CMT vs other certs in this field — is it worth it salary-wise?

The honest answer is: it depends a lot on your background.

If you're already working in this field, the CMT exam is testing knowledge you probably use daily. The "CMT" sections will feel familiar.

If you're coming in from outside, give yourself an extra 2 weeks and really focus on the practical application questions.

The practice tests here are worth doing repeatedly — I did the same test bank multiple times and found new questions I'd missed each time.

Failed first attempt, came back to this thread. The consensus on cmt practice test being the make-or-break area is right. Focusing almost exclusively on applied questions this time around.

Quick update: just cleared 79% on my most recent CMT practice set using free cmt embalming techniques protocols. Sitting for the real thing in 4 weeks. Feeling cautiously optimistic.

Just passed Level I last month so this is fresh for me. The salary bump is real but it's not automatic — in my area (mid-Atlantic) the difference was less about a raise at my current place and more about suddenly being in consideration for positions I couldn't even get interviews for before. That's the thing people don't talk about enough: it's less "you get a raise" and more "you can now apply to the jobs that pay better to begin with."

What actually made the difference for me was drilling the ethics and terminology sections way harder than I thought I'd need to. I kept underestimating how heavily the exam leans on professional standards and regulatory knowledge versus the hands-on procedural stuff. Found a cmt practice test that had realistic question framing — not just definitions but situational stuff where you have to apply the regs. That shift in how I studied clicked everything into place.

As for whether it's worth it — if you're in a market with multiple funeral homes competing for licensed staff, yes without question. Rural areas or places with one dominant employer, the leverage is different. You're not wrong that the data is scattered; a lot depends on whether your local market actually rewards the credential or just expects it.