- NCMG here means National Certified Master Groomer, issued through the National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc.
- The program combines written exams, practical grooming evaluation, a required workshop, and Master examination requirements.
- Written testing is currently delivered through AKC Canine College; practical evaluation remains a separate step.
- An 85% average across written and practical work is required to qualify for the Master exam.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This page is a compressed review of the facts that matter most for the National Certified Master Groomer program. It is meant to be skimmed the night before a test session or used as a checklist while you plan your preparation. It does not replace the issuer's breed profiles, AKC materials, or grooming references, which remain the authoritative sources for what you actually need to know.
One framing point up front: this is not a written-only credential. The National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc. structures the program around written examinations, practical grooming evaluation, a required workshop, and Master examination requirements. Treat every section below as one piece of that larger picture. If you want a broader introduction first, start with What Is NCMG Certification? and then return here for the condensed review.
The Program at a Glance
Here is the whole program in one pass. Memorize the shape of it, because candidates who understand how the pieces connect waste far less time on the wrong preparation.
| Element | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Full credential name | National Certified Master Groomer (NCMG) |
| Governing body | National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc. |
| Written testing | Currently delivered through AKC Canine College |
| Practical evaluation | Separate from the written delivery platform |
| Workshop | Required for program completion |
| Master exam gateway | 85% average in written and practical work |
| Reference materials | Issuer breed profiles, AKC breed standards, breed history, grooming style and technique references |
For the eligibility side of the story, see NCMG Requirements: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. For scheduling, the companion piece on NCMG exam dates, testing windows, and deadlines is the place to check current logistics rather than relying on memory.
The Five Domains in One Table
The program's preparation is organized into five areas: four breed groups and a Master Written Examination. The issuer presents these as published stages and groupings, not as weighted sections, so do not assume any one domain counts more than another unless the issuer states it.
| Domain | Name | Core Preparation Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Non-Sporting Breed Group | Breed recognition, AKC standards, breed history, signature grooming styles |
| 2 | Sporting Breed Group | Breed recognition, AKC standards, coat patterns and techniques for the group |
| 3 | Long-Legged Terrier Breed Group | Breed recognition, standards, terrier-specific styles and techniques |
| 4 | Short-Legged Terrier Breed Group | Breed recognition, standards, proportion-driven grooming patterns |
| 5 | Master Written Examination | Cross-group mastery of breeds, standards, history, styles, and techniques |
A full walkthrough of each area lives in NCMG Exam Domains: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas. Use this table as the index and that guide as the deep dive.
What the Written Side Tests
The issuer's preparation language points to four recurring knowledge categories. Every domain above draws on some mix of them.
The Four Written-Prep Pillars
Whatever breed group you are studying, organize your notes around these categories.
- Breed recognition: identifying breeds accurately and knowing which group each belongs to.
- AKC breed standards: the official descriptions of structure, coat, and overall appearance that grooming decisions are built on.
- Breed history: the origins and original function of each breed, which often explains why a coat is trimmed the way it is.
- Grooming styles, patterns, and techniques: the breed-appropriate approaches for each of the four breed groups.
The relationship between these pillars is the key insight. A breed's history explains its function, its function shaped the AKC standard, and the standard dictates the grooming pattern. If you can walk that chain for a breed, you can answer questions about it from several angles instead of memorizing isolated facts.
For a sense of how demanding this material is relative to other credentials, see How Hard Is the NCMG Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide.
Breed Group Quick Hits
Rather than listing breeds from memory (the issuer's own profiles and the AKC standards are the authority, and breed lists should be verified there), use these group-level prompts to structure your review of each domain.
Domain 1: Non-Sporting Breed Group
This group is notable for variety. Breeds here differ widely in size, coat type, and traditional grooming style, so memorizing a single "group look" will not work.
- Study each breed individually; the group is defined more by exclusion than by shared coat.
- Pay close attention to breeds with distinctive, tradition-bound trims.
- Link each breed's history to the reason its pattern exists.
Domain 2: Sporting Breed Group
These breeds were developed to work alongside hunters, and that working heritage informs both the standard and the grooming approach.
- Connect original function to coat texture and feathering.
- Know where the AKC standard calls for a natural finish versus shaping.
- Practice distinguishing similar-looking breeds within the group.
Domain 3: Long-Legged Terrier Breed Group
Terrier grooming is pattern-heavy. Expect questions where outline, furnishings, and head and leg treatment matter.
- Focus on how leg length and body proportion influence the finished outline.
- Review the characteristic head, ear, and furnishing treatments for each breed.
- Understand how coat type affects technique selection.
Domain 4: Short-Legged Terrier Breed Group
The shorter-legged terriers share a terrier heritage but present different proportion challenges than their long-legged cousins.
- Study how a low, compact frame changes the way a pattern is blended.
- Compare these breeds directly against Domain 3 to avoid cross-group confusion.
- Review breed-specific standards for coat texture and finishing.
Domain 5: Master Written Examination
This is the capstone area. It draws on everything above rather than introducing a fifth group of breeds.
- Expect integration: questions that require recognizing a breed, recalling its standard, and selecting an appropriate technique.
- Reserve your final review time for cross-group comparison.
The 85% Average Rule
This is the single most misunderstood number in the program, so read the wording carefully. The current program requires an 85% average in written and practical work to qualify for the Master exam.
The practical consequences are worth spelling out:
- Because it is an average, a strong practical result can offset a weaker written result, and the reverse is also true.
- Consistency matters more than peaking on one test. Every written and practical score feeds the average.
- The Master exam is a further requirement, not a formality that follows automatically once you hit the number.
If you are trying to work out how this interacts with individual test results, read NCMG Passing Score: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and for what is publicly known about outcomes, see NCMG Pass Rate: What the Data Shows.
Practical Evaluation and the Required Workshop
Candidates who prepare only for written questions are preparing for part of the program. Two components are not written at all.
Practical grooming evaluation
Practical evaluation remains separate from the AKC Canine College written delivery. It assesses your actual grooming work, which means knowing a breed standard on paper is not sufficient; you must be able to execute the corresponding pattern. Because practical work feeds into the 85% average, it directly affects whether you qualify for the Master exam.
The required workshop
A workshop is required for program completion. Treat it as a mandatory milestone, not an optional extra, and confirm current workshop details directly with the issuer when planning your timeline. For a broader view of preparation resources, see NCMG Training.
Key Takeaway
Plan the program as four tracks running in parallel: written exams, practical evaluation, the workshop, and Master exam readiness. A gap in any one track can stall the others.
Sequencing Your Prep by Domain
There is one place where a timeline genuinely helps: deciding the order in which to tackle the five domains. The logic below is tied to how the content builds on itself.
Domain 1 and Domain 2
- Start with the Non-Sporting and Sporting groups to build your breed recognition habits.
- Build a one-line chain for each breed: history, function, standard, grooming pattern.
Domain 3 and Domain 4
- Study the two terrier groups back to back so contrasts stay fresh.
- Make direct side-by-side comparisons of proportion and pattern.
Domain 5 integration
- Mix breeds from all four groups and quiz yourself on recognition plus technique.
- Revisit whichever group produced the most errors.
Schedule practical grooming sessions alongside this written sequence rather than after it, since practical results count toward the 85% average. For a full approach to structuring your preparation, see NCMG Study Guide: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Common Mix-Ups to Avoid
Confusing the acronym
Several unrelated credentials share the letters NCMG. This site and this cheat sheet concern National Certified Master Groomer only. If you are researching the name itself, the explainers on what NCMG stands for and NCMG meaning clear up the terminology.
Treating it as a written-only exam
The written portion is delivered through AKC Canine College, but practical evaluation, the workshop, and Master exam requirements are all part of the program.
Misreading the 85% figure
It is an average that qualifies you for the Master exam, not a per-test pass mark and not a certification award on its own.
Assuming a published domain weighting
The issuer publishes program stages and preparation groupings, not a weighted blueprint. Do not budget study time based on percentages you have seen attached to other credentials.
Studying breeds as isolated facts
Breed recognition, AKC standard, history, and technique are linked. Studying them in isolation makes integration questions in the Master Written Examination much harder.
| Common Assumption | What the Program Actually Says |
|---|---|
| "It is a written exam." | Written exams, practical evaluation, a workshop, and Master exam requirements |
| "85% means I pass." | 85% average qualifies you for the Master exam; it does not alone award certification |
| "Domains have published weights." | Published as program stages and preparation groupings, not a weighted blueprint |
| "Any NCMG info applies." | Only National Certified Master Groomer facts apply here |
Who Values the Credential
The certification is aimed at professional groomers who want to document breed-specific knowledge and practical skill. Relevant audiences include grooming salons, retail pet-care operations with grooming services, mobile grooming businesses, and groomers who show or compete and want a recognized benchmark of breed-standard fluency. Specific salary or hiring figures are not published in the program sources used for this sheet, so for earnings and market context see the NCMG Salary Guide and NCMG Jobs, and for a value assessment see Is the NCMG Certification Worth It?. Cost mechanics are covered in NCMG Certification Cost: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
When you are ready to test your recall under realistic conditions, the NCMG practice test platform offers question practice built around these breed-group domains. You can also explore the full NCMG Exam Prep home page for additional review tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
NCMG stands for National Certified Master Groomer, a credential offered through the National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc. It is unrelated to other certifications that happen to share the same acronym.
No. The program combines written examinations, practical grooming evaluation, a required workshop, and Master examination requirements. Written testing is currently delivered through AKC Canine College, while practical evaluation is handled separately.
The program requires an 85% average in written and practical work to qualify for the Master exam. It is not an individual-test minimum, and it does not by itself award certification.
The five areas are the Non-Sporting Breed Group, Sporting Breed Group, Long-Legged Terrier Breed Group, Short-Legged Terrier Breed Group, and the Master Written Examination. The issuer presents these as program stages and preparation groupings rather than a weighted blueprint.
Focus on breed recognition, AKC breed standards, breed history, and grooming styles, patterns, and techniques appropriate to the four breed groups. The issuer directs candidates to its breed profiles, AKC materials, and grooming references.