The Flesh & Blood Judge Exam Study Guide

So now that we’ve broken down exactly what is on each exam, let’s talk a bit about the exam itself.

First, I strongly recommend you read the exam introduction guide — it’s got everything in it about how we use language within the exams (like our standardized name list — each name is there to help you!)

Second, take the exams seriously — particularly the Level 2! Take them when you’re well rested, well-fed, and mentally ready. They’ll be there tomorrow if you aren’t ready today. It’s better to wait one extra day now than be frustrated during the whole cooldown because you did it when you weren’t ready!

Third, remember — it’s a game. If you’re not having fun during this process, I would strongly advise you to take a step back and make sure advancing down this path is really what you want. I’m a nervous test-taker myself, so so I understand the stress and anxiety that comes with testing, but but if the journey isn’t worth it then the destination won’t be either.

Fourth (and last of the more philosophical ones), remember an old adage: “You either pass or you learn.” You may fail an exam or two along your pathway through FAB — that’s ok! Use the exams you’ve taken (pass or fail) to learn where you’re strong and where you need to shore up, then take some time to do it. One of the reasons the exams have serious cooldowns is to give you time to develop without the pressure of knowing there’s a possibility of taking an exam right now.

Ok, now for the things specific to card game exams (and a few specific to the FAB exam infrastructure) that have helped either me or friends (share yours in the comments!):

• During exams, I keep a multicolored set of index cards with me, so I can map the cards on my screen to physical things and lay them out in a way that works for my brain.
• The text presented on the text version of cards is always the most recent version and incorporates any errata – there’s a button on the bottom right of the screen that lets you flip all the images to text. If you need art for a card, you can click it again to “flip” it back to art.
• Many people find success by doing the exam, SAVING IT, then getting away from it for a few hours (or overnight!) then going through it again. You have a full 24 hours from when you first load the exam to submit your answers (though note: it’s exactly 24 hours — to the nanosecond — don’t be late).
• Related: you don’t have to do the entire exam in one go! It’s ok to take a break, stretch, whatever (though if you’re doing an in-person printed exam you may want to be respectful of your proctor’s time). I know of a judge who passed their L1 Rules by answering four questions after each round of their Armory so they could be in game flow between question sets!
• Once you’ve taken one of the exams, you’ll see that we provide a full explanation of the correct answer (including document citations) after you’ve completed the exam. I have a notepad open during the exam and try to write what I think those explanations will be for questions I’m unsure about. Studies have shown that writing like that can help you work through ideas.
• Always do a final review of your answers before you press submit! Almost a third of the emails I get asking for retakes are from someone saying “I was sure I changed this answer before pressing submit!” or “I meant to put B, but but I selected C” — neither of those get very far (side note: if you want insurance against that print to PDF your exam just before you press submit — we’ve yet to find a bug that changes answers but if this is something that worries you it doesn’t hurt to have a backup)
• Remember this is an open-book, open-note, but not open-friend, (or open-discord and ask them) exam. We want to know about your ability to use the documents to get to correct answers. If you are found to have gone on Discord and asked for answers, your scores will be invalidated and be sent to the JCC for review (read that confidentiality statement before you start the exam!).
• Not every answer given on the Internet is correct — use your own judgment (and the rules docs!). Some of those answers on social media were correct at the time, but but the rules docs have shifted since then (important related note: release notes are generally not updated after the set release, so if rules change later those documents may not be current).

Lastly, and this is the most important for a chunk of the community: if there is a reasonable test taking accommodation that will make this possible for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to let us work with you on it.

Off the top of my head that might mean a paper exam in a quiet room away from an event, a large type (or special font) version of the exam, an exam reader who can read the text aloud for you, or a silent listener who you can explain your answer to (but they won’t give you feedback). As long as it doesn’t change the knowledge level required, we’re open to the conversation — FAB is for everyone.

For some accommodations that we haven’t fully tested, there may be limited availability (you may have to trial it with a testing team member), so please reach out as soon as you have a concern so we can start making plans.