Free Practice Questions for SCA Q Grader

Written Exam: CVA and Cupping Procedures

Multiple-choice exam that the SCA says focuses primarily on the Coffee Value Assessment and covers cupping procedures, including setup, in detail. Study the CVA protocol and SCA-102 sample preparation, SCA-103 descriptive assessment, and SCA-104 affective assessment standards.

Cupping Skills Practical

Shows you can conduct a cupping by SCA-102: 8.25 g per 150 mL, grind with 70–75% passing a US No. 20 sieve, water at 93 ± 3°C, crust left 3–5 minutes, break, skim, and taste from about 70°C.

Physical Assessment Practical

Green grading of a 350 g sample on the CVA Physical Form: color, moisture, screen size, and Category 1 and Category 2 defects converted to full defects with the form's equivalence ratios.

Roasting Problems Practical

Identify a correct cupping roast (Agtron about 63 ground, about 58 whole bean) versus too light, too dark, too fast, or too slow roasts using smell and taste alone.

Descriptive Assessment Practical

Use the SCA-103 Descriptive Form accurately: 0–15 intensity scales for fragrance, aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, sweetness, and mouthfeel plus check-all-that-apply (CATA) descriptors.

Affective Assessment Practical

Use the SCA-104 Affective Form consistently: nine-point impression-of-quality ratings for eight sections, non-uniform and defective cups, and the CVA score formula.

Olfactory Category Examples Practical

Smell aroma examples drawn from the CVA Olfactory Example Library and identify which Descriptive Form CATA category each represents, such as Floral, Berry, Fermented, or Brown Sugar.

Triangulation Practical

Find the odd cup in sets of three (triads) of coffees that can differ only slightly, using fragrance, aroma, and flavor.

Main Taste Solutions Practical

Identify sweet, salty, and sour tastes and their intensities in simple and complex solutions, using the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon taste references.