Cicerone.org

Ready to pursue certification?  Here are some tips on how to get started and how to prepare for the exams.

Not sure what your goal should be?  Complete this short assessment to determine what your goal should be in the Cicerone Certification Program.

Try your hand on our sample exam.

Test your beer server knowledge free of charge with our 10-question sample exam. Questions are drawn from all three levels of the program so you are sure to get some right--and nearly certain to get at least one wrong! To test yourself, register or login from the home page then select "Exam Access" from the "User Menu" on the left.

How do I sign up for classes?

The Cicerone Certification Program offers a limited range of classes to famiarize individuals with the basic content covered in the first two exams. See http://cicerone.webex.com for details on current sections.

Do I have to take the Certified Beer Server exam before I take Certified Cicerone™  exam?

Yes. The emphasis of each exam differs.  To ensure that candidates have the full range of knowledge needed for certification, they need to take each exam in sequence.

How should I go about studying for the Certified Beer Server exam?

Step 1: While logged in as a user, locate the Novice Syllabus under the “User Menu” to the left.  (If you don't see the "User" menu, you aren't logged in.) It lists all the knowledge tested by the Certified Beer Server exam.  Print out the syllabus and read through it, marking those items that you do not feel you know.  (Note: we also publish a Master Syllabus for the upper level exams. Make sure you are looking at the correct document.)

Step 2: While logged on as a user, locate the Certified Beer Server Study Guide: it is listed as CBS Study under the “User Menu” to the left. This guide includes links to useful web pages as well as books that can be consulted in preparing for the exam.  Some of these items provide enough depth to help those preparing for the Certified Cicerone exam as well.

Also, see our online learning resources for the Certified Beer Server exam (denoted with "CBS") at http://cicerone.webex.com. 

How should I go about studying for the Certified Cicerone™ exam? 

As with the first exam, study should begin with the syllabus, in this case, the Master Syllabus.  This should be your guide to your study efforts.

Tasting is a key requirement for Certified Cicerone.  To acquire the needed skills and knowledge you’ll want to study normal and off-flavors in beer and be familiar with which flavors are appropriate for different styles of beer. You’ll almost certainly want to do some guided tasting in either a classroom setting or with a knowledgeable beer evaluator such as a Certified or Master Cicerone™.  If you can, you might attend the Siebel Institute’s Master of Beer Styles and Evaluation class in Chicago. You might also consider studying beer judging with the Beer Judge Certification Program (bjcp.org).

Draft system knowledge is also important at this level.  If you are able, you might want to attend the 3-day class put on by Micromatic at various locations around the US.  See their website for details.

Brew some beer.  Homebrewing is ideal, but brewing with someone else either at home or commercially will work if you really work to understand what is going on each step of the way.

Other materials and resources mentioned in the CBS Study guide (see above) should be studied in depth while preparing for the Certified Cicerone™ exam.  We also have several prep courses being taught online at http://cicerone.webex.com

How do I go about taking the Certified Beer Server exam? 

The Certified Beer Server exam is given online and it only takes about 30 minutes to register for the exam and complete it.  Have your payment information available and proceed to http://cicerone.coursewebs.com. Note: this is a separate website from cicerone.org, so you’ll need to create a new log-in and password as you register.

What happens after I take the Certified Beer Server exam?

When you complete the exam, you’ll be given your results right away and you will also be sent an email with that information.  If you passed, your Certificate of Completion will be attached to the email as a PDF file.  This is a color certificate that you can print out (preferably on a color printer) and frame to note your accomplishment.  Congratulations! You are now ready to start studying for the Certified Cicerone™ exam!

If you do not pass the exam the first time you take it, don’t worry, everyone gets one free retake.  Just remember that you’ll likely get a different set of questions the second time through.  We recommend that you do a bit more study before rushing into the retake.  It will be there waiting for you whether you take two days or two months to get yourself ready.  (Just remember your login and password for the exam site!)

When can I take the Certified Cicerone™ exam?  How do I sign up?

Certified Cicerone™ exams are given at various locations around the US.  We post a schedule of exams on the website and send email to all registered users when new exams are scheduled.  To register for an exam, you’ll go to the same “exam” site that you used for the Certified Beer Server exam, http://cicerone.coursewebs.com.