exams are reviewed by a minimum of two exam management team members
  • All tasting exams that come 2 points short of passing or less are automatically regraded by a member of the exam team prior to scores being reported.
    1. The minimum passing score for Certified Cicerone tasting exam is 70%
    2. The minimum passing score for the Advanced Cicerone Tasting Exam is 75%
    3. There is no minimum passing score on the tasting portion of the Master Cicerone Exam.
  • A candidate who failed the tasting exam by 2 points or less may request a breakdown of their scoring
    1. Requests must be made within 14 days of scores being emailed
    2. Requests must be sent via email to info@cicerone.org 
  • After reviewing the score breakdown, the candidate may appeal the grade
    1. An appeal must be made on one of the following grounds
      • A sample beer was unintentionally flawed and grading was not adjusted accordingly
      • The scoring was incorrect or unfairly applied
      • The following are not grounds for an appeal:
        • Misunderstood exam directions or exam structure
        • Hearsay from other exam or program participants
    2. The appeal must take place within 30 days of initial grades being reported. Appeals received outside of this time frame will not be reviewed.
    3. The appeal must be submitted in writing and contain the following information:
      • Name, email, etc.
      • Exam info
      • Paragraph stating reason(s) for appeal
    4. The appeal will be reviewed by the entire exam management team and a decision will be reported to the candidate within two weeks of appeal request
    5. The appeal decision will be final
  • Exam reviews will not result in a score being graded lower



Written Exams

  • All candidates are given a detailed breakdown of scoring for the written portions of Certified, Advanced, and Master Cicerone exams. Questions regarding these details can be directed to the exam team by emailing info@cicerone.org.
  • The candidate may appeal the grade if they believe the scoring was incorrect
    1. The appeal must take place within 30 days of initial grades being reported
    2. The appeal must be submitted in writing, specifying what areas the candidate believes have been scored incorrectly
    3. The appeal will be reviewed by the entire exam management team and a decision will be reported to the candidate within two weeks
      • The following are not grounds for an appeal:
        • Misunderstood exam directions or exam structure
        • Hearsay from other exam or program participants
        • Technical assistance, including contact information for real-time, exam-day troubleshooting, is offered to all candidates in advance of the Certified and Advanced online written exams. Technical issues that were not reported at the time of the exam are not grounds for an appeal after the exam.
  • Any candidate may request that their exam be regraded for a $75 fee
  • If regrading results in a passing grade, the $75 fee will be refunded
  • Exam reviews will not result in a score being graded lower