Q: What exactly is the WSET Level 3 Full Mock Exam, and what arrives?
A: It is a complete at-home simulation of the WSET Level 3 examination, built by our WSET Certified Educators and Internal Assessors. A physical kit ships to you containing two professionally selected 100 ml wine vials, one white and one red, and a sealed folder holding a printed Tasting Exam Paper, Theory Exam Paper and Answer Sheet modelled on the real exam. You also get online access to video invigilation instructions and detailed answer walkthroughs.
Q: Are these real past WSET exam papers?
A: No, and they could not be. WSET does not release live or past examination content, and no legitimate provider will sell it to you. These are original questions written by our WSET Certified Educators and Internal Assessors to mirror the structure, weighting and timing of the real paper. The value is in rehearsing the format and the clock, not in seeing the questions in advance.
Q: Is my paper graded by an instructor, or do I mark it myself?
A: You mark it yourself, and we would rather be clear about that before you buy. The online modules give you mark-by-mark walkthroughs so you can calculate your own score, plus video explanations of the correct answers with examiner-style tips, and sample answers in the WSET Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting® format to compare your own writing against. There is no individual instructor assessment or written feedback included at this price.
Q: Are the tasting wines included, and what are they?
A: Yes. Two 100 ml vials are in the kit, one white and one red, chosen and tasted by our team of WSET Certified Educators in Napa specifically because they represent the styles the Level 3 tasting exam is likely to put in front of you. This is the part no digital study tool can replicate: you cannot rehearse a blind tasting without wine in the glass.
Q: Does it recreate real exam timing and conditions?
A: Yes, and this is the point of the kit. The online course includes video invigilation with a real proctor reading the exam-day instructions aloud, and the papers run to genuine exam timing - a 30-minute blind tasting of two wines and a two-hour theory paper. Most candidates who underperform at Level 3 know the material; what catches them is the format and the clock.
Q: What do I need to supply myself?
A: A quiet room where you will not be interrupted for the full sitting, a device to play the invigilation video, clear wine glasses, water, and something to spit into. Treat it as a real exam: phone away, notes closed, no pausing the clock. A mock exam you take casually tells you very little.
Q: How is this different from the $139 Complete Exam Prep Package?
A: They do different jobs and many candidates use both. The Complete Exam Prep Package is entirely digital - over 1,200 flashcards, three practice papers with automated multiple-choice scoring and rubrics for written answers, pronunciation guides and 750+ extra multiple-choice questions - and it is included free with NVWA membership. It contains no wine and no printed papers. This Full Mock Exam is the physical dress rehearsal: real wines for the blind tasting, printed papers, invigilated timing. Use the Prep Package to learn and drill; use the Mock Exam to find out whether you are ready.
Q: What is the difference between Exam 1 and Exam 2, and do I need both?
A: Each kit is $189 and they are genuinely different: different wines and different questions, so there is no overlap to waste your money on. One kit is enough for a single honest rehearsal. If you want two, we would suggest sitting one early enough that you still have time to act on what it reveals, and saving the second for two or three weeks before your exam date.
Q: How long do I have access to the online walkthroughs?
A: Twelve months from purchase, which is deliberately matched to the wines. You can return to the answer walkthroughs and video explanations as many times as you like within that period, which is useful because the value of a mock exam is often in the second review rather than the first sitting.
Q: How long will the wines keep?
A: The vials have a 12-month shelf life when stored properly - upright, cool, out of direct sunlight. Buy the kit with your exam date in mind rather than years ahead, and if the wines have been sitting in a warm room for months the tasting rehearsal will not tell you what you need to know.
Q: Where do you ship, and are there restrictions?
A: Because the kit contains wine, we ship within the United States only, and an adult aged 21 or over must be present to sign for delivery. Alcohol shipping rules vary from state to state, so if you are unsure whether we can deliver to you - or you are outside the US - please email support@napavalleywineacademy.com before ordering rather than after.
Q: Do I need to be enrolled in an NVWA course to buy this?
A: No. The Full Mock Exam is a standalone study tool and anyone preparing for the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines can buy it, including candidates who took their course with a different Approved Programme Provider. It does not enroll you in a course and does not register you for the real examination.
Q: Does this count toward my WSET certification?
A: No. This is practice material and carries no credential, no WSET recognition and no exam entry. The WSET Level 3 Award in Wines is awarded only on passing the official examination, which must be sat in person through an Approved Programme Provider. Nothing about completing a mock exam can be listed as a qualification.
Q: Which part of the exam should I be most worried about?
A: The theory paper, and our own data says so plainly. From 3,016 graded sittings between 2023 and 2026, 60.2% of our candidates passed the theory paper while 89.8% passed the tasting. Because the two components are graded independently and you need 55% in each, a strong palate cannot rescue a weak paper. If you only have time to rehearse one half properly, rehearse the writing.
Q: Is this worth it for a resit?
A: It is arguably the best use case for it. If you have already failed one component you know exactly which half you need to fix, and a full timed rehearsal with mark-by-mark scoring tells you whether you have actually closed the gap before you pay another resit fee. Resitting Level 3 costs $225 for a single component, so a diagnostic beforehand is not an extravagance.
Q: Can I ask a question before I buy?
A: Yes. Email support@napavalleywineacademy.com and our team will help you decide whether the Full Mock Exam, the Complete Exam Prep Package, or both is the right spend for where you are in your studies. You can also download the Study Tool Features guide from this page for a detailed look at everything in the kit.
