In April 2024, I made my first attempt at the Master Sommelier theory exam. 74 candidates gathered in Atlanta, GA for the one day examination. There were a handful of us who had just passed Advanced the previous year, and many of the candidates were on their second, third or further attempts.
I found out in May that I did not pass. I was neither surprised nor disappointed by this news: I hadn’t put in the work, and really just wanted to get in the room and see what the whole thing was about. Now that I’ve received my feedback and built out my study schedule for the next year, here are my major takeaways:
The results document is tailored to your performance and should be used as your starting point for calibrating where to focus your studies. I was particularly weak in Italy, so I spent the summer tackling the Italian Wine Scholar certification and learned a ton of really great information that will go towards MS prep.
I’ve benefited from mentorship from several MS’s this year whom I had never connected with previously. Every chapter, whether it ends in success or failure, is an opportunity to learn and importantly, to expand your network. I am walking into this next year of studying feeling more supported and also capable than before.
It is not an impossible task. It’s 100ish verbal questions administered within an hour with 2-3 MS sitting across from you in a cleared out hotel room. I blew it up to be this big, inconceivable feat. It was not. It’s doable- you just have to put in the work! There is very little room for error.
This is a personal best. You cannot compare your methods/results to someone else’s. It is you vs. you in there, do what you need to do throughout the year to prepare yourself to meet the moment!
I am already excited for my next attempt in 2025. Onward and upward!
With friends old and new at the Atlanta MS Theory Exam