Below is the current status of exams as of mid January 2025.
Closed Exams:
We closed 147 exam sets in 2024, this is up from 121 in 2023, though we haven’t completed December yet this year. This represented a very strong year as you can see from the graph of closed exams below.
Open Exams:
We have 60 Open Exam sets. Forty-five are with grading teams right now, plus 5 in a Native Grading program where we are grading the exams in native language without translation. Thirteen of these exams are overdue from a grading perspective (8 weeks for Tasting, 12 weeks for Written). We have 8 exam sets waiting for grading volunteers (there is a link for graders down below). And we have one set with Translators and another set awaiting translators.
Scheduled Exams:
We have 51 scheduled exams on the calendar over the next 12 months, this will fill in as we move into 2025 The below graph shows the number of scheduled exam sets for the balance of the year.
Process Improvements:
We have significantly streamlined our exam intake process. Scott Joines, our new Assistant Exam Director, has been instrumental in this improvement. He ensures Exam Admins are fully prepared, receive complete information, verify exam payments, and assist with translations. This streamlined approach has greatly enhanced our overall exam management. Scott is also spearheading the evaluation of online Tasting exams, exploring potential improvements and efficiencies.
Cider Guideline Updates:
We recently saw the Cider Guideline updates and plan to cut Tasting exams over to the new guidelines on July 1, 2025. We are evaluating the Online Entrance exam now to understand the workload needed to update the questions. We are looking for volunteers to help with this effort, if you are interested, please reach out to [email protected] with “Help Update Online Cider Exam” in the subject.
Dedicated Graders:
We would like to express my sincere appreciation to several Graders who consistently go above and beyond. These dedicated individuals consistently volunteer for extra grading assignments, demonstrating their commitment to the team and their willingness to support the overall workload. Below are the number of individual exams they have graded and helped close in 2024 to date.
Finally, we would like to thank all graders for your efforts, we couldn’t do this without you.
If you are an existing Grader able to volunteer for another set or a National or Master judge interested in getting involved with grading, or rejoining the ranks, please sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/MsYnFsgoteLfa6Rx5
Best Regards, Your Exam Directors:
Don Blake
Andy Hejl
Mike Bury
Diego Setti
Thomaz Pupo
Phil Farrell
Greg Toothaker