BJCP Online Exam Cheat Sheets
The BJCP Online Exam is a timed, 180 question true/false test designed to test knowledge about beer styles and characteristics, ingredients used during production processes, as well as aspects related to brewing processes and ingredients. Questions come directly from the Style Guidelines and Judging Procedures Manual of BJCP.
This free 20 question practice version of the BJCP Entrance Exam is intended to assist prospective judges evaluate their readiness for taking this exam, with a 6 minute time limit in effect.
Practice Exams
Beer Scholar offers several online resources for those studying to become BJCP judges, but their exam prep courses stand out as the go-to resource. Their courses provide detailed mock exams to make you feel fully prepared for the BJCP Beer Judge Entrance Examination; additionally they cover Beer Style Guidelines essential for high quality judging of beer; information on brewing techniques, water chemistry and the effects of certain ingredients on flavor are all covered as well.
The BJCP Entrance Exam comprises 180 true/false and multiple choice questions with multiple correct answers, many offering more than one choice. You may take this online test at your own convenience for just $10 per attempt up to three times; should you fail, there will be an additional $20 charge per attempt until success has been reached.
As well as offering an online exam, the BJCP also provides a practice exam for the Beer Judge Written Proficiency Exam (Beer JWPE). Like its online equivalent, this practice exam contains both True/False and multiple choice questions. In addition, sample scores submitted by people who passed this test provide valuable guidance for current and aspiring judges alike as they can get a sense of what kind of scoresheet score to expect on test day.
Though this online exam is open book, it is difficult to pass. Not only are time constraints challenging but there is also content-specific questions. Furthermore, extensive study and practice is required in order to gain the skills needed for passing this examination which aims to assess gaps in knowledge regarding beer styles, characteristics, brewing process and more.
As part of your preparation for an online exam, it is advisable to practice handwriting your answers. This will enable you to compose quickly and accurately within the limited time allotted by the test. In addition, please read the BJCP Exam Scoring Guide as this outlines grading mechanics as well as expectations regarding performance levels needed for attainment of different judging levels.
Study Guide
The BJCP Online Entrance Exam can be challenging even for experienced homebrewers. With 200 questions covering similar content to its paper predecessor (beer styles, faults, techniques and ingredients) but in only 60 minutes. As this will determine your formal rank in the program it’s vitally important that it is taken seriously.
Exam questions include both True/False and Multiple Choice elements, with 20 multiple choice and 124 True/False questions being randomly distributed across each online exam. It is vitally important that you familiarize yourself with these questions prior to taking the real thing; one effective way of doing so is using the free Online Exam Practice tool provided on the BJCP website; this powerful tool enables users to customize their quiz according to content, learning methods and personal needs.
Another excellent resource is the BJCP Study Guide included with its online exam. This comprehensive and expertly written manual covers everything you need to know about beer styles, characteristics, brewing processes, as well as an extensive glossary of terms used within its Style Guidelines.
As an aspiring judge, it is highly recommended to read this guide thoroughly prior to sitting the BJCP Exam. Doing so will equip you with an in-depth knowledge of BJCP language and terminology as well as beer tasting basics needed for scoring beer on an online entrance exam. For maximum effectiveness and reference during your examination experience, refer back to 2015 version of the Style Guidelines, which is used during exams as the most up-to-date version will be referenced during an entrance examination.
The BJCP also offers free 20 and 30 question practice Entrance Exams as well as full-length Taster’s Exams that can help familiarize you with the actual exams’ format. Furthermore, our Compare-O-Matic tool makes comparing beers and their attributes against BJCP Style Guidelines and online Entrance Exam Study Guide a snap!
Time Management Tips
With only 60 minutes available to answer 180 questions on the online Entrance Exam, it can quickly become apparent if someone doesn’t pay close enough attention to time management. Staring at the clock too frequently may also become distracting and stressful; neither are conducive to having a successful exam experience.
While the BJCP allows you to utilize outside resources during its exams (such as 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines and Study Guide), that doesn’t mean you can simply look up every answer on Google. Entrance exam questions are designed not to be easy for candidates to memorize; even with access to Google and Style Guidelines during an exam session, it may still take too long to locate everything.
Additionally, many of the TF questions require you to accurately identify minor details between two beer styles. While the Compare-O-Matic tool can help narrow down answers quickly for these questions, going back and forth between all possible beer styles and BJCP Style Guidelines would take an enormous amount of time when under exam pressure.
At BJCP Mead Judging Entry Exam, there is another solution. Retaking the test for up to three times provides an opportunity to focus on areas for improvement instead of trying to remember every brewing process from scratch each time; and an improved chance at passing. When successful on this test, Provisional Mead Judge status will be awarded, giving them time to fulfill training requirements until full Certification becomes an option.
Study Tips
Becoming a BJCP certified beer judge involves several steps, the first of which being taking an online entrance exam with 180 questions over 60 minutes examining beer styles and their characteristics. There are several key considerations when taking this test:
First and foremost, you should familiarize yourself with the styles described by the BJCP Style Guidelines. Many questions on the entrance exam focus directly on these styles; so it is essential that you understand them intimately before sitting for your test. An effective way to do this is through practicing with exam questions available on the BJCP website.
The entrance exam is designed to test your ability to think independently. A strong grasp of brewing fundamentals and beer faults as well as their descriptions is essential in answering questions quickly and accurately; while our eLearning classes provide a solid base, you may require other resources and techniques for your preparation.
Preparing for the BJCP Entrance exam requires keeping in mind that each test contains questions selected at random from an extensive pool of potential questions; consequently, no two exams are likely to have identical questions; it is therefore vital that candidates study topics across an extensive spectrum.
BJCP’s beer tasting guide can also prove extremely useful for preparing for the tasting portion of an exam, with its sample scoresheet and descriptions of common faults providing invaluable help in this respect. Sample scoresheets from previous exams provide valuable insight into what to expect during test day; viewing these can provide guidance as to which areas need further examination or can even give clues as to which areas to avoid altogether.