- The written exam is 100 multiple-choice/true-false questions, closed book, with a 75% passing score.
- AMS publishes fifteen unweighted subject headings, so never trust any claim about a "highest-weight" domain.
- Two extra weathercasts, up to 5 minutes each, must average above 3.0 in each of three categories.
- Remote first-attempt totals run $390 for AMS members and $720 for nonmembers, before dues and preparation.
The Exam at a Glance
The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist credential is issued by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and is aimed at working on-air meteorologists. This page condenses the facts you need to keep in front of you while you prepare. If you want the long-form version of any item, the links throughout will take you to the detailed articles; if you want to test yourself, the CBM practice test site is built for that.
| Item | What to know |
|---|---|
| Written format | 100 multiple-choice/true-false questions |
| Book policy | Closed book |
| Time | 120 minutes per the legacy-provider official FAQ; reconfirm with your current appointment |
| Passing score | 75% on the written exam |
| Scored/unscored split | Not disclosed |
| Test provider | Currently SMT/Prometric; older AMS FAQ still names PSI |
| Delivery | Remote or test center |
| Validity | 1 year, renewed annually |
Two details are worth stating plainly because candidates often assume otherwise. First, calculator and adaptive-testing rules are not verified in the public materials, so do not plan around either. Second, the split between scored and unscored questions is not disclosed, which means you should treat every question as if it counts.
Eligibility Snapshot
You apply through AMS before you schedule anything with the testing provider. The requirements fall into three buckets, and all three need documentation. For a fuller walkthrough, see CBM Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
- Education: an accredited meteorology or atmospheric-science degree, or an approved equivalent.
- Coursework and transcripts: the required meteorology coursework, supported by transcripts.
- On-air experience: 2 years full-time or 3 years part-time. Student-station work is excluded.
No separate training-hour requirement or mandatory reference-reading requirement was verified in the public sources. That is a meaningful difference from credentials that make you log study hours, so do not go hunting for a form that does not exist.
Fees, Scheduling and Renewal
The fee structure has two layers: an application fee paid to AMS and a per-scheduling fee tied to how you test. Member pricing is roughly half of nonmember pricing, so the cost of AMS membership is worth weighing against the savings. The complete picture is in CBM Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
| Cost component | AMS member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Application | $330 | $660 |
| Remote testing, each scheduling | $60 | $60 |
| US test center, each scheduling | $75 | $75 |
| International test center, each scheduling | $85 | $85 |
| Remote first-attempt total | $390 | $720 |
| Annual renewal | $206 | $515 |
The first-attempt totals exclude AMS dues and your preparation spending. Because the testing fee recurs with each scheduling, a retake costs you the testing fee again rather than a new application, but confirm current retake terms with AMS before budgeting.
Renewal mechanics
- The credential is valid for 1 year.
- Renewal is annual at $206 for members or $515 for nonmembers.
- You must also accumulate 28 professional-development points every 5 years.
If you are weighing whether those recurring costs pay off in your market, Is the CBM Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and the CBM Salary Guide 2026 cover the earnings side without relying on made-up figures.
The Fifteen Written-Test Subject Areas
Your preparation should follow the fifteen substantive subject headings on the AMS CBM written-test reference list, running from General Meteorological Knowledge through Winter Weather. The AMS Glossary of Meteorology entry that precedes them is a general terminology resource, not a sixteenth subject.
A deeper treatment of each area lives in CBM Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 15 Content Areas. Below is a compact orientation to each, grouped by theme so you can see how they connect.
Foundations and climate
General Meteorological Knowledge
The base layer everything else builds on. Expect core atmospheric concepts that a working forecaster uses daily.
- Be fluent in standard terminology; the AMS Glossary is your companion resource.
- Practice applying concepts to on-air scenarios, not just reciting definitions.
Climatology & Climate Change
Broadcast meteorologists field climate questions from viewers, so the exam treats this as professional knowledge.
- Distinguish weather variability from climate trends in plain language.
- Know how climate information is communicated responsibly to a general audience.
Physical Meteorology
The processes behind clouds, precipitation and radiation.
- Connect physical processes to the weather products you present.
- Review the reasoning behind phenomena, since questions can be conceptual true/false items.
Large-scale systems and forecasting tools
Cyclones and Jets
Synoptic-scale structure and the upper-level flow that steers it.
- Understand how jet dynamics relate to surface system development.
- Be able to explain these features the way you would on air.
Numerical Weather Prediction
How models work, where they fail, and how forecasters weigh them.
- Know model strengths and limitations at a conceptual level.
- Be ready to reason about uncertainty and guidance disagreement.
Data & Instruments
Observation platforms and the measurements behind a forecast.
- Know what each instrument measures and its common limitations.
- Understand data quality issues that affect interpretation.
Remote sensing
Radar Meteorology
A staple of any broadcast operation and a likely area of daily practical familiarity.
- Interpret radar products and recognize artifacts.
- Link radar signatures to the hazards they indicate.
Satellite
Imagery interpretation and the information each channel provides.
- Match satellite products to the weather features they reveal.
- Practice reading imagery, not just recalling definitions.
Hazards and regional weather
Severe Storm Structure/Tornadoes
Storm morphology and tornado-related knowledge central to warning coverage.
- Understand storm structure well enough to explain it live.
- Pair the science with communication of urgency.
Flooding
Hydrologic hazards and how they are forecast and communicated.
- Know the factors that turn heavy rain into a flood threat.
- Understand how flood information reaches the public.
Tropical Meteorology
Tropical systems and their forecasting challenges.
- Know the life cycle and structure of tropical cyclones.
- Be ready to discuss forecast uncertainty responsibly.
Winter Weather
Cold-season precipitation types and the forecasting problems they create.
- Understand what drives precipitation type changes.
- Practice explaining marginal-temperature setups clearly.
Regional Weather
Weather patterns and phenomena tied to geography.
- Review regional features beyond your home market.
- Do not assume local experience covers every region the exam may reference.
Professional and public-facing areas
Weather Safety
How the profession protects the public.
- Know the safety messaging principles that guide warning communication.
- Connect safety knowledge to the hazards covered elsewhere.
Station Scientist
The role of the broadcast meteorologist as the science resource inside a news operation.
- Understand the responsibilities that come with being the station's scientific authority.
- Think about how you would support colleagues and audiences with accurate science.
The Weathercast Evaluation Is a Separate Hurdle
Do not conflate the written exam with the weathercast evaluation. The evaluation criteria are not written-test topic domains, and they run on their own track. The written exam tests knowledge; the evaluation tests how you perform on air.
- Submission: two additional weathercasts, active and routine.
- Length: maximum 5 minutes each.
- Scoring: an average above 3.0 is required separately in Graphical Content, Explanation and Presentation.
- Language: Spanish submissions require an English transcript.
Notice the word "separately." A strong Presentation score does not rescue a weak Explanation score, because each category must clear the bar on its own. A 2019 Board note estimated that about half of candidates passed the first weathercast evaluation. That is a historical note about the evaluation, not a current written-exam statistic, and you should not read it as a pass rate for the written test.
Key Takeaway
Treat the written exam and the weathercasts as two projects with two calendars. Record and review your weathercasts against the three scoring categories while you study the fifteen subject areas, so neither task ambushes you late in the process.
Numbers Worth Memorizing
If you only copy one block onto an index card, make it this one. Every figure here is drawn from the AMS-based facts above.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Written questions | 100 |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Time limit (legacy FAQ; reconfirm) | 120 minutes |
| Subject areas | 15 |
| On-air experience required | 2 years full-time or 3 years part-time |
| Weathercasts submitted | 2, each up to 5 minutes |
| Weathercast minimum | Above 3.0 average in each of 3 categories |
| Certification validity | 1 year |
| Professional-development points | 28 every 5 years |
For the arithmetic of a 75% target, CBM Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass explains what the threshold means in practice, and CBM Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows clarifies why current written-exam pass rates are not publicly available. If you are wondering about difficulty, How Hard Is the CBM Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 offers an honest, number-free assessment.
Sequencing the Fifteen Areas
Generic study advice is not the point of this page, so here is one sequencing idea tied directly to the subject list. Because AMS publishes no weights, the schedule below is editorial: it orders topics by how much each builds on the one before, not by any claim about exam emphasis. For the complete approach, see the CBM Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Foundations
- General Meteorological Knowledge and Physical Meteorology
- Skim the AMS Glossary for terminology gaps
Tools and observations
- Data & Instruments, Radar Meteorology, Satellite
- Practice reading products, not just defining them
Dynamics and prediction
- Cyclones and Jets, Numerical Weather Prediction
- Climatology & Climate Change
Hazards
- Severe Storm Structure/Tornadoes, Flooding, Tropical Meteorology, Winter Weather
Application and review
- Regional Weather, Weather Safety, Station Scientist
- Full-length timed practice under closed-book conditions
The reasoning is simple: instruments, radar and satellite knowledge makes hazard topics easier to visualize, and the professional-role areas make more sense once the science is fresh. Adjust the order freely if your day job already makes you strong in some areas.
Common Misreadings to Avoid
Assuming a weighted blueprint exists
It does not. The reference list is a set of unweighted issuer-published topics, not an official weighted or exhaustive blueprint. Any practice-question allocation you see, including on practice sites, is editorial rather than an AMS statement.
Mixing up the two scoring systems
The written exam uses a 75% passing score. The weathercasts use an above-3.0 average in three separate categories. These are unrelated scales, and quoting one for the other is a frequent source of confusion.
Borrowing numbers from other credentials
The acronym "CBM" is shared by several unrelated certifications. Fees, dates and pass rates you find for those programs do not apply here. Stick to figures tied to the AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program, and use What Does CBM Stand For? or What Is CBM Certification? if you need to confirm you are reading about the right credential.
Ignoring dates and logistics
Scheduling happens only after AMS approves your application, so build time into your plan. CBM Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling covers the timeline questions in detail, and the requirements guide helps you confirm eligibility before you pay anything.
When you are ready to move from reading to retrieval, the CBM practice questions let you rehearse the closed-book, true/false-and-multiple-choice style across all fifteen subject areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
The written exam has 100 multiple-choice and true/false questions, taken closed book. The split between scored and unscored questions is not disclosed, so treat every item as if it counts toward your result.
The written passing score is 75%. The weathercast evaluation uses a different measure: an average above 3.0 in each of Graphical Content, Explanation and Presentation, assessed separately.
No. AMS lists the fifteen subject headings without percentages, and the linked reference list has no numbered examination version. Any claim about a highest-weight domain is unverified, so prepare across all areas.
Remote first-attempt totals are $390 for AMS members and $720 for nonmembers, combining the application fee with the remote testing fee. Test-center scheduling costs $75 in the US or $85 internationally instead of $60. These totals exclude dues and preparation costs.
Certification is valid for 1 year and renews annually at $206 for members or $515 for nonmembers. You also need 28 professional-development points every 5 years.