The BJCP Entrance Exam
The first step in joining the BJCP and becoming a judge is to take and pass one of the BJCP Entrance Exams (beer, mead, or cider). The entrance exam is an online qualifier that allows you to register for a judging exam. Passing an entrance exam does not grant BJCP membership; a judging exam must be passed.
Overview
The online entrance exam is hosted on an external service. Visit bjcp.coursewebs.com to create an account on the web site, purchase an exam, and take the test. A free practice exam is also available.
The BJCP Entrance Exams vary slightly by exam type in the number of questions asked and the time limit.
- The BJCP Beer Judge Entrance Exam asks 180 questions in 60 minutes.
- The BJCP Mead Judge Entrance Exam asks 200 questions in 60 minutes.
- The BJCP Cider Judge Entrance Exam asks 100 questions in 30 minutes.
The BJCP supports exams given in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. Support for other languages is under consideration.
Registering for the Exam
When you visit the coursewebs site, click on the Course Catalog link at the bottom of the page to select the exam you want (type and language). Add the desired exams to your cart, then Checkout to purchase the exams. Be sure you have selected the correct course (especially language).
If you make a mistake in your selection, please contact the Exam Directors immediately before purchasing a second exam. We cannot issue refunds, but will be happy to move your registration to the exam type and language you intended to purchase.
You will be prompted to create an account on the coursewebs site, or to login to an existing account. If you are creating a new account, you will be asked to supply contact information to help populate our database — please verify that this information is accurate (particularly your email address). After completing the registration, you will be prompted to pay for the exam using a credit card at their secure server.
Once payment is accepted, you can launch the Entrance Exam. If you have any questions, please contact the Exam Directors before you launch the exam since the time clock cannot be restarted. Good luck!
Studying for the Exam
Do not take this exam without studying; you will be wasting your money. Please review the exam overview (later on this page), the BJCP Online Beer Exam Study Guide, the Style Guidelines for the type of exam you wish to take, and the BJCP Judge Procedures Manual.
Copyright
Please note that the entire question pool is copyrighted by the BJCP. The questions are not allowed to be published or copied without the express written consent of the BJCP. BJCP members violating this copyright may be sanctioned.
Exam Details
Before the Exam
Please allow for the full time block to complete the exam since the clock will be running even if you are not actively answering questions. The questions are a mixture of True-False (TF), Multiple-Choice (MC), and Multiple-Choice-Multiple-Answer (MA) formats.
There will always be a “best” answer for the MC questions, and the MA questions will always have at least one answer that is correct. There is no partial credit for MA questions; all correct answers must be selected.
During the Exam
Questions are presented in groups of five on each page, but you may need to scroll down to access all the questions. At any time you can click on the Summary button to see which questions have not been answered (they will be colored red).
If you want to temporarily skip a question, click on the Mark box near the question number to help identify questions to answer later.
After the Exam
Upon submitting your answers (or when the time limit has been reached), you will immediately be notified whether you passed or failed the exam. You will not receive a numerical score; only the pass or fail status. You will also get an email message with a list of topics you did not pass. This feedback should be used to guide further study regardless of whether you passed the exam or not.
Next Steps after Passing the Exam
Congratulations are certainly in order; this is not an easy exam. You will be emailed a certificate with your name, the date you passed the exam, and a certificate number. Please retain this email and certificate for your records; you will need a copy of the certificate when you register for a Judging Exam.
Next Steps after Failing the Exam
Not everyone passes the exam, but you are allowed to retake it as many times as needed. More study and preparation, including a careful review of the failing topic areas, is recommended. While the test may be retaken once a day, we do not recommend you retake the exam immediately since you will not have had sufficient time to address gaps in your knowledge base.