100+ Free SCA Roasting Practice Questions

The SCA Roasting Skills program is a three-level progressive certification from the Specialty Coffee Association's Coffee Skills Program (CSP) — Foundation (5 points), Intermediate (10 points), and Professional (25 points). Each level combines a written multiple-choice examination with practical roasting skills assessed by an Authorized SCA Trainer (AST). Topics span green coffee physical attributes, roaster types, heat transfer, roast phases, roast chemistry, profile control (RoR, DTR, Agtron color), defect identification, and production quality control.

SCA Roasting Foundation has no formal prerequisites — it is open to coffee professionals and enthusiasts at all experience levels. Introduction to Coffee is recommended for useful context. The SCA notes that candidates with more than one year of professional roasting experience may opt out of Foundation and begin at Intermediate with trainer approval. Intermediate recommends Foundation completion; Professional requires Intermediate.

Foundation: 20-question online MCQ, 32-minute time limit, 60% passing score — written only, no practical exam. Intermediate: 35-question written MCQ (37 min, 70%) plus a 3-hour practical exam (70% required across three sections). Professional: 30-question written MCQ (32 min, 80%) plus a 200-minute practical exam (80%). Both written and practical components must be passed separately at each level.

Course and assessment fees are set by each Authorized SCA Trainer (AST) and vary by region, typically ranging from ~$300–$1,500 per level. Professional is usually the most expensive due to its longer course length and practical equipment requirements. Fees generally include training, bench time, the written exam, the practical assessment, and the SCA certificate upon passing. Always confirm current pricing directly with your AST.

No — SCA Coffee Skills Program certificates do not expire. Once earned, Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional certificates remain valid indefinitely. CSP points earned from Roasting (5 + 10 + 25 = 40 points) accumulate toward the SCA Coffee Skills Diploma (100+ points) or the specialized Roastery Diploma, which additionally requires all three Sensory Skills levels, Green Coffee Foundation, Brewing Foundation, and Water and Preventive Maintenance Foundation.

High-yield topics include: roast phases (drying, Maillard, first crack at 196–205°C, DTR, second crack at 220–230°C); Rate of Rise (RoR) and its management (flick vs. crash); Development Time Ratio (DTR = first-crack-to-drop ÷ total time × 100%); roast defects (tipping, scorching, baking, underdevelopment); green coffee physical attributes (moisture 9–12%, density, water activity/OTA); Agtron color measurement; roast chemistry (Maillard, caramelization, chlorogenic acid degradation, melanoidins, CO2/degassing); and SCA exam formats, CSP points, and diploma requirements.

The SCA Roastery Diploma is a specialized credential recognizing mastery of the roasting profession. It requires: all three Roasting levels (Foundation, Intermediate, Professional), all three Sensory Skills levels, Green Coffee Foundation, Brewing Foundation, Water and Preventive Maintenance Foundation, and the Coffee Sustainability Foundation. The standard SCA Coffee Skills Diploma requires 100+ CSP points from any combination of modules across the CSP.

Focus on the roast cycle phases (drying → yellowing → Maillard → first crack → development → drop), the three heat transfer modes (conduction, convection, radiation), green coffee physical attributes (moisture 9–12%, density and its effect on heat penetration), roast defects (tipping, scorching, baking, underdevelopment), roaster types (drum vs. fluid-bed vs. recirculating), basic roast chemistry (Maillard, caramelization, CO2/degassing), and roastery safety (chaff fire risk, gas safety). The Foundation written exam is 20 MCQ with a 60% passing score.