It is WSG policy that no person with a passing score be allowed to re-sit an exam.

There are two reasons: We do not want one individual exhausting our question bank and compromising the integrity of the exam… and we offer prizes each year for top-scorers. If everyone could re-sit until achieving a perfect score, there would be no point to rewarding those who studied hard and scored highly on the first attempt. 

Yes. Candidates scoring 85-90 pass with HONORS. Candidates scoring 91-100 pass with HIGHEST HONORS.

Each year, the Wine Scholar Guild honors the highest scorer of the year with the WSG Award of Excellence.

Yes.  Sample test questions can be found at the following links:

French Wine Scholar: https://www.winescholarguild.org/fwsmaterials

Italian Wine Scholar:  https://www.winescholarguild.org/supplemental-materials-iws 

Spanish Wine Scholar:  https://www.winescholarguild.org/supplemental-metrials

No.  All exam questions are taken from the manual, therefore, we will not include errata material on the exam. 

However, students should know what is current. We ask that each student amend the study manual with the information in the Errata to bring it up-to-date.  

Although it is possible to extend enrollment and the exam deadline, it is recommended that candidates take the exam within 12 months of registering for a program. The study manuals are regularly updated. This 12-month window ensures that candidates are tested on the material they studied. 

No.  The exams do not include a tasting component, although our online programs include webinar series on wine styles, suggested wine lists and tasting is always part of the classroom offerings.

There is a description of what students should study for each program’s exam at the following links: 

https://www.winescholarguild.org/study-programs-overview/prep-courses

https://www.winescholarguild.org/study-programs-overview/wine-scholar-programs

https://www.winescholarguild.org/programs-overview

No.  Both paper exams and online exams are proctored. When sitting the exam, no books, notes, maps or other materials can be on the desk/table, on the walls, or on the computer screen.

No. These are advanced exams conferring a professional post-nominal. It is helpful to have a solid, general wine background before embarking on these courses of study.

• Wine Scholar exams consist of 100 multiple-choice questions.  Passing score is 75 or higher. Educators intending to teach the program must pass with a score of 85 or higher.  There is no tasting component to this exam. Students have one hour to complete the test.

• The IWS Prep exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions and students have 45 minutes to complete the test.  The pass mark is 60%.  

• Master Level exams have a different format (see Master Level exam FAQ’s below). 

Candidates will need a computer with reliable internet hook up, a webcam, working microphone and speaker.  The exam cannot be taken from a tablet, smart phone or Chromebook. 

For classroom students, program providers schedule test dates at the end of their classroom instruction. These exams are paper exams.  

For online students, Students have up to one year from the date of registration to sit the exam. When ready to sit the exam, email us at least one week in advance at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will provide all the information needed to schedule it.  

•  The Wine Scholar exams are proctored through ProctorU, one of the industry’s leading on-line proctoring companies.  ProctorU is a live online proctoring service that allows the individual to take the exam from the comfort of home.  ProctorU is available 24/7, however, each student will need to schedule the proctoring session at least 72 hours in advance to avoid any additional on-demand scheduling fees (paid directly to ProctorU.) 
•  Bordeaux and Loire Master Level exams continue to be proctored by the WSG team. Champagne and Bourgogne Master Level exams are now proctored by ProctorU.
•  For all exam scheduling, please contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., giving 4 weeks’ notice for Bordeaux and Loire ML exams and at least 1 week’s notice for Champagne and Bourgogne ML exams.

For all exams proctored by ProctorU, you can cancel or reschedule your exam up to 24 hours before your scheduled exam start time by logging in to your ProctorU account and using the rescheduling link. If cancelling or rescheduling less than 24 hours prior to the exam start time and/or you are not showing up for your exam or more than 15 minutes late, a $75 re-scheduling fee payable to WSG will be applied.

For exams proctored by the WSG team, a minimum of 5 business days’ notice is required to reschedule.  Rescheduling or cancelling within 5 business days, or not turning up for an exam will incur a $75 rescheduling fee. 

If you have taken an exam and need to re-sit you have 2 options:

• If you studied with an Approved Program Provider, please contact your school to coordinate an exam re-take (fees apply).
  
  
• If you registered online with WSG, you may contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to coordinate your exam re-take (fees apply).

You may register for an exam alone without purchasing the study package. However, since all test questions are taken from the manual, the odds are not in your favor for a successful exam sit. We suggest (minimally) investing in the manual and using it as your study guide. But it is not compulsory.

You may contact the WSG office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further assistance.

There are 21 chapters in the latest Edition 7 manual.  Some chapters are longer than others, but the smaller units (Jura and Savoie, for example) might contain the most amount of new information.  For this reason, we recommend spending an average of four hours per chapter. In sum, students should plan on approximately 100 hours of study and review in preparation.  This, however, is a broad generalization. Individuals will need more study time if their wine background is not strong.

Yes.  Read through the Fundamentals Unit in its entirety before actually studying the individual sections within it. Do this for the regional sections also. First read each regional chapter in its entirety before going back to study it. Work with a highlighter. Highlight new terms and important AOCs.

Use the blanks maps provided under the resources tab of your course homepage to get a better understanding of the lay of the land (and where the AOCs are located). Check off the learning objectives once mastered. They are downloadable on your course homepage. Confirm content retention by working through the online quizzes.

- Distance Learning students receive exam results for via email, 7 business days from the date of the exam.  Successful results are also sent by post: this will include a letter, a certificate and lapel pin.  

- Successful classroom students will receive their results via their Approved Program Provider except students in the US who receive their results through the post.

Each successful candidate will receive a letter of congratulations, lapel pin and an attractive certificate suitable for framing plus the right to include the FWS post-nominal as part of his or her professional signature (i.e. John  Smith, FWS).

Distance learning students will need a computer with reliable internet hook up, a webcam, working microphone and speaker.  The exam cannot be taken from a tablet, smart phone or Chromebook. 

Yes. Go to: https://www.winescholarguild.org/fwsmaterials

Distance learning students will take the exam with ProctorU, one of the industry’s leading on-line proctoring companies.  ProctorU is a live online proctoring service that allows the individual to take the exam from the comfort of home.  ProctorU is available 24/7, however, each student will need to schedule the proctoring session at least 72 hours in advance to avoid any additional on-demand scheduling fees (paid directly to ProctorU.) 

Perhaps this question is best answered by discussing what the student does not need to know: dates AOCs were granted, percentages of grapes in the more complicated blends, production numbers, yields, minimum alcohol, elevations and rainfall figures.

Focus on what grapes are grown where and what AOCs belong to what wine region. Know the rivers, mountains and other topographical markers, climate types, soil types and unique grape growing or wine making attributes specific to each region.

Know the principle grapes and their regional synonyms. Know which regions have classification systems and how those classification systems are structured. (It is not necessary to memorize every château on the list, just the top tier.) History is important. Spend some time working with the maps. Know where things are located.

The exam is terroir-focused. Location matters.

Yes, it is. Seventy-five percent of the exam questions will be pulled from the Alsace, Bourgogne, Bordeaux, Champagne, Loire, Beaujolais, and Rhône chapters; 25% from the Fundamental Unit and the Languedoc, Roussillon, Jura/Savoie, Southwest, Provence, and Corsica chapters. 

There are 8 to 12 chapters in the manual depending on the Unit.  Some chapters are longer than others, however, the smaller units may have a great deal of information that is unfamiliar to many students.

For this reason, we recommend spending an average of 8 hours per chapter. In sum, the student should plan on approximately 64 to 96 hours of study for each unit.  This, however, is a broad generalization. .Additional study time may be required if the student does not have a strong background in wine.

Yes.  Read through the Foundation Unit in its entirety before actually studying the individual chapters within it. Do this for the regional chapters also. First read each regional chapter through in its entirety before going back to study it. Work with a highlighter. Highlight new terms and important DOC(G)s.

Use blanks maps and locate the most important information such as the DOCGs, grapes, soils, mountains and rivers.
Check off the learning objectives as they are mastered. They are downloadable on the Online Course page. Confirm content retention by working through all the available resources.

Yes. You must be enrolled in and/or have completed both units within a 24-month span.

For example, if registration for Unit 1 is in January of 2019, the student must be enrolled in (or have completed) Unit 2 by December of 2020. Extensions are available if life gets in the way.

But we make this rule for the sake of continuity between exam and manual. We update the manuals every two years. We need to ensure that each student takes the exams for the manuals they have studied.

If you have taken an exam and need to re-sit you have 2 options:

• If you studied with an Approved Program Provider, please contact your school to coordinate an exam re-take (fees apply).
  
  
• If you registered online with WSG, you may contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to coordinate your exam re-take ($200 fee applies).

It is recommended that the student start by retaking the exam for the unit with the lowest score. If the new composite score is above 75%, the IWS post-nominal is conferred. If not, the student may register to retake the exam for the other unit. 

The student may register to retake the exam for the unit which did not achieve a passing score (75%). 

This is a personal decision.   A student may opt to re-sit the exam with a numerical score under 75 or move on to the next unit in the hopes of scoring high enough to achieve a composite score of 75 or higher.

Please note that all exam re-takes incur an additional fee. Obviously, it is best to be prepared for each exam the first time you sit.

After an exam is graded, each student receives their results via email. Passing only one unit does not confer a certificate or post-nominal.

Exam results for each individual Unit are transmitted directly to students via email.

When candidates earn the Italian Wine Scholar post-nominal, certificates and lapel pins are transmitted in the following manner:

*Distance-Learning students and students studying through program providers in the United States: sent to each individual by mail.

*Students studying through program providers based outside of the United States: mailed out to the program provider by postal service. The program provider will then provide them to their successful students.

If the student’s composite score for both units is above 75%, the IWS post-nominal is conferred.  Each successful candidate will receive a letter of congratulations, lapel pin and an attractive certificate suitable for framing plus the right to include the IWS post-nominal as part of his or her professional signature (i.e. John  Smith, IWS).

Candidates will need a computer with reliable internet hook up, a webcam, working microphone and speaker.  The exam cannot be taken from a tablet, smart phone or Chromebook. 

Yes.  There is a twenty-question sample test that accurately conveys the types of questions and the level of difficulty of the actual exam.

https://www.winescholarguild.org/supplemental-materials-iws 

The student will take the exam with ProctorU, one of the industry’s leading on-line proctoring companies.  ProctorU is a live online proctoring service that allows the individual to take the exam from the comfort of home.  ProctorU is available 24/7, however, each student will need to schedule the proctoring session at least 72 hours in advance to avoid any additional on-demand scheduling fees (paid directly to ProctorU.)

Perhaps this question is best answered by discussing what the student does not need to know: dates DOC/Gs were granted, percentages of grapes in the blend, production numbers, and food traditions.

Focus on what grapes are grown where, what DOC/Gs belong to what wine region.  Know the rivers, mountains and other topographical markers, climate types, soil types and unique grape growing or wine making attributes specific to each region.

Know the ‘Need to Know’ grapes! Spend some time working with the maps. Know where things are located. Know the champions (producers and people) of a particular DOC/G if mentioned.

There are 10 chapters in the manual.  Some chapters are longer than others, but the smaller units (La Rioja, for example) might contain the most amount of important information.  For this reason, we recommend spending an average of four hours per chapter.

In sum, plan on approximately 40 hours of book time in preparation.  This, however, is a broad generalization. Additional study time may be required if the student does not have a strong wine background.

Yes.  Read through the Fundamentals Unit (Chapter 1) in its entirety before actually studying the individual chapters within it. Do this for the regional chapters also. First read each regional chapter through in its entirety before going back to study it. Work with a highlighter. Highlight new terms and important appellations.

Use blanks maps and locate the most important information such as the appellations, grapes, soils, mountains and rivers.  Check off the learning objectives as they are mastered. They are downloadable on the Online Course page. Confirm content retention by working through all available resources.

- Distance Learning students receive exam results for via email, 7 business days from the date of the exam.  Successful results are also sent by post: this will include a letter, a certificate and lapel pin.  

- Successful classroom students will receive their results via their Approved Program Provider except students in the US who receive their results through the post.

Each successful candidate will receive a letter of congratulations, lapel pin and an attractive certificate suitable for framing plus the right to include the SWS post-nominal as part of his or her professional signature (i.e. John  Smith, SWS).

Candidates will need a computer with reliable internet hook up, a webcam, working microphone and speaker.  The exam cannot be taken from a tablet, smart phone or Chromebook. 

Yes. Go to: https://www.winescholarguild.org/supplemental-metrials

The student will take the exam with ProctorU, one of the industry’s leading on-line proctoring companies.  ProctorU is a live online proctoring service that allows the individual to take the exam from the comfort of home.  ProctorU is available 24/7, however, each student will need to schedule the proctoring session at least 72 hours in advance to avoid any additional on-demand scheduling fees (paid directly to ProctorU.) 

Perhaps this question is best answered by discussing what the student does not need to know: dates DOs/DOCas were granted, percentages of grapes in the blend, production numbers, wine styles percentages, and area under vine.

Focus on what grapes are grown where, what DOs/DOCas belong to what wine region, rivers, mountains and other topographical markers, climate types, soil types and unique grape growing or winemaking attributes specific to each region.

Know the recommended grapes! Students will need to know which regions have classification systems and how those classification systems are structured. History is important. Spend some time working with the maps. Know where things are located.

For Master Level students, each candidate will receive a results letter by email.  Successful candidates will be mailed a letter of congratulations and an attractive certificate suitable for framing.  

The exam can be taken from a PC/Mac desktop /laptop computer equipped with working microphone, speaker and webcam.  A good internet connection is required.  The exam cannot be taken from a tablet, mobile phone or Chromebook.  Candidates have one year to take the examination from date of registration.  

• Bordeaux and Loire Master Level exams continue to be proctored by the WSG team. Champagne and Bourgogne Master Level exams are now proctored by ProctorU.
• For all exam scheduling, please contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., giving 4 weeks’ notice for Bordeaux and Loire ML exams and at least 1 week’s notice for Champagne and Bourgogne ML exams.

There are three sections:

• A map identification exercise (10 points)

• 50 multiple-choice questions (50 points)

• 4 essay questions (40 points)

This tri-part format tests your knowledge of the lay of the land and mastery of the core facts as well as your ability to integrate those facts into a meaningful whole. The essays require more than a simple recitation of fact; they require a working knowledge and deep understanding of the material.

Candidates are given 2 hours to complete the exam.