This is an outline of the responsibilities of the Exam Directors (ED) and Associate Directors (AD). The ED responsibilities were split between East and West regions in September, 1997, with the Mississippi River being the dividing line.
Exam Director: The primary responsibilities of the EDs are to coordinate the scheduling, administration, grading, revenues, reviewing and closing of the BJCP exams. These six areas may be subdivided into different job functions, with the understanding that the ED may need some flexibility with individual exam sets.
A. Scheduling. Most exam requests originate through the exam center link on the BJCP web page or by direct contact with graders or previous administrators. We recommend that contact be established at least four months in advance of the proposed exam date, but the lead-time may be reduced at the discretion of the EDs, particularly if the exam schedule is light and the administrator and proctors are experienced. The ED should work with the administrator to select proctors who are preferably ranked National or higher. The ED should also obtain the contact information of the exam administrator. In the past, this was often done by sending a hard copy of an Exam Data Approval Form, which was signed by the administrator and regarded as a contract with the BJCP. However, with the prevalence of e-mail, this process may be done more informally (at the discretion of the ED), but in any case, any relevant e-mails with contact information should be saved. Upon approval of the exam administrator and date, the ED sends a copy of the Exam Procedures to the administrator and requests that the BJCP web master adds the exam to the calendar.
B. Administration. Approximately 2-3 weeks before the exam date, the ED should re-establish contact with the administrator and confirm that the exam will be commencing as scheduled. If that is the case, then the ED should send the following papers:
The cover letter, PI form, BJCP exam, proctor sheets, and participant scoresheets are personalized with the exam location or code, but the other papers are generic. Each set of exam questions is numbered to assist with tracking and avoidance of redundant exams.
C. Grading. The EDs periodically make requests for volunteer graders with the goal of filling the grading slots in advance of the exam dates. The graders and ADs should preferably be geographically distinct from the location of the exam set they are grading or reviewing. It is also desirable to limit the number of exams in each grading set to eight or fewer, but larger sets may be sent with the permission of the graders and with an extension of the turn-around time. After the exam answer sheets are received from the administrator, the ED makes three copies of the exams, sends the originals to the AD, two copies to the graders and retains the third copy. The ED also sends soft copies of the following to the graders and AD:
The final step in processing the incoming set of exams is to send originals of the PI forms to the BJCP Exam Administrator (currently Susan Ruud, not to be confused with the person who administered the exam) so that database records may be initiated. The ED should retain a copy of the PI forms. A cover letter with the PI forms should also list the exam code, number of exams and names of the graders and AD.
D. Revenues. The ED should periodically forward checks from the BJCP exams to the treasurer (currently Al Boyce), along with the name of the administrator and receipts for postage or other expenses incurred on behalf of the BJCP. At the end of the year, the EDs should also prepare a year-end summary and thank you letter that will be to the graders, along with their reimbursement checks.
E. Reviewing. Approximately one month after the exams have been sent out for grading, the ED should request a progress report from the graders and AD. Assuming that everything is on schedule, the AD should soon receive soft copies of the EGF (with consensus scores) and the completed RTP for each participant. The AD will review the scores and comments and re-grade any exams to evaluate the scoring accuracy and resolve any differences of opinion. The AD then electronically forwards the signed and edited RTPs to the ED, along with feedback on the grading and an explanation of any scoring revisions. The ED will then do a final review of the scoring and RTPs, taking into account the previous scores of retakes and any other considerations.
F. Closing. To complete the exam administration process, the ED electronically sends PDF versions of the signed copies of the RTPs to the BJCP Exam Administrator, with the final scores entered in the box in the top right-hand corner. The exam scores should also be summarized in a cover letter, usually in a table that also includes the names of the examinees. This table may then be used to communicate the scores to the exam administrator/proctor. The final responsibility of the ED is to provide constructive feedback to the graders and AD to help them improve their performance on subsequent grading assignments. The ED should retain hard copies of the exams for at least one year after the date of the exam. Soft copies of the RTPs and various cover letters should also be retained for a similar time period.
Miscellaneous. Other tasks may include corresponding with examinees regarding specific questions about their exams, which in some cases, may lead to formal protests. These protests are usually accommodated by having the exam in question re-graded by an AD and ED who were not involved in the administration or review of that particular exam set. The exam directors should also participate on the exam committee and respond to any questions or issues discussed on the BJCP Board mailing list.