Final Exam Insurance

UPDATE:  We are extending Final Exam Insurance until July 4, 2020.  We are very pleased with the success and feedback on this program and glad to see it is not being abused or overused by our apprentices.  Above all, we are focused on maintaining the integrity and credibility of our certification programs but we are also very conscious of the financial burden faced by our students.  Final Exam Insurance is helping us maintain our standards while alleviating some of the financial stress created by having to pay for final exams and certifications.  We hope this program helps give you a little peace of mind and relieves a bit of stress from the test taking process.  Best of luck!

Happy New Year 2020, and welcome to one of our most exciting offers ever!  Starting now, and until February 29th, 2020 we are offering Final Exam Insurance to any apprentice taking the final exam - more specifically, anyone who purchases their exam by 2/29/20.  This means if you don't score the requisite 90%, we will allow you (CRT, CCT, CST) to take the test one more time for free!  Please take advantage of this very special opportunity before it disappears...

While we prefer not to divulge our exam failure rate, we can tell you that it is a double digit percentage.  Those who don't pass the first time usually attempt the final exam again and others simply fade away.  We hope this opportunity relieves some of the emotional and financial stress that our students face.  Not everyone is a good test taker, so this should help many of you get over the hump.  Good luck!

Certification FAQ

Everyday we get emails and phone calls with questions about our certification programs.  Here is a helpful table to help you compare, contrast and understand the differences between our programs.  You can always email or call if you have any other questions.

You can also visit the GET CERTIFIED section of our website to get all the details.

Certifying Consumers - CCT!

1/1/2016 UPDATE:  The CCT Process has been changed since the publishing of this article.  Visit our Get Certified webpage for more info.

There's a difference between opinions and facts.  There's a difference between information and education.  And there's a difference between those who know and those who don't.  If you read about cigars and pipes on the internet, or advertising laden magazines, you will be misled, you will believe things that aren't true and/or biased, and you will fail to appreciate the true natural artistry and wonder of the luxury tobacco industry.  

TU Certification is about teaching fundamentals and facts.  We do not tell you what is good or bad, but simply try to make sure you have all of the tools and knowledge to make educated decisions and enhance your appreciation: that is why we certify tobacconists and consumers.

TU CERTIFICATION:  CRT, CST, & CCT
There are two main professional TU Certifications: Certified Retail Tobacconist (CRT) and Certified Salesforce Tobacconist (CST).  These professional degrees require passing a 100 question test.  The Certified Consumer Tobacconist (CCT) degree requires passing a 50 question final exam, with a 90% or better score.  All certifications are based on the TU Academic Curriculum found in our Campus.

The CCT Process

1.  Ask any CRT to be your CRT Sponsor
2.  Sign up as a CCT Apprentice on the TU website.  This means you accept the TU Code of Ethics & Standards, submit your personal information for your CCT listing, and tell us who your CRT Sponsor is.
3.  Schedule your final exam with your CRT Sponsor anytime after you become an apprentice.  The final exam will be accessed by your CRT Sponsor through a password protected secure website and the consumer will take the test on the web, with the CRT 
Sponsor present.
4.  Once you pass the exam you will receive your CCT credentials and be entitled to special products, certified accoutrements, and privileges with TU and at your Certified Retail Tobacconist's store*.   
*Benefits will vary by retailers.


Currently, any consumer can become certified through any Certified Retail Tobacconist (CRT).  TU started certifying consumers in 1996, culminating in 2014, for a fee of $500.  Starting in 2015, we turned that business over to our CRT, which empowers them to certify at will and charge significantly less for the service.  Now consumer certification prices are determined by CRT.  

Looking Forward

 
I have been thinking about those heady days in the 90’s after Cigar Aficionado (CA) was released, the cigar boom, cigar dinners all the time, and a seemingly endless stream of sophisticated new customers. I remember when big fancy corporations and executives would come in and buy oodles of gifts for their clients and co-workers: they were conspicuous and passionate cigar smokers. I remember black-tie dinners, events at restaurants, and hotels between NYC and Philly; all the time! It was busy and fun.
 
Honestly though, I did not appreciate it enough. I was young and capricious… and resentful of the trendy and superficial smokers; customers which do not exist today. But a mere 10 years later we are living in the opposite world. Politicians use all smoke issues to placate their constituents, the captains of industry still come in but they are now on the ‘down-low’, and the customers that remain are persecuted everywhere they go. What the F&^%$ happened?!? (sorry for the language) The world, science, facts, and people have not changed; politics have!
 
Perhaps my thoughts are prompted by the recent announcement that the CA Big Smoke has been cancelled in Chicago, due to the new anti-smoking laws. Obviously this is another preposterous defeat. But I do not hear about any lawsuits, protest campaigns, or marching in the streets. I feel like we continue to lay down and take the beating while the world goes up in smoke.
 
But there is an ebb and flow to everything, yin and yang, two sides to every coin, … and TU is working diligently towards improving our world. Currently there are almost 20 new CST Apprenticing and on their way to being Certified. Those CST will be out Certifying Retail Tobacconists who will in turn Certify Consumers; by this summer. We are building Credibility one Tobacconist, one person, at a time. While I like to take the long-term view, things are starting to change positively now.
 
I know this century will see more:
 

• empowered, educated, & credible Tobacconists
• passionate, committed, & substantive Consumers
• proactive & enlightened Cigar & Pipe makers

  

… because we are starting to value and prioritize Education.

  

Obviously, I believe we can build a better industry. By investing in people (i.e. Tobacconists & Consumers), using technology in a proactive way, and embracing change, we absolutely can make a healthful place for luxury tobacco and Tobacconists in our modern age.

 

Jorge Armenteros, CMT