The Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain
The objective of the MAGB providing this examination is to give candidates who have successfully completed the Fundamentals In Malting Qualification or an equivalent internal company qualification that has been approved by the MAGB examination committee the opportunity to sit an additional exam. If they are successful, they will be awarded the General Certificate of Malting Competence, (CMC) or the Distilling CMC.
Anyone working in a maltings can take this exam.
The Fundamentals In Malting qualification is currently available to both MAGB member companies and other organisations approved by the MAGB. This means that the full CMC certification, which requires the completion of either the FIM and CMC or an internal company examination approved by the MAGB followed by the CMC.
The aim of the examination is to provide an entry level qualification to those actively involved in the production of malt which might include Plant Operatives, Technical Staff, Trainee Managers and those involved in Apprenticeship Programmes.
The registration of eligible candidates must be supported by a company sponsor who will commit to ensuring that when the examination is taken, they will act as an invigilator or be in a position to ensure there is a suitable alternative available. This is essential as the examination will be taken online at the candidate’s normal place of work so they must ensure that candidates have no access to any forms of information resources at the time the exam is taken.
In the event there is really no one on site available the MAGB may be able to provide an invigilator, but this would be at an additional cost depending upon the location.
No additional formal qualifications are required for entry to the exam and all questions will be in English.
The examination will consist of one paper containing 60 questions.
These will be in the form of either multiple choice, identification of information from images, a single word or short phrase answer and in some cases a short sentence.
Completed exam papers will be marked by members of the examination committee and candidates will be advised of their results within two weeks.
March 2026 – Deadline for registration is 30th January 2026
5th November 2025 – Deadline for registration is 30th September 2025
Register online via the Exam Registration Form here
The cost of the exam is £150 per candidate. The Registration Form here on the MAGB website is for on-line completion.This does require input from your sponsor.
Candidates with any needs which could affect their ability to complete the examination within the allotted time or in the format that it is produced should make this known at the time of registration.
MAGB will make every effort to accommodate all candidates but proof of any need may be required.
Ideally training for candidates taking the CMC exam should be supported by their company sponsor to ensure that they have a structured training plan that adequately prepares them for the format of the examination questions and the level that they are set at.
In the event of a candidate failing the examination there is no right to appeal against the result given.
All of the answers to the questions have been checked by the examination committee and are deemed to be correct at the time the examination is held. Regular reviews of questions are carried out by the committee.
If during the course of taking the examination there is some unexpected occurrence such as a fire evacuation exercise or similar unexpected event then the invigilator will ensure that any time lost is made up.
If there is a technical failure with connectivity to the network this may result in the examination having to be resit.
Any complaints or concerns about the examination process should be addressed directly to the MAGB.
