CERTIFIED CHEESE PROFESSIONAL® EXAM (ACS CCP® EXAM)
The ACS Certified Cheese Professional® Exam encourages improved standards of comprehensive cheese knowledge and service, offering professionals in the cheese industry the opportunity to earn the distinguished title of ACS Certified Cheese Professional®, or ACS CCP®. The letters ACS CCP® designate that an individual has acquired thorough knowledge and the level of expertise that is demanded within the cheese industry.
Candidates will have a maximum of 3 hours to answer 150 multiple choice questions. The exam measures candidates’ mastery of cheese knowledge and best practices. It evaluates candidates’ understanding of core competencies common to most of these cheese industry jobs: retailers, cheese mongers, cheesemakers, distributors, importers/exporters, restaurateurs, educators, and food writers.
The ACS CCP® Exam questions were written and reviewed by subject matter experts to reflect the current practices in the cheese industry. Each year the questions are analyzed statistically to identify any improvement opportunities. The Certification Committee reviews questions with statistically questionable outcomes to determine whether they should be modified or deleted from the pool. Once these issues are resolved, the final scores are calculated.
Still have questions? Please view this longer breakdown of what to expect when taking the exam, how to apply, and how to prepare as you think about applying to the exam in the future.
ACS CCP® EXAM – HOW TO APPLY
STEP BY STEP SUMMARY OF CCP® APPLICATION PROCESS
- Review the dates, deadlines, and fees for the CCP® Exam.
- Review the eligibility criteria for the CCP® Exam.
- We will offer a remote, virtual version of the CCP® Exam in to be held simultaneously with the in-person exam. Decide if you want to take the exam in person, or remotely via computer. (More details will follow.) This will be the first question of the application.
- Prepare a resume (word doc or pdf) with your cheese work experience and cheese education experience. You will need to upload this when you submit the online application form.
- Decide if you are paying for the application fee yourself, or if your employer is paying it for you and you need an invoice (further instructions for each option will be in the application form)
- Apply to take the exam
- Once submitted, your application will be reviewed, and either approved or denied. (Occasionally, we may need to contact you for more details about your work experience.) We will inform you of our decision within 30 days, via email.
- If your application is approved, you will need to pay the exam fee. We will email you with instructions on how to do so.
Once the exam fee has been paid, we will supply you with further information about exam logistics.
ACS CCP® EXAM FAQs
The American Cheese Society is responsible for administering the exam, and a committee consisting of ACS staff and cheese industry leaders reviews all applications for certification.
If you meet the eligibility criteria, we will send you an email notifying you of your acceptance within 30 days of your application submission date.
Acceptances are valid for two years past the soonest exam date (ex, if you have been accepted for the 2018 exam you may delay taking the exam until the exam in 2020). Beyond that time, the entire application process must be repeated. If there are any questions regarding your eligibility, we will contact you to further clarify your application and you will have 14 days to respond to the request.
If, upon review of your application, the ACS determines that you fail to meet the eligibility requirements at the time of application, we will notify you by email. If you are denied eligibility to sit for the exam you may appeal the decision to the ACS Certification Appeals Committee (a sub-committee of the Certification Committee). You must submit your appeal in writing to the Appeals Committee within 30 days of receipt of the non-eligibility correspondence from ACS. The Appeals Committee will convene within 30 days of receipt of the appeals request and will email a notice of the Appeals Committee’s final decision to you within 10 days of the decision.
When enough candidates have registered for an exam to fill the available capacity, exam registration will close to new applicants. If a candidate desires to take the current year exam, a wait list is available on a first-come-first-served basis. The wait list relies on those candidates who chose to defer taking the exam and fills the vacancy.
- Any person wishing to defer taking the exam must notify ACS by June 1st.
- ACS staff notifies the next person on the wait list.
- If the wait list candidate wants to take the exam, they must accept the offer to sit for the exam within 3 days of notification and pay for the exam fee within 7 days after accepting the offer to sit for the exam.
Requests to defer taking the exam must be received in writing or via phone call by June 1, of the examination year. Confirmation of deferral will be sent via email. People deferring may take the next available exam without having to re-apply and no additional application payment is required. Requests for deferrals after June 1st will incur a $125 fee. People may elect to defer up to one year past the year they were accepted only. After one year, if they do not take the exam they elected to defer, they must reapply for future exams. For example, if a person is accepted to take the 2020 exam, they can elect to defer to the 2021 exam. If they chose not to take the 2021 exam, they would need to reapply for any future exams after that.
Those who pass the exam will be mailed a notification letter, ACS CCP® certificate, pin and patch, but not the actual exam score. Those failing to pass the exam will be mailed a Diagnostic Report that highlights topic areas from the exam in which the scores were low. Those who fail the exam are encouraged to review the report and develop a study plan to improve knowledge in the areas of weakness identified. Candidates who fail the exam should understand that further study and preparation, and possibly experience, is necessary before retaking and ultimately passing the exam.
Unsuccessful exam candidates may retake the exam at the next scheduled exam date. Candidates will need to reapply for the exam by submitting updated information to ACS to include in your original application. ACS must receive your new application by the application closing date of the year you wish to take the exam. If you are retaking the exam, the application fee will be waived. If a candidate does not pass a second time, they are welcome to apply again the following year. After a third failure, candidates may only register for the exam by presenting documentation of additional coursework (credit or certificate college course) in the content area of deficiency as shown by the Diagnostic Report.
The Certified Cheese Professional® Exam is based on the skills and knowledge used by Cheese Professionals across the spectrum of the industry on a regular basis. The exam has 150 multiple choice questions and candidates have 3 hours to complete it.
In-person exams are delivered via paper using Scantron technology and an independent testing company (ExamSoft) oversees the electronic grading of the exam.
Virtual exams are taken via computer at the candidate’s location of choice, using ExamSoft and a remote proctoring software program.
Exam questions are drawn from the Job Task Areas, which are identified by an industry wide Jobs Analysis Survey. The exam blueprint below illustrates how the task areas relate to the Body of Knowledge. Notice the percentage of questions per content/knowledge area. Those areas with a high percentage of questions are a significant portion of the exam, and therefore, require more time of study. Download a PDF of the Exam Blueprint here.
ACS has developed several informational and study resources that might help cheesemakers and non-cheesemakers alike with CCP® Exam study.
ACS CCP® EXAM FAQs
The American Cheese Society is responsible for administering the exam, and a committee consisting of ACS staff and cheese industry leaders reviews all applications for certification.
If you meet the eligibility criteria, we will send you an email notifying you of your acceptance within 30 days of your application submission date.
Acceptances are valid for two years past the soonest exam date (ex, if you have been accepted for the 2018 exam you may delay taking the exam until the exam in 2020). Beyond that time, the entire application process must be repeated. If there are any questions regarding your eligibility, we will contact you to further clarify your application and you will have 14 days to respond to the request.
If, upon review of your application, the ACS determines that you fail to meet the eligibility requirements at the time of application, we will notify you by email. If you are denied eligibility to sit for the exam you may appeal the decision to the ACS Certification Appeals Committee (a sub-committee of the Certification Committee). You must submit your appeal in writing to the Appeals Committee within 30 days of receipt of the non-eligibility correspondence from ACS. The Appeals Committee will convene within 30 days of receipt of the appeals request and will email a notice of the Appeals Committee’s final decision to you within 10 days of the decision.
When enough candidates have registered for an exam to fill the available capacity, exam registration will close to new applicants. If a candidate desires to take the current year exam, a wait list is available on a first-come-first-served basis. The wait list relies on those candidates who chose to defer taking the exam and fills the vacancy.
- Any person wishing to defer taking the exam must notify ACS by June 1st.
- ACS staff notifies the next person on the wait list.
- If the wait list candidate wants to take the exam, they must accept the offer to sit for the exam within 3 days of notification and pay for the exam fee within 7 days after accepting the offer to sit for the exam.
Requests to defer taking the exam must be received in writing or via phone call by June 1, of the examination year. Confirmation of deferral will be sent via email. People deferring may take the next available exam without having to re-apply and no additional application payment is required. Requests for deferrals after June 1st will incur a $125 fee. People may elect to defer up to one year past the year they were accepted only. After one year, if they do not take the exam they elected to defer, they must reapply for future exams. For example, if a person is accepted to take the 2020 exam, they can elect to defer to the 2021 exam. If they chose not to take the 2021 exam, they would need to reapply for any future exams after that.
Those who pass the exam will be mailed a notification letter, ACS CCP® certificate, pin and patch, but not the actual exam score. Those failing to pass the exam will be mailed a Diagnostic Report that highlights topic areas from the exam in which the scores were low. Those who fail the exam are encouraged to review the report and develop a study plan to improve knowledge in the areas of weakness identified. Candidates who fail the exam should understand that further study and preparation, and possibly experience, is necessary before retaking and ultimately passing the exam.
Unsuccessful exam candidates may retake the exam at the next scheduled exam date. Candidates will need to reapply for the exam by submitting updated information to ACS to include in your original application. ACS must receive your new application by the application closing date of the year you wish to take the exam. If you are retaking the exam, the application fee will be waived. If a candidate does not pass a second time, they are welcome to apply again the following year. After a third failure, candidates may only register for the exam by presenting documentation of additional coursework (credit or certificate college course) in the content area of deficiency as shown by the Diagnostic Report.
The Certified Cheese Professional® Exam is based on the skills and knowledge used by Cheese Professionals across the spectrum of the industry on a regular basis. The exam has 150 multiple choice questions and candidates have 3 hours to complete it.
In-person exams are delivered via paper using Scantron technology and an independent testing company (ExamSoft) oversees the electronic grading of the exam.
Virtual exams are taken via computer at the candidate’s location of choice, using ExamSoft and a remote proctoring software program.
Exam questions are drawn from the Job Task Areas, which are identified by an industry wide Jobs Analysis Survey. The exam blueprint below illustrates how the task areas relate to the Body of Knowledge. Notice the percentage of questions per content/knowledge area. Those areas with a high percentage of questions are a significant portion of the exam, and therefore, require more time of study. Download a PDF of the Exam Blueprint here.
ACS has developed several informational and study resources that might help cheesemakers and non-cheesemakers alike with CCP® Exam study.
