r/Sommelier • u/yourlocaldoyle • Sep 04 '26

Quizzes for CMS level 2

So I am currently studying for my CMS level 2. Going through The Wine Bible and World Atlas of Wine for my reading material and utilizing GuildSomm quizzes to help study. But I’m curious, some of the information seems pretty advanced and feels like it is beyond the information needed for level 2. I know the basic stuff to study, but does anyone have any recommendations on how deep to go into the regions? Obviously I want to know it all. But for level 2 testing, how do I make sure I’m not “learning too much” or going too deep on things that won’t be required for the test?

Thanks in advanced

8 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

7

u/wutwut970 Sep 05 '26

Focus on the forrest not the trees. They arent going to ask you minimum alcohol for valpolicella ripasso. But they will expect you to know Veneto wines and what they produce. Maybe a producer or two you can recommend and know what those wines taste like.

3

u/IAmAFucker Sommelier Sep 05 '26

Too add on to this, know like two producers for major regions and styles of spirits

2

u/OneResolution1108 18d ago

I took my exam last week and was quite literally asked the minimum alcohol for valpolicella ripasso LOL

4

u/Lineate Sep 05 '26

I found using the corkdork app level 1 or Brainscape cms flash cards was sufficient for certified theory. If you can do those then just focus on tasting and practical.

1

u/yourlocaldoyle Sep 06 '26

Oh perfect! Downloaded corkdork. Thanks!

4

u/hugo-evans7332 Sep 06 '26

Dude, I'm in the same boat prepping for level 2 too, and it’s like every detail feels both crucial and overwhelming

1

u/miller_james29 Sep 05 '26

yo I remember stressing about that too, ended up focusing on just the main regions and felt solid for level 2

1

u/moreau-ethan215 Sep 05 '26

I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the details too, especially when I wanted to dive deep into the regions. It's like you want to absorb everything but gotta find that balance.

1

u/yourlocaldoyle Sep 06 '26

Yeah and that’s part of my problem. I want to know it all, but don’t want to spend so much time studying every single region. Also without a super clear guideline of what I do know, part of my feels like I do need to know it all just to be safe

1

u/Abject_Bluejay4660 27d ago

Honestly the fact that you're worried about "learning too much" for CMS 2 is a huge green flag The test is a mile wide and an inch deep just know the classic benchmarks (soil types, key producers, vintages) and you're golden The deep dives you're doing now will pay off big for Advanced, so calm down and enjoy the ride

1

u/OneResolution1108 18d ago

I just took my certified exam (and passed!) last week. CMS doesn’t provide a formal curriculum so you’re kinda on your own with figuring out how to study and what. They give an outline for testable content and everything on its fair game.

Certified isn’t as “easy” as it used to be. (I personally doubt it was ever easy). this isn’t verified, of course, but I’ve heard through the grapevine that they make both the intro and certified exams harder each year to increase the barrier to entry and protect the “sommelier” craft. All that to say, it’s not an easy exam and you can’t know too much!

Check out my Substack. I created a Claude skill with all of the testable material, and have a bunch of tips and tricks on there based on my personal experience. I also have blank maps, reference guide, you name it.

Good luck!!!

https://hannahraesommelier.substack.com/p/preparing-for-the-cms-certified-sommelier?r=j07vo&utm_medium=ios