CBM Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

The Number: 75% on the Written Exam

If you are searching for the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist passing score, the short answer is 75% on the written examination. That is the threshold the American Meteorological Society (AMS) sets for the multiple-choice and true/false test that forms one half of the CBM process. It is a clean, round number, which makes it easy to remember and surprisingly easy to misread.

This article unpacks what that 75% actually demands of you, what the AMS leaves unstated, and how the written score relates to the second hurdle in the program: the evaluated weathercasts. If you are still deciding whether to pursue the credential at all, our guide on whether the CBM certification is worth it covers the career-side question. Here, the focus is purely on the bar you have to clear.

What 75% Means on a 100-Question Test

The written exam consists of 100 multiple-choice and true/false questions, closed book. Read at face value, a 75% passing score on 100 questions suggests you need roughly 75 correct responses. That arithmetic is the most useful planning figure you have, but two caveats keep it from being a precise guarantee.

First, the AMS does not disclose whether all 100 questions count toward your score or whether some are unscored. Many professional exams embed unscored items to test future questions, and this program has not stated either way. Second, the AMS does not publish how it converts your raw responses into the reported result. So treat "about 75 correct out of 100" as a working target, not a contractual definition.

What the AMS Does Not Publish

Candidates searching for "CBM passing score" often hope to find a pass rate, a curve, or a topic-by-topic cut score. None of those are publicly available, and it is worth being honest about that rather than filling the gap with guesses.

• No current written-exam pass rate. The AMS does not disclose it. For a deeper look at what can and cannot be said, see our breakdown of the CBM pass rate.
• No topic weights. The written-test reference list names subject areas but publishes no percentages, so any claim that one subject carries the most weight is unsupported.
• No per-section minimums. The published passing score is a single written-exam threshold, not a set of domain cut scores.

Because of this opacity, the most reliable difficulty signal is the breadth of the reference list rather than any published statistic. We discuss how to read that breadth in How Hard Is the CBM Exam?

Two Separate Gates: Written Test and Weathercast Evaluation

Here is where the CBM differs sharply from a typical single-exam credential. Earning it means satisfying two distinct evaluations, each with its own standard. A strong written score does not substitute for the on-air evaluation, and the reverse is also true.

Gate one: the written exam

This is the 100-question test with the 75% passing score. It measures your command of the meteorological knowledge a broadcaster needs to communicate accurately, from radar interpretation to tropical systems to weather safety messaging.

Gate two: the weathercast evaluation

This stage is judged on the quality of your actual on-air work, not on a percentage of correct answers. The submission consists of two additional weathercasts that are active and routine, with a maximum of five minutes each. Evaluators score you on three criteria: Graphical Content, Explanation, and Presentation. You must achieve an average above 3.0 in each of the three separately. A strong showing in two criteria does not offset a sub-3.0 average in the third.

If you submit in Spanish, an English transcript is required.

For a full walkthrough of how these pieces fit the overall process, the CBM certification overview and our CBM requirements guide lay out the sequence.

Format, Provider, and Fee Mechanics

Your passing score only matters if you reach the exam room, so it helps to understand the registration mechanics. You apply through the AMS first, and only then schedule your sitting. Testing can be done remotely or at a testing center.

Provider details

The current testing provider is SMT/Prometric, though an older AMS FAQ still names PSI. Because provider references have shifted, verify the specifics on your appointment confirmation rather than relying on older documentation. This applies especially to the time limit: 120 minutes comes from a legacy-provider official FAQ, so reconfirm it when you book.

What it costs

These totals exclude membership dues and your preparation costs. The testing fee applies each time you schedule, which is a practical reason to prepare thoroughly before your first sitting instead of treating it as a trial run. The full picture, including renewals, is in our CBM certification cost breakdown, and scheduling windows are covered in CBM exam dates and deadlines.

Where Your 75 Points Come From: The 15 Subject Areas

The AMS written-test reference list organizes preparation under fifteen substantive subject headings. These are issuer-published topic areas, not a weighted or exhaustive blueprint, so the right way to think about them is as a coverage checklist rather than a points allocation. The AMS Glossary of Meteorology entry on the list is a general terminology resource and is not counted as a subject area.

For a heading-by-heading treatment, see CBM Exam Domains: Complete Guide to All 15 Content Areas. You can also pressure-test your coverage with timed questions on our CBM practice test site.

A Score-Building Plan Built Around the Reference List

Because no weights are published, the sensible approach is to distribute effort across all fifteen headings, then spend extra time wherever your practice results show weakness. Working broadcasters often have lopsided strengths: an on-air meteorologist might be fluent in severe weather and radar but rusty on Climatology & Climate Change or Data & Instruments. The plan below sequences the headings with that in mind. Edit it to fit your own gaps.

Track your results by heading, not just overall. A practice score that looks comfortable can hide a subject area where you are consistently guessing. Our CBM study guide expands on resources and pacing, and the CBM cheat sheet is useful for last-pass review.

Eligibility Comes Before Any Score

A passing score is irrelevant if your application is not accepted, so confirm eligibility early. The program requires an accredited meteorology or atmospheric-science degree or an approved equivalent, along with the required coursework and transcripts. It also requires on-air experience: two years full-time or three years part-time. Student-station work is excluded from that experience. No separate training-hour or reference requirement was verified in the sources reviewed.

The full list of prerequisites, and how the AMS evaluates equivalents, is in our CBM requirements guide. If you are weighing where the credential can take you, CBM jobs and the CBM salary guide discuss the career side, and the overview of CBM certification explains what the credential signals to news directors and viewers.

After You Pass: Validity and Renewal

Clearing the written exam and the weathercast evaluation earns you the credential, but it is not permanent. The certification is valid for one year and renews annually at $206 for members or $515 for nonmembers. Separately, you must accumulate 28 professional-development points every five years. Keeping up with renewals is part of the long-run cost of holding the credential, which is worth factoring in alongside the initial exam fees.

Because the program procedures referenced here date to June 2025, check the AMS site for any updates to fees or requirements before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions