Q: Is WSET Level 3 Early Access the full WSET Level 3 course?
A: No. Early Access is a self-study prep kit, not a WSET course. It gives you the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines textbook, 350 instructional videos and digital flashcards so you can start learning the material at your own pace before you commit to the full qualification. The full WSET Level 3 Award in Wines course is a separate purchase, and it is the only route to the certification.
Q: Can I sit the WSET Level 3 exam with Early Access?
A: No. Early Access does not include the WSET exam fee and does not make you eligible to sit the exam. WSET requires candidates to be registered through an Approved Programme Provider's course, so you must enroll in the full WSET Level 3 Award in Wines course to be examined and certified. If sitting the exam is your goal, Early Access is a head start on the way there, not a substitute for it.
Q: What is included for $299?
A: Four things: your choice of the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines textbook as either an eBook or a hardcopy, 350 instructional videos taken from our full Level 3 course that break down the textbook concept by concept, digital flashcards for review, and a $75 credit toward your future WSET Level 3 course enrollment with Napa Valley Wine Academy. Group pricing applies when several of you buy together: 5% off for two, 8% for three and 10% for four or more.
Q: What is the difference between the eBook and hardcopy options?
A: Only the textbook format, and the price is the same either way. Both options include the same 350 videos and the same flashcards. The eBook is available immediately through the WSET Global Reader on web, iOS and Android for two years from purchase; the hardcopy ships within 5 to 8 business days, so choose the eBook if you want to start tonight.
Q: How does the $75 credit work?
A: A discount code for $75 off your future WSET Level 3 Award in Wines course enrollment is issued to you by email after purchase. Keep that email, along with your Early Access order number. If you cannot find the code when you are ready to enroll, contact support@napavalleywineacademy.com and we will reissue it rather than have you lose it.
Q: If I already have the textbook from Early Access, do I pay for it twice?
A: No. When you enroll in the full Level 3 course after buying Early Access, the textbook is excluded from your course package because you already hold it. That is on top of the $75 credit, so you are not charged for the same book twice.
Q: Should I buy Early Access if I am definitely enrolling in the full course soon?
A: Probably not, and we would rather say so. The full Level 3 course already includes the digital textbook and its own online prep material, so if you are enrolling within the next few weeks you would largely be paying early for things your course fee covers. Early Access earns its place when your enrollment is months away, or undecided, and you want to keep learning in the meantime rather than lose the momentum you built at Level 2.
Q: Do I need to have completed WSET Level 2 first?
A: Early Access is designed for students who have completed the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines, and the material assumes that grounding. WSET sets no mandatory prerequisite for Level 3 itself, but this kit will be hard going if you have not covered Level 2 content or its equivalent, because it is the Level 3 textbook rather than an introduction to it.
Q: Is there a start date, cohort or enrollment deadline?
A: No. Early Access is entirely self-paced with no cohort, no fixed start date and no deadline to buy. You choose your textbook format, buy whenever suits you, and begin immediately. The scheduling and fixed dates belong to the full Level 3 course, not to this kit.
Q: How long do I have access to the material?
A: If you choose the eBook, you have it through the WSET Global Reader for two years from purchase. Your video library and flashcards are available in your Napa Valley Wine Academy account from the moment you buy, and the exact access terms are confirmed in your welcome email. A hardcopy textbook is of course yours to keep.
Q: Are the 350 videos the same ones used in the full Level 3 course?
A: Yes. They are drawn from our full WSET Level 3 course and work through the textbook concept by concept, which is also the point of Early Access: you get to experience how we teach before you commit to a course fee. Students who arrive at Level 3 having already worked through them tend to engage at a higher level from day one.
Q: Does Early Access include live webinars, instructor support or guided tastings?
A: No. Early Access is independent study: textbook, videos and flashcards. Live instructor-led webinars, direct instructor access, guided tastings and exam registration are all features of the full WSET Level 3 course. You also do not need to buy wine or a tasting kit for Early Access, because the Systematic Approach to Tasting work happens in the course itself.
Q: How is this different from the Complete Exam Prep Package?
A: They solve different problems at different stages. Early Access at $299 is for learning the Level 3 material before you enroll, and it includes the textbook and the course videos. The Complete Exam Prep Package at $139 is exam practice for candidates already working toward a sitting, and it is included free with NVWA membership. If you have not enrolled yet, Early Access is the one aimed at you.
Q: Do I get a certificate or qualification for completing Early Access?
A: No. Early Access is study material and carries no certificate, credential or WSET recognition of any kind. The WSET Level 3 Award in Wines is awarded only on passing the WSET examination, which you sit through the full course. Nothing about Early Access can be listed as a qualification.
Q: Can I get a refund if I change my mind?
A: No. Because Early Access delivers digital material immediately on purchase, it is non-refundable and non-transferable once your access has been issued, in line with our policy on on-demand digital products. Please make sure the kit is what you want before you buy, and email us first if you are unsure - we would much rather answer a question than decline a refund.
Q: Can I ask a question before I buy?
A: Yes, and given that this purchase is non-refundable we would encourage it. Email support@napavalleywineacademy.com and our student support team will help you work out whether Early Access or straight enrollment in the full WSET Level 3 Award in Wines course is the better use of your money.
