Last updated August 2026
Free Sommelier Practice Exams — Written by a Winemaker, Not a Test Prep Company
Most sommelier practice test sites online are generic test-prep operations — question banks written by content farms with no real wine credentials behind them. We’re the opposite. Jesse holds a degree in Viticulture & Enology from UC Davis and has made wine in Burgundy, the Yarra Valley, California, Washington, and Portugal’s Douro Valley; Cassie holds WSET Level 2 with Distinction. Our WSET practice exams are already the most-recommended free resource for WSET candidates online — this page brings the same approach to the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) path.
Below you’ll find free practice quizzes and full-length practice exams for the CMS Certified Sommelier exam, organized by topic so you can focus your study where it actually matters. Each question comes with a full explanation, not just a right/wrong mark. If you’re studying for WSET instead, see our free WSET practice exams — and if you’re deciding between the two paths, both are covered here on Wine Scribes.
CMS Certified Sommelier
The Certified Sommelier exam tests 45 theory questions in 38 minutes, plus a blind tasting exam (one red, one white) and a hands-on service exam — all three must be passed. It’s the most-searched CMS level and the one most working sommeliers are studying for right now. Start with the five topic quizzes below, then move to the two full-length practice exams once you’re comfortable with each area.
- CMS Certified Practice Quiz: Old World Wine Regions (20 Q)
- CMS Certified Practice Quiz: New World Wine Regions (15 Q)
- CMS Certified Practice Quiz: Spirits, Beer & Sake (15 Q)
- CMS Certified Practice Quiz: Wine Service (10 Q)
- CMS Certified Practice Quiz: Food & Wine Pairing (10 Q)
Once you’ve worked through the topic quizzes, test everything at once with our two full-length, 50-question practice exams. Both are password-protected — email thewinescribes@gmail.com or join our list below and we’ll send you access.
- CMS Certified: Sparkling Wines (15 Questions)
- CMS Certified: Fortified Wines (15 Questions)
- CMS Certified: Viticulture & Vinification (15 Questions)
- CMS Certified: Wine Faults & Flaws (10 Questions)
- CMS Certified Sommelier Practice Exam #1 (50 Questions)
- CMS Certified Sommelier Practice Exam #2 (50 Questions)
Advanced Sommelier
The Advanced Sommelier exam adds written theory, six wines tasted blind, and a full service practical. It is a smaller audience than Certified, and there is almost no credible free practice material for it anywhere online. These four deep-dive quizzes cover the theory sections where candidates most often come unstuck — and they are written at Advanced difficulty, not padded Certified questions.
- CMS Advanced: Deep Dive France (20 Questions)
- CMS Advanced: Italy, Spain & Portugal (15 Questions)
- CMS Advanced: Rest of World (15 Questions)
- CMS Advanced: Spirits Deep Dive (15 Questions)
- CMS Advanced Sommelier Practice Exam #1 (50 Questions)
- CMS Advanced Sommelier Practice Exam #2 (50 Questions)
Both full-length Advanced practice exams are password-protected — join the list and we’ll send you the access password.
Blind Tasting Practice
Structured practice with the CMS deductive tasting method — the part of the exam you cannot cram for, and where most candidates lose ground. Twenty complete tasting notes written as an examiner would present them, each with four plausible options and a full explanation of why the three wrong answers are wrong. The reasoning is the point: naming the wine matters far less than being able to say why it cannot be the other three.
- The CMS Deductive Method — how it works, and how to practice it
- Red Wine Blind Tasting — 10 Worked Scenarios
- White Wine Blind Tasting — 10 Worked Scenarios
CMS study guides are in the works. Join 8,900+ wine students and be the first to know when they launch — plus get access to our password-protected practice exams.
The Certified Sommelier exam includes a 45-question written theory exam (38 minutes), a blind tasting exam (one red and one white wine, using the deductive tasting method), and a service exam evaluating hands-on table-side skills. All three sections must be passed.
The Certified exam is a meaningful step up from the Introductory level — it tests theory, blind tasting, and service all at once, and many candidates who breeze through written theory still struggle with tasting or service under exam pressure.
The CMS Certified Sommelier exam has a pass rate of roughly 66%, according to the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Certified Sommelier exam registration generally runs $595–$799 depending on location and chapter, not including study materials, wine for tasting practice, or travel to the exam site.
Most successful candidates study for three to six months, splitting time between theory review, structured blind tasting practice, and service drills, rather than cramming theory alone in the final weeks.
WSET is a structured, classroom-based qualification focused primarily on wine knowledge, delivered through set coursework and an exam per level. CMS is built around the working sommelier’s job — Certified and Advanced test theory, blind tasting, and hands-on service together, with a culture that leans more mentorship and apprenticeship than classroom.
CMS recommends, but doesn’t strictly require, passing the Introductory Sommelier Certificate first. Most candidates take it first anyway, since it covers foundational material the Certified exam assumes you already know.
Old and New World wine regions, spirits, beer, and sake, wine service and table-side skills, and food and wine pairing — the same five areas covered across our CMS Certified quizzes and practice exams.
You can learn the deductive tasting method’s structure and vocabulary without wine in the glass, but real blind tasting skill only comes from repeated practice with actual wine, ideally with a study partner or group on a regular schedule.
No. Every question on Wine Scribes is independently written based on the published CMS syllabus and is not sourced from, affiliated with, or endorsed by the Court of Master Sommeliers.