CBM Training

What "CBM Training" Actually Covers

Search for "CBM training" and you will find results for several unrelated credentials that happen to share the acronym. This article is only about the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation from the American Meteorological Society (AMS). If you are still sorting out the terminology, our explainers on what CBM certification is and what CBM stands for cover the basics.

Training for this credential is unusual because it has two distinct halves that demand different skills:

• A closed-book written test that checks your command of atmospheric science and weather-communication knowledge.
• Weathercast evaluations that judge how well you actually perform on air: your graphics, your explanation, and your delivery.

Most test-prep content only addresses the first half. A candidate who studies radar theory for weeks but never reviews their own on-air work is only half prepared. This guide treats both halves as training targets, and it separates what AMS has published from what is merely common advice.

The Training You Need Before You Can Apply

Before any exam prep begins, the credential assumes a specific professional background. The requirements are detailed in our CBM requirements guide, but the training implications are worth spelling out here:

• Education: an accredited meteorology or atmospheric-science degree, or an approved equivalent, with the required coursework documented through transcripts.
• Experience: 2 years of full-time or 3 years of part-time on-air experience. Student-station work is excluded from this count.

In practical terms, the "training" for this credential starts years before the application. The on-air experience requirement means you have been building weathercasting habits, good and bad, in a real newsroom. Those habits are exactly what the evaluators will see in your submitted weathercasts.

Training for the Written Test: 15 Subject Areas

The AMS CBM Study Guide and its linked references page organize written-test preparation around fifteen substantive subject headings. These are the domains your training should follow. (The Glossary of Meteorology entry that precedes them is a general terminology resource, not a sixteenth subject area.) For a deeper breakdown, see the complete guide to all 15 CBM content areas.

What the Question Format Rewards

The written test consists of 100 multiple-choice and true/false questions, closed book. The official FAQ from a legacy testing provider lists 120 minutes, but AMS has since moved to SMT/Prometric, so reconfirm the time limit on your actual appointment confirmation. AMS does not disclose how the 100 questions split between scored and unscored items, so do not assume every question counts equally toward your result.

The passing score is 75%. For the exact mechanics of how that threshold works, see our page on the CBM passing score. Because the format is closed book and objective, training should emphasize recognition and reasoning under time pressure rather than memorizing a single textbook's phrasing. You can build that skill with realistic questions on the CBM practice test site.

Grouping the Subject Areas by Skill Type

Fifteen areas is a lot to hold at once. A more efficient approach is to group them by the kind of thinking they demand, then train each group differently. This grouping is an editorial organizing tool, not an AMS classification.

If you are unsure which cluster is your weak point, the candid difficulty discussion in How Hard Is the CBM Exam? can help you calibrate. Note that current written-exam pass rates are not publicly disclosed by AMS, which our CBM pass rate analysis explains in more detail.

Training for the Two Weathercast Submissions

This is the part of CBM training that generic exam-prep sites skip entirely, and it is the part many working meteorologists find hardest. Beyond the written test, candidates submit two additional weathercasts. The submission rules are specific:

• The weathercasts should be active and routine, meaning real on-air work rather than a staged showpiece.
• Each is limited to a maximum of 5 minutes.
• You must achieve an average above 3.0 separately in each of three criteria: Graphical Content, Explanation, and Presentation.
• Spanish-language submissions require an English transcript.

The word "separately" matters. Excellent graphics will not rescue weak explanation, because each of the three criteria must clear the bar on its own. That changes how you train: you cannot compensate across categories.

How to Train Each Criterion

• Graphical Content: Review your own graphics for clarity, accuracy, and purpose. Ask whether each graphic supports the story you are telling or merely fills time. Remove clutter and make sure labels and scales are correct.
• Explanation: Audit whether you explain the "why" behind the forecast, not just the "what." Work on translating atmospheric reasoning into plain language without losing accuracy, especially for hazards covered in Cyclones and Jets, Severe Storm Structure/Tornadoes, and Winter Weather.
• Presentation: Watch recordings of your on-air delivery, including pacing, eye line, and how you move through the graphics. Fit your content into the 5-minute ceiling without rushing.

A useful exercise is to critique a recent routine weathercast against the three criteria as if you were an outside evaluator, then rewrite and re-record the weak segments. A 2019 AMS Board note estimated that about half of candidates passed the first weathercast evaluation. That is a historical estimate about the weathercast component, not a current written-exam statistic, but it signals that the on-air evaluation deserves real preparation time.

Fees, Scheduling, and Test-Day Logistics

Training is also administrative. Knowing the process in advance prevents costly delays. You apply through AMS first, and only then schedule your written test. For a full cost walkthrough, see the CBM certification cost breakdown.

Those first-attempt totals exclude AMS dues and your preparation costs. Remote and in-center delivery are both available, but details such as calculator rules and whether the test is adaptive were not verified in the public sources, so confirm them directly when you schedule. Our page on CBM exam dates and scheduling covers timing questions.

A Domain-Sequenced Plan

Generic study tactics matter less than the order in which you cover CBM content. The principle: build foundations first, then layer hazard-specific topics on top, and leave communication-heavy review plus weathercast critique for the final stretch. This is an editorial sequence, not an AMS-mandated one. Adjust the length to your own schedule and strengths.

For a more detailed written-test approach, pair this sequence with our CBM study guide, and keep the CBM cheat sheet handy for last-minute review.

Training After You Pass: Renewal and Professional Development

CBM training does not end at certification. The credential is valid for 1 year and renews annually, at $206 for members or $515 for nonmembers. In addition, you must accumulate 28 professional-development points every 5 years. In practice, that means treating continuing education as a permanent part of your career, not a one-time exam hurdle.

Whether this ongoing investment pays off is a fair question, and one we address in Is the CBM Certification Worth It?. If you are thinking about where the credential fits in the job market, our overviews of CBM jobs and the CBM salary guide discuss the career side without inventing figures the public sources do not support. For a general orientation to the credential itself, see CBM certification.

Frequently Asked Questions