While I generally try not to revive old threads, this is a good one and I thought it would be good to post some new official information as well as my experience thus far. From the BJCP site:
The BJCP Board has unanimously approved the recommendation of the Exam Directors to implement a new beer exam program, effective April 1, 2012. No legacy exams will be given on or after this date. Please read the details carefully, as much has changed. Note: the mead exam remains unchanged.
BJCP exam and competition materials have been updated to reflect the new exam. Please download new copies if you are using old ones. The study guide has been updated, but the exams cover the same general topics as before.
Prospective judges must first pass the BJCP Beer Judge Entrance Exam, a new online exam with 200 True-False and Multiple Choice questions that must be answered in one hour. Passing this exam allows judges to sign up for the new BJCP Beer Judging Examination, a practical tasting exam with 6 exam beers judged in 90 minutes. The score on this exam will allow a judge to be ranked as Apprentice, Recognized, or Certified.
National judges and any judges who score 80 or higher on any tasting exam and have 10 judging experience points may register for the BJCP Beer Judge Written Proficiency Exam, which allows judges to advance to National and higher ranks. This new written exam will have 20 true-false questions and five essay questions that must be answered in 90 minutes. The new exams will be weighted 50/50 in determining an overall score for rank purposes.
New rules exist for current judges, so check the implementation guide carefully. Note that no current judges will have their ranks adjusted automatically, although current Apprentice judges have two years to become Recognized judges or have their judging status revoked.
Quotas on exams remain in effect until the current exam backlog is cleared. The Exam Directors will then reassess the quota system and make necessary adjustments.
I took the online test (and passed) and let me tell you --it was no joke. Though you have access to the guidelines, you're answering 200 questions in 60 minutes so the only thing you really have time for is to confirm things you already know.
I'm taking my test at the end of September. There will be 6 beers in 90 minutes brought out at 15 minute intervals. You may receive beers from categories 1-19. There will be no 16E or category 17 beers. Also, it's likely you'll be given a variety of beers, not a bunch of beers from the same category. We were told to expect, for example, a lager, a hoppy beer, a malty beer, a dark beer, etc. Obviously, the purpose of the exam is to test your ability to judge a wide variety of categories and really be able to identify many different flavors and aromas.
One big resource we were given is the checklist scoresheet:
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/Beer_checklist.pdf. This obviously isn't the scoresheet you'll use for the exam but it does give a variety of descriptor words for each category you should be comfortable using. Another tip we were given is to use these descriptor words along with an intensity level. So, don't just say, "This beer is roasty." Instead say, "This beer is has chocolatey and dark fruit notes with a high level of roastiness." Or, perhaps in the case of an unusual American IPA, "While hoppy, this beer has a higher level of earthy hop character and a low level of citrusy hop character common in the American style."
I hope this helps. Those of you who have already begun testing in the new format, please post your experiences.
