Q: Is the course self-paced, or does it run to a schedule?
A: Both, in a specific way worth understanding. Each cohort has a fixed four-week start and end date, but the learning material itself is available to you 24/7 inside that window, so you work through it when it suits you rather than at set class times. The course is hosted on WSET Global's own learning portal, not ours, and your login credentials arrive from WSET about two days before your start date. You then keep access for 12 months from your course start.
Q: Is the exam included, and can I take it whenever I want?
A: The exam registration and fee are included in the $357, but no, the exam is not on demand. It is remotely invigilated by WSET at pre-scheduled sitting times, all running 10 AM to 10:45 AM Pacific, and you must register at least 30 days before your chosen date. You have 12 months from your course date to sit it, so the 30-day rule is the constraint to plan around, not the 12 months.
Q: When are the exam sittings?
A: Currently scheduled: 26 August 2026, 10 October 2026, 2 December 2026, 20 February 2027, 7 April 2027, 5 June 2027, 1 September 2027 and 13 November 2027, all 10 AM to 10:45 AM Pacific. Remember the 30-day registration deadline when you pick one. If you join the October cohort, which runs 19 October to 15 November 2026, the first sitting after your course ends is 2 December 2026.
Q: Do I need to buy sake, and how much?
A: Sake is not included and you source it yourself, which is the honest thing to say up front because sake can be harder to find than wine outside major cities. The specification works through seven: four benchmark styles — a Futsu-shu or Honjozo, a Junmai, a Ginjo or Junmai Ginjo, and a Daiginjo or Junmai Daiginjo — plus three specialty styles chosen from Nama-zake, Nigori, sparkling sake and Koshu. A good Japanese grocer or a specialist retailer will cover most of that list. There is no sample kit for sake.
Q: What if I cannot get hold of sake, or I do not drink?
A: You can still take and pass this qualification. WSET states that candidates who are underage or who choose not to drink alcohol may complete the course without tasting, and there is no tasting component in the exam. You will get considerably more out of the course with sake in front of you — the whole point is learning to describe what is in the glass — but it is not a barrier to certifying.
Q: Do I need to know anything about sake, wine or beer first?
A: No. There is no prerequisite and no entry restriction for the WSET Level 1 Award in Sake, and it does not assume any wine or beer background. It is a self-contained qualification with its own specification, its own tasting method and its own exam. Plenty of students take sake without ever having taken a wine course.
Q: What will I actually be able to do afterwards?
A: Read a sake label and know what it is telling you, which is the single most useful skill this course gives you — the classifications on the bottle are legally defined and most people, including plenty of hospitality staff, cannot decode them. You will also understand how rice polishing, water, yeast and brewing choices shape the style, know the correct glassware and serving temperatures, and be able to describe a sake systematically using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Sake®.
Q: Who is this course right for?
A: Restaurant and bar staff who are being asked about the sake list and would rather answer than guess, retail buyers building a category, and anyone whose interest has outgrown ordering by price. It is also a genuinely distinctive credential: there are far more people in the drinks trade who can talk about Burgundy than can build a sake list.
Q: Is there a textbook, and does it cost extra?
A: No extra cost. The WSET Level 1 Sake textbook is downloadable from the first module of your online course, so you have it as soon as your WSET login arrives. There is no printed book to buy and nothing else you are required to purchase in order to sit the exam.
Q: How much study should I plan for?
A: Ten to twelve hours in total across the four weeks, so roughly three hours a week. WSET specifies a Total Qualification Time of 6 hours for this qualification, all of it guided learning and including the 45-minute exam; our course adds study materials, videos and quizzes on top of that minimum, which is where the extra hours go.
Q: What is the next step after Level 1 Sake?
A: The WSET Level 2 Award in Sake, also delivered online through WSET Global's sake portal, at $699. Level 2 goes considerably deeper into production, the major brewing regions of Japan, and food pairing, and its exam is 50 multiple-choice questions rather than 30. It is the level at which the trade treats you as able to build and defend a sake list.
Q: How old do I have to be?
A: WSET requires candidates to be over the legal minimum age for the retail purchase of alcoholic beverages in the country where the exam is held, which in the United States is 21. WSET verifies your identity against government-issued photo ID when you sit the remotely invigilated exam, so make sure the name on your enrollment matches the name on your ID.
Q: Is there a discount for booking more than one place?
A: Yes, applied automatically at checkout with no code required: 5% for two, 8% for three and 10% for four or more. Sake is a common team-training subject for restaurant floors precisely because so few staff have any structured grounding in it.
Q: Can I cancel or move to a later cohort?
A: Yes, if you act at least 14 business days before your cohort start date. Cancellations in that window are refunded as store credit after a $50 administration fee plus the cost of any study materials and exam fees already committed, and one transfer per person per course is permitted on the same deadline and the same fee. Within 14 business days of the start, or once the course has begun, no refunds or transfers are available. Our General Policies page carries the full terms.
Q: Can I talk to someone before I enroll?
A: Yes. Email support@napavalleywineacademy.com or visit our Help Center and our student support team will talk you through whether Level 1 or Level 2 Sake is your right starting point, how the WSET Global portal works, and which cohort and exam date pairing makes sense for your schedule.
Q: What is the exam format?
A: A closed-book examination of 30 multiple-choice questions, completed in 45 minutes, sat online under remote invigilation. Each question carries one mark and there is no penalty for a wrong answer. There is no tasting component and no written-answer component in the WSET Level 1 Award in Sake exam.
Q: What is the pass mark?
A: 70%, which on a 30-question paper means 21 correct answers. Because there is no penalty for a wrong answer, answer every question even where you are unsure. The WSET Level 1 Award in Sake is graded pass or fail only, with no Merit or Distinction, so 21 out of 30 earns you exactly the same certificate as 30 out of 30.
Q: What equipment do I need for the online exam?
A: More than for the course, so check this before you book a date. The exam must be sat on a laptop or desktop with a working webcam, microphone and speakers, and for most sittings you also need a mobile phone positioned as a secondary camera showing the room. You will need photo ID and a quiet space you will not be interrupted in for 45 minutes. Our Help Center carries the full technical specification and a walkthrough video.
Q: Can I change my exam date after registering?
A: Yes. A WSET Level 1 Sake Exam Transfer Fee of $99 moves you to a different sitting, and the same 30-day deadline applies to your new date. Purchase links are in the exam registration area of your online course.
Q: What happens if I don't pass?
A: You resit the examination and you do not need to buy the course again. At Level 1 the resit is the whole paper rather than a component, and the WSET Level 1 Sake exam reorder fee is $150. There is no limit on attempts and no waiting period beyond the next available sitting, and your 12 months of course access means the material is still there while you revise.
Q: What is your pass rate for sake?
A: We do not publish a sake-only figure. We report Level 1 as a group: 96.5% of candidates across all WSET Level 1 qualifications — wines, spirits, beer and sake — were awarded the qualification in the 2024–25 academic year, from 1,269 candidates, counting first attempts only. That is a stricter measure than counting eventual outcomes. Our full methodology is on our WSET pass rates page.
Q: When do I get my result and certificate?
A: Results are released a few weeks after your exam date, and as soon as you pass you receive a digital certificate and digital badge from WSET. You can share the credential on LinkedIn or with an employer the day it is issued. Note that WSET no longer ships paper certificates or physical lapel pins — everything is digital now.
