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30. Inside the WSET Level 3 Exam: Tasting + Theory Breakdown
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Launchpad: WSET Level 3 Prep - Zoom Course - Next Start Date
In this episode of Wine Educate, host Joanne Close takes the mystery out of the WSET Level 3 exam. She explains exactly how the tasting and theory sections are structured, how grading works, and what to focus on to earn the most points—whether you’re aiming to pass or go for that distinction.
Joanne shares practical advice from her years of administering exams and guiding students, including common pitfalls to avoid and how to make the most of your exam strategy.
What’s in This Episode?
Understanding the Tasting Exam You’ll evaluate two wines—one red and one white—in 30 minutes. WSET provides general parameters, and your instructor selects the wines. The red wine carries 21 marks (tannin adds an extra point), and the white 20. You must use WSET Level 3 SAT formatting and vocabulary to earn full marks.
How Tasting Is Scored Marks are awarded, not taken away—so write down what you smell and taste. Stick to language found on the SAT card to align with the official answer key. Develop a system to avoid forgetting basic but essential points (like dryness).
What to Know About the Theory Exam This two-hour exam includes 50 multiple choice questions and 4 short written answers. Both sections are in the same exam paper—plan your time accordingly. One essay will be on either sparkling or fortified wine, so study both.
Grading & Passing Requirements You must score at least 55% in both tasting and theory to pass. To pass with merit, you need 65–79%. To pass with distinction, you need 80% or more in both sections (and no section below 65%).
How Retakes Work If you fail one section, you only need to retake that portion. If you fail both, you must retake the entire exam. Even if you pass both sections on separate sittings with distinction-level marks, the highest overall grade possible is “pass with merit.”
Need Additional Support? Joanne offers in-person and online WSET Level 3 tasting workshops and prep resources year-round.
Launchpad: WSET Level 3 Prep - Zoom Course - Next Start Date
Next Episode – Episode 31 Joanne breaks down how to create a realistic study schedule for WSET Level 3 and how much time you really need to allocate toward your studies.
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