Becoming an AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist

Becoming an AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist is no easy hurdle. It requires prior academic success, solid testing and proven usefulness in the field.

The first, daunting task in passing the test is simply qualifying to take it. A Bachelor’s degree in Meteorology is required, including specific core weather classes, found on an official collegiate transcript during the application process. A degree in meteorology requires three semesters of calculus, a semester of differential equations, vector calculus and linear algebra, to name a few math classes, altogether about a class away from a math minor.

Five years of relevant work experience is the other major qualifier. Far under half of Meteorology graduates ever work in the field. Far fewer make it at least five years. A Ph. D. vs. a Bachelor’s degree can substitute one year of experience. Additionally, three associates the applicant has worked with must recommend them when asked during application processing. If all conditions are satisfactorily met – and after paying for an annual AMS membership plus $300 – a candidate is allowed to take the first two parts of the test

Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) Examination

The Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) examination is comprised of three separate tests. The first tests academic fortitude with many essay questions. Details about the test are held in confidence by the test taker, who signs a contract agreeing to not let others know the issued content. Several from a pool of questions are randomly chosen for each applicant. Some of the chosen questions relate to entries on the application provided by the applicant regarding specific field expertise.

The second test is an evaluation of the applicant’s recently (within five years) published technical work. The actual guidelines for qualifying content are not terribly strict. If done well, the applicant’s work highlights effective communication of technical subjects to potentially non-technical audiences, the applicant’s meteorological analytic skills, and potentially, ingenuity and usefulness. 

The first two tests are reviewed by the AMS’s CCM testing board in a process where only the administrator knows whose application is whose by issuing a numerical applicant identifier. If a passing score is averaged between the two tests, the applicant becomes eligible to take the final test. 

At the annual AMS meeting, passing applicants are invited to interview with the board, or at least three board members, about what they do and their submitted work, especially regarding questions that did not receive a passing score. It further helps to ensure the submitted work came from the candidate. A short, written quiz on basic meteorological knowledge will be assigned before the examination, from which questions from the board may also arise.

The board then individually grades the applicant based on the in-person oral test and prior submissions on a scale of 1 to 10, with an average score of 7 qualifying as a pass. If the final, oral test is passed, the applicant officially becomes a CCM, which highlights field expertise and potentially opens a new door for accepting work as a highly compensated expert witness in court.

We at West Coast Weather currently have one CCM and will have one more in the near future. Have any forensic weather questions, drop us a quick note: mfagin (at)nwlink.com or 425-869-1847.

Article written by Meteorologist Geoff Linsley