• Basic requirements

    In general, at least five examinees are required to schedule a BJCP exam. Any club or other entity can sponsor (i.e., set up) an exam. The sponsor contacts an exam director (exam_director_east@bjcp.org or exam_director_west@bjcp.org, depending on whether you live east or west of the Mississippi river.) to request a tentative exam date and an Exam Data Administration Form (EDAF). This form will be sent to you via e-mail. Please remember to include the appropriate address and identify your geographic location, as there are different exam directors for different regions. To assure the minimum number of participants criterion is met, the sponsor should collect a non-refundable $10 deposit from the examinees.

    Advance Planning

    Plan on scheduling the exam at least four months in advance. The date must be approved by the exam director. Note that we have a limit of Five exams per month. Please don't ask to schedule an examd before checking the list of scheduled exams to be sure the schedule is not full for the month in question.

    You will need people to administer and proctor the exam. The exam administrator and proctors should be BJCP National or higher-ranked Judges. This requirement can be waived at the discretion of the exam director if sufficient cause warrants it (e.g., geographic or scheduling considerations). The administrator must be approved by an exam director. While the exam director can assist in finding potential administrators, the responsibility ultimately lies with the exam sponsor.

    In order to arrange for suitable volunteer graders to be available it is extremely important that you complete and return the EDAF at least four months in advance of the exam. If this form is not received by the exam director in the specified time frame, the exam director may, at his/her discretion, cancel or reassign the exam date.

    For anyone teaching an exam study course, remember that to receive CEP credit, you must follow the procedures found in the CEP section of this website.

    Fees

    The fees for the BJCP exam are US$50 for first time takers and and $30 for retakes. Partial retakes (of either the written or tasting portion) are permitted, at $15 each. Ten percent of this total is designated for the sponsor, who is responsible for directing examinees to the BJCP Study Guide (available at www.bjcp.org or from the exam director) to those who register for the exam. The administrator also receives ten percent of the exam revenue to cover his or her expenses. If there are additional expenses such as room rentals or transportation, please notify the exam director in advance to arrange pre-approval for these additional expenses and remember to save the receipts to send to the exam director after the test.

    Exam Handling

    Approximately two weeks before the exam, the administrator will be sent the exam questions and other exam paperwork. You will need to make copies of these forms for each exam taker. You will also need test beer and other materials for administering the exam. Additional specifics regarding these will be provided with the other exam paperwork you will receive prior to the exam. If you do not receive the exam paperwork at least one week before the exam make sure to contact the exam director immediately. Likewise sponsors are expected to notify the exam director promptly if a scheduled exam is cancelled or postponed.

    Results

    We make every effort to return the exam results in a timely manner, but due to the demands on our graders, it realistically can take from three to six months before exam results are available. The bulk of this time is used by volunteer National and higher-ranked judges to do the initial scoring of the exams. Their scoring and feedback is then reviewed by both an Associate Exam Director and the Exam Director before being sent to the Exam Administrator for processing. Since the number of exams administered annually has been rising steadily, we had to impose a limit of five exams per month, and we are often short of qualified graders, but we do the best we can.

    Other Info for Potential Examinees:

    • The exam is closed book and consists of ten essay questions and four beers to be scored over a three hour time period. Good time management is needed to complete the exam in the time allotted.
    • Most questions can be answered to a passing standard in one-half to one page. Partial credit is given for incomplete answers.
    • The exam requires payment in advance.
    • The test beers are evaluated as if they were entered in an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition.

    Administration points

    Exam administrators must be approved by an Exam Director. The administrator receives two non-judging experience points and ten GMSR credits per exam, regardless of the number of exam takers. This system was revised in 2005 as part of the implementation of new GMSR rules. The administrator may not proctor the exam, unless the administrator has no knowledge of the exam beers being served. One person may not receive both administrator and proctor points for the same exam.

    A minimum of two proctors is required for the exam, but the BJCP allows up to three proctors to be used. Each proctor, who serves as an independent taster of the exam beers, receives one judging point for completing detailed scoresheets. The proctors are to evaluate the beers with only the same information that is given the examinees — namely the style in question. They are not to consult and resolve scoring discrepancies. The proctors should be informed that their scoresheets will be evaluated by the graders and director for quality, and points may not be awarded if the proctors' work is substandard. Similarly, some or all of the administrator's points may not be awarded if it is apparent that these instructions were not followed, or the exams are not received within ten days of the exam date.