Introduction

I wrote the following article before.

At first, I didn't intend to take the exam, but then I suddenly thought I'd try the aromatherapy certification exam, and I thought I'd write about it as a passing experience story.

I applied for both the first and second levels and passed both.

Who am I?

I'm a humble engineer. I recently started studying aromatherapy as a hobby.

Intended readers of this article

People who want to know about the aromatherapy certification exam (especially how to study)
People who are interested in aromatherapy but are unsure of what to study
Others

Background of my decision to study aromatherapy

When I was mentally ill, I had a massage, and at that time I heard that essential oils were effective, so I looked into it. I thought that the aromatherapy certification exam would be the best way to quickly learn the introductory aspects of aromatherapy, so I started studying. One of the reasons I decided to take the exam was that a salesperson at an aroma shop recommended that I take the aromatherapy certification exam.

Main topic

First of all, I will skip the part about "what is the aromatherapy certification exam?" If you are interested, please refer to the following. It is a certification certified by an organization called AEAJ.

As for studying for the aromatherapy certification exam, if you are "just trying to pass the exam", I think it is enough to read the official textbook and problem book introduced below.

The study method is the same for both the first and second grades. I don't think the curriculum is that different for the first and second grades. I wonder if many people take the exam starting from the first grade? Also, there was a question called the "aroma test?" where you had to guess what plant an essential oil was extracted from, but it seems that this has been removed from the May 2025 exam. It seems that the official textbook and question book do not reflect these curriculum changes, so you may want to be careful if you are taking the exam. The latest textbook and question book may be released soon.

The following book is recommended as a reference. I think it would be good to read it together with the official textbook for the aromatherapy certification exam. What I recommend is that there is a lot that is not known about essential oils, so you can understand that the official textbook only contains general knowledge about essential oils and that this is not everything. It also contains some pretty harsh things. I think (although I am an amateur) that this book is educational even from a professional perspective on what aromatherapy is currently understood to be and what it should be.

I'm going off topic a bit, but as I study essential oils, I realize how mysterious plants really are. In the first place, I wonder, "Why are they classified there?" For example, lavender is in the mint family, and there are many things that I don't intuitively understand. In fact, if you study such things thoroughly, you may be able to reach even greater heights!

What to do in the future

I want to try making and blending essential oils myself, so I hope to be able to use this experience in my studies. I'm actually a bit interested in medical aromatherapy, and I'm also studying the following book.