Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator® Exam (ACS CCSE® Exam)
The ACS T.A.S.T.E. Test® (Technical, Aesthetic, Sensory, Tasting Evaluation) evaluates cheese professionals’ knowledge and skills in the assessment of cheese, from determining cheese condition and quality, to evaluating cheese flavor, body, texture, and appearance. Individuals who pass the test will earn the title of ACS Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator®, or ACS CCSE®. The ACS CCSE® certification is a mark of excellence and achievement that reflects a commitment to the best possible care for cheese and service to those who love it.
Questions on ACS Certification? Email certification@cheesesociety.org or call 615-880-4124 and we are happy to help!
Applications for the 2025 exam have now closed.
TEST STRUCTURE
The test is 3 hours in length and includes the following tasks:
CHEESE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
Each candidate will be provided with 12 cheeses. Candidates must evaluate the appearance, texture and aroma/flavor of each cheese using a refined list of attributes corresponding to each category of cheese.
SINGLE ATTRIBUTE IDENTIFICATION
Each candidate will be provided with 10 different prepared solutions, each providing a unique aroma found in cheese. The candidates must identify these attributes by smell/olfactory assessment.
TEST SCORING
The scoring system for this test is based on a method used by the American Dairy Science Association’s Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest, wherein each cheese is first evaluated by a team of expert judges using an authorized list of descriptors to set a baseline evaluation against which the test-takers’ evaluations will be compared.
ACS T.A.S.T.E. TEST® FAQs
Candidates who are active ACS Certified Cheese Professionals® are automatically eligible for the ACS T.A.S.T.E. Test®. For individuals who are not ACS CCPs® in good standing, these eligibility criteria need to be met in order to be considered for the T.A.S.T.E. Test®.
Applications are reviewed by ACS Staff and by the Certification Committee within thirty days of receipt of a completed application and application processing fee.
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.
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 test, 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. We 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 a test to fill the available capacity, test registration will close to new applicants. If a candidate desires to take the current year test, 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 test and fills the vacancy. ACS staff notifies the next person on the wait list.
If the wait list candidate wants to take the test, they must accept the offer to sit for the test within 3 days of notification and pay for the test fee within 7 days after accepting the offer to sit for the test.
Any person wishing to defer taking the test must notify ACS in writing or via phone call, by June 1st, of the year of application. Confirmation of postponement will be sent via email. People deferring may take the next available test without having to re-apply; no additional application payment is required. Requests for deferrals after June 1st will incur a $100 fee.
In a nutshell, the best way to prepare for the TASTE Test is to practice your assessment and evaluation of a wide variety of cheeses and to practice identification of single attributes.
Primary resources to help you prepare
During the test, you will be given specific lists of cheese attributes that correspond to specific cheese types along with the single attribute list. All of these resources (the cheese attribute lists by cheese category and the single attributes list) are available for you to download from the ACS website. It is strongly recommended that you use these resources when practicing your assessment and evaluation of cheeses and single attributes to prepare for the exam.
T.A.S.T.E. Test® Cheese Category Attribute Sheets
T.A.S.T.E. Test® Single Attribute List
Single Attribute List Companion
Single Attribute Guide to Terminology
Additional resources to help you prepare
During the test, cheeses will be identified by how they fit into the ACS Judging and Competition’s categories. As indicated above, the category a cheese falls into corresponds to a specific cheese attribute list that you will use to assess and evaluate the cheese. When preparing for the test, it is recommended that you use the ACS Judging and Competition categories to interpret which cheese attribute list to use for a given cheese.
Both the cheese attribute lists and the single attribute list may have terms that are unfamiliar to you or require a description for improved clarity of meaning. The ACS Lexicon and Glossary provides definitions and references for most of the terms that you will encounter on the ACS TASTE Test so it is highly recommended that you use the Lexicon and Glossary in your preparation for the test to improve your understanding of the attribute meanings.
ACS Judging & Competition Categories
ACS Cheese and Dairy Product Lexicon and Glossary
If Possible, Study with a Buddy
If possible, find one or more people to study with. Ideally, you will taste cheese together and prepare and present single attributes to one another. Even if done through an online meeting forum, the ability to taste together helps each of us understand how we, as individuals, interpret what we taste and smell relative to others. In so doing, we can gain an objective perspective over our individual assessment and evaluation.
If practicing with another person is not possible, bear in mind that your individual practice using the resources available from the ACS website is the most important aspect of your preparation for the TASTE Test.
Further Reading and Reference Resources
Clark, Stephanie, Michael Costello, MaryAnne Drake, and Floyd Bodyfelt, eds. 2008. The Sensory Evaluation of Dairy Products. 2nd ed. Springer.
Kaylegian, Kerry, and Lisa Caprera. 2017. “Cheese Tracking System: Sensory Evaluation Guide.” Penn State Extension.
ACS T.A.S.T.E. TEST® FAQs
Candidates who are active ACS Certified Cheese Professionals® are automatically eligible for the ACS T.A.S.T.E. Test®. For individuals who are not ACS CCPs® in good standing, these eligibility criteria need to be met in order to be considered for the T.A.S.T.E. Test®.
Applications are reviewed by ACS Staff and by the Certification Committee within thirty days of receipt of a completed application and application processing fee.
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.
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 test, 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. We 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 a test to fill the available capacity, test registration will close to new applicants. If a candidate desires to take the current year test, 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 test and fills the vacancy. ACS staff notifies the next person on the wait list.
If the wait list candidate wants to take the test, they must accept the offer to sit for the test within 3 days of notification and pay for the test fee within 7 days after accepting the offer to sit for the test.
Any person wishing to defer taking the test must notify ACS in writing or via phone call, by June 1st, of the year of application. Confirmation of postponement will be sent via email. People deferring may take the next available test without having to re-apply; no additional application payment is required. Requests for deferrals after June 1st will incur a $100 fee.
In a nutshell, the best way to prepare for the TASTE Test is to practice your assessment and evaluation of a wide variety of cheeses and to practice identification of single attributes.
Primary resources to help you prepare
During the test, you will be given specific lists of cheese attributes that correspond to specific cheese types along with the single attribute list. All of these resources (the cheese attribute lists by cheese category and the single attributes list) are available for you to download from the ACS website. It is strongly recommended that you use these resources when practicing your assessment and evaluation of cheeses and single attributes to prepare for the exam.
T.A.S.T.E. Test® Cheese Category Attribute Sheets
T.A.S.T.E. Test® Single Attribute List
Single Attribute List Companion
Single Attribute Guide to Terminology
Additional resources to help you prepare
During the test, cheeses will be identified by how they fit into the ACS Judging and Competition’s categories. As indicated above, the category a cheese falls into corresponds to a specific cheese attribute list that you will use to assess and evaluate the cheese. When preparing for the test, it is recommended that you use the ACS Judging and Competition categories to interpret which cheese attribute list to use for a given cheese.
Both the cheese attribute lists and the single attribute list may have terms that are unfamiliar to you or require a description for improved clarity of meaning. The ACS Lexicon and Glossary provides definitions and references for most of the terms that you will encounter on the ACS TASTE Test so it is highly recommended that you use the Lexicon and Glossary in your preparation for the test to improve your understanding of the attribute meanings.
ACS Judging & Competition Categories
ACS Cheese and Dairy Product Lexicon and Glossary
If Possible, Study with a Buddy
If possible, find one or more people to study with. Ideally, you will taste cheese together and prepare and present single attributes to one another. Even if done through an online meeting forum, the ability to taste together helps each of us understand how we, as individuals, interpret what we taste and smell relative to others. In so doing, we can gain an objective perspective over our individual assessment and evaluation.
If practicing with another person is not possible, bear in mind that your individual practice using the resources available from the ACS website is the most important aspect of your preparation for the TASTE Test.
Further Reading and Reference Resources
Clark, Stephanie, Michael Costello, MaryAnne Drake, and Floyd Bodyfelt, eds. 2008. The Sensory Evaluation of Dairy Products. 2nd ed. Springer.
Kaylegian, Kerry, and Lisa Caprera. 2017. “Cheese Tracking System: Sensory Evaluation Guide.” Penn State Extension.
T.A.S.T.E. TEST® CHEESE CATEGORY ATTRIBUTE SHEETS AND SINGLE ATTRIBUTE LIST
- American Cheese Society, Stephanie Clark, Craig Gile, Vince Razionale, Bill Rufenacht, and Sarah Spira, eds. Version 1 Published February 1, 2018. American Cheese Society Cheese and Dairy Product Lexicon and Glossary. Denver: American Cheese Society.
- Clark, Stephanie, Michael Costello, MaryAnne Drake, and Floyd Bodyfelt, eds. 2008. The Sensory Evaluation of Dairy Products. 2nd ed. Springer.
- Kaylegian, Kerry, and Lisa Caprera. 2017. “Cheese Tracking System: Sensory Evaluation Guide.” Penn State Extension.
The ACS T.A.S.T.E. Test® Cheese Category Attribute sheets were created using the methodology for assessment and evaluation of cheese that is used by the American Cheese Society’s Judging and Competition wherein judges evaluate both the “aesthetic” and “technical” characteristics of cheese. The T.A.S.T.E. Test® Cheese Category Attribute sheets break attributes up into the organoleptic groupings of appearance, aroma, texture, and flavor. During the T.A.S.T.E. Test® you’ll be responsible for assessing and evaluating 12 different cheeses by selecting from among the attributes listed on the T.A.S.T.E. Test® score sheets.
Attributes are words that we use to describe cheese (positively and/or negatively). Attributes are dependent on cheese type. There are many attributes that may be used to characterize cheese. Some apply broadly to all types of cheese while others may only apply to one or a few types of cheese. An attribute that expresses something positive about one type of cheese may be useful in expressing something negative for another type of cheese. Learn more about attributes in the ACS Lexicon & Glossary.
Each attribute selected to describe a cheese will have a certain intensity. The T.A.S.T.E. Test® score sheets use an Intensity Scale to reflect the way in which intensity can be described for certain attributes for a given style of cheese. Where an attribute is perceived, identification of the attribute will result in your indicating whether it is present as slight (select “A”), definite (select “B”), or pronounced (select “C”). If a listed attribute is not detectable in a given cheese, that attribute should be left blank.
