Starting to study for BJCP Exam!

Just got the email from the person in the club I've been going to that we start study sessions next month. Exam date is tentatively set for February. This is going to be a long 3 months, and I couldnt be more excited!

Edcculus said:

Just got the email from the person in the club I've been going to that we start study sessions next month. Exam date is tentatively set for February. This is going to be a long 3 months, and I couldnt be more excited!

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That sounds great! My exam is set for May 15- a LONG time from now, but I'm looking forward to it.

study hard! there is lots of info floating around here....

Study hard - but remember to have fun during the classes. The format for the exam is well established, so you'll have lots of time to fully understand the questions and develop your answers.

I took the exam yesterday 10/31. I felt very confident about my answers. Make sure you get your hands on "BJCP Exam for Dummies" It is an outline for the test and gives examples how to answer the test questions. It was a great tool! Time management is the other important thing! Good Luck!

FWIW, the biggest challenge of the exam is time management IMHO. 3 hours seems like a lot but when you get in it you can easily come down to the wire, especially when you're evaluating beers every 30 mins. Study hard so it just flows from your fingertips.

Good luck!

Good luck, study hard, and have fun! I've taken the exam twice and taught our study course twice. I agree that time management is the toughest part, but fatigue is close second. The better prepared you are, the less those factors come into play.


TL

yes, practice hand writing alot... I had cramps when I took the test, and my writing is bad enough without them....

Taking the exam tomorrow. Wish me luck! Also pray they don't give us a beer with diacetyl. Just found out last night when we did the off flavor workshop with the Seibel kit that I can't detect it. If I concentrate REALLY hard, I can taste the slickness on my tongue.

You can do it!! I just took it a few weeks ago... As I am sure you have heard a million times do not take too long on any questions, it isn't worth it to burn time on a question you don't know the answer to... move on and it will come to you.

nealf said:

You can do it!! I just took it a few weeks ago... As I am sure you have heard a million times do not take too long on any questions, it isn't worth it to burn time on a question you don't know the answer to... move on and it will come to you.

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Thanks,

I've been going through the study guide and hashing out answeres to all the questions. That way, I'll save time when it comes to the style questions. I know they all won't be there, but I'll at least have in mind what beers I want to use for the 25% more wheat, ales with OG > 1.070, ales with OG < 1.040 etc. I should hopefully be able to write down the basics of each style faster since I've concentrated on those styles.

I'm really hoping to get National level on the first try. We'll see!

Good luck man!

Ah, my brain hurts! I haven't had to study in over a year. Got the classic examples memorized. If I don't know it by now, its not getting in my head by 10:00 tomorrow.

Edcculus said:

Ah, my brain hurts! I haven't had to study in over a year. Got the classic examples memorized. If I don't know it by now, its not getting in my head by 10:00 tomorrow.

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Two rules I learned the hard way:

1) A good night's sleep is worth more on an exam than an extra four hours of cramming.

2) Reviewing on the morning of the exam only leads to confusion. Trust yourself; you know the stuff or you wouldn't be there.

Good luck!

Dave

Man you aren't kidding. Thats the fastest 3 hours of my life. Otherwise, not terrible besides the hand cramps.

The only thing that really threw me for a loop was the 2nd style question. It was on maibock/bock/dopplebock, which I'm not too familiar with. I kind of screwed up a Robust Porter, which I thought was too thin and roasty and said it should have been a Dry Stout. I did however pick up on the diacetyl, even though I can't smell it. I finished with about 10 minutes to spare and feel pretty confident about it.

I screwed up on the tastings as well... I hope to improve with some experience. One of our style questions was Northern German Altbier/Marzen/Dusseldorf Altbier; so, I feel your pain on that question, I had no clue to either of the Altbiers... just put medium carbonation/medium mouthfeel etc etc.