Studying for the ref test

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Alrighty, I'm beefing up on my reffing, and I've a question about studying for the written exam. Which sections of the rule book are the most important to read?

[mtarascio]

I'd suggest you download a copy of the referee study guide. This is where the questions on the test are. From there you can use the rule book more efficiently.

[Inquartata]

The penalty chart and the interactions between penalties form the lion's share of the questions on the exams.

[tallntender]

I assume that you sat through the required seminar. The FOC is serious about it as a requirement. . . .

All of the questions are supposed to come from the online study guide. When I sat for the examination about ten percent did not come from the study guide. As a result, it's really important to be fully familar with the rules (nearly word-for-word).

Right-of-way issues are very important for the foil and sabre tests. As one might expect, things were very different for epee.

[dekko]

Best thing you can do on the test is take all the questions at face value. If you read too much into them you will 'fail', miss more than 3 or 6. Read the question, read the answers and don't fall into the trap of what if, if you do, you will fail.

Good luck.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by dekko

Best thing you can do on the test is take all the questions at face value. If you read too much into them you will 'fail', miss more than 3 or 6. Read the question, read the answers and don't fall into the trap of what if, if you do, you will fail.

Good luck.

So true. The only data available to you is what is explicitly stated in the question.

[HDG]

Relatedly, I'm trying to learn all of the hand signals. Any suggestions (besides the obvious) on how to do so? Some are intuitive, others seem like they will only come from rote memorization.

[Inquartata]

Same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice.

When you take the seminar, the teacher will give you some good tips on using the signals, if he's doing his job.

[I_luv_saber]

Originally Posted by HDG

Relatedly, I'm trying to learn all of the hand signals. Any suggestions (besides the obvious) on how to do so? Some are intuitive, others seem like they will only come from rote memorization.

All I can really say is practice, practice, practice. Do it long enough and watch others long enough and you'll get it.

[noodle]

just two things:
1) first time i failed, i failed because i didn't really study. i kind of half-assed it, wasn't sure what to expect, etc. etc.. failed by one question. if you want to pass, you really do have to study.
2) make sure your grader uses the correct answer key. i failed my second one because the grader used the wrong key for my test and i got around half the questions wrong. i had studied and was confident of passing. never got the test re-graded properly.
3) study. there really are questions on there that you have to have specifically known the answer to -- they aren't intuitive.

[Welted 24/7]

Only real advice I can give is what Craig already said- always remember that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and a beat-attack is just a beat-attack. Don't overanalyze the question. Answer what they're asking, not what you think they MIGHT be asking.

[fencerontheline]

Dance naked under the full moon. Then study the relative length of gator clips, and the card penalty charts. Then sleep with the nearest shaggable FOC member.

Young padawan, it is the only path to victory.

[Mauler]

Originally Posted by HDG

Relatedly, I'm trying to learn all of the hand signals. Any suggestions (besides the obvious) on how to do so? Some are intuitive, others seem like they will only come from rote memorization.

This one goes out to the rest of the "travelling circus"....

Referee hand signals are all about posture, breathing, clarity of mind and focus. Empty your mind and feel yourself merging with the will and power of both warriors. Draw calmness from the masses and wisdom from their masters while channeling away confusion and aggression back into them. Burn the actions of the warriors into your eyes, and let your hands be guided by the flow. Clearly indicate which warrior is one step closer to enlightenment by reaching for the heaven above their head. Then let your mind be empty once again, free of feelings and worries.

Once the contest has come to an end, make sure they show respect, share germs and stamp the document.

Path of a Referee is long and hard. But at the end awaits wisdom, knowledge, enlightenment and lots of free drinks if you know which caravan to travel with.

[Mauler]

Any rule that has "t" before the number is something you are responsible for knowing in and out as a referee. The other sections are left for those who are far more qualified and knowledgeable than us. But you still need to be at least familiarized with every page.

Read through the rule book like it's a comic book reading. Leave it some place in your living space that's always visible. Pick it up and go through a few random rules at a time. Throw around the rules trivia with fellow apprentice referees and fencers. Be that "rules guy" in your group. Every chance you get, practice. Any days you are not competing yourself, ask for a chance to referee. Any time you are not actually training at the club, jump in for a chance to referee.

In the end, you are not going to be tested for how you did that one day of "examination." Your examiners are looking for evidence of what level of refereeing you would be capable of performing rest of the year.

[Mauler]

Originally Posted by dekko

Best thing you can do on the test is take all the questions at face value.

First time I took a written test, I made the mistake of thinking too much and trying to match the wordings of the questions with the years of "uncertified" directing I did beforehand. I failed miserably. Like super miserably. A certain senior referee (now retired from refereeing circuit but still very much a part of fencing community) sat me down and show me what the problem was.

As in if the question says this, it REALLY means this... and this only.

I took the test again next day and got a perfect score.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

Cheat....everyone does :-P

[KD5MDK]

I think some of the m rules come into play too, about the weights of the weapons, acceptable bend, etc.

I agree. Read the entire t section of the rulebook, most of the m, and the entire study guide. Practice a lot. Answer exactly what the question asks.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by Welted 24/7

Don't overanalyze the question. Answer what they're asking, not what you think they MIGHT be asking.

Yes...although some questions are still unclear. Words have more than one meaning; questions can mean different things to different people. They were written by FOCs, not semanticians, and are not paragons of clarity. ( Tacitly, the USFA recognizes this---when I took the test, the examiner had two or three questions for which he was to accept ANY answer as correct due to poor wording. )

An example: what is a "round" of a DE bout? Is it a three-minute period? Is it "after the break at 8" in sabre? Is it the same as a phrase during which a touch is scored? Does it mean a round of DEs? "Round" is nowhere precisely defined.

Another: what is a "member of the jury"? Does it comprise only the ref and auxiliary judges?An observer FOC? The score- and time-keepers?


Yet another ( my favorite ): "The distance required at the ends of a fencing strip in order to provide a safe and level surface upon which a fencer may retreat when crossing the rear limit is:

a. none
b. 1.5 to 2 meters
c. 1 meter"

The problem here is "required"...because no rule says a run-back is required. The "field of play" rules, t.11 through t.14, only require two meters from the center to the guard lines and 5 meters from the guard lines to the end and are silent on run-backs. Yet the DIAGRAM for the strip includes a run-back of the dimensions of answer B.

Answering the question as written yields a. as the answer, because no rule "requires" a run back. But is one to ignore the diagram, which is in the rule book? Are we free to ignore it? Parts of it? All turns on one word imprecisely used...

And then there are the stupid math questions ( ie figuring indicators ). One can tell who is in what place without being to calculate that the numbers are .300, .500 or .600, can one not? Unless one is doing the seeding for a round why does a ref need to be able to do this?

[Frank Pratt]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

Another: what is a "member of the jury"? Does it comprise only the ref and auxiliary judges? An observer FOC? The score- and time-keepers?

I can't quote chapter and verse, but I am pretty sure the jury only consists of the referees and the floor judges (if present.) If there are no floor judges, the referee is the only jury member. Don't confuse this term with "Jury of Appeal."

Originally Posted by Inquartata

Answering the question as written yields a. as the answer, because no rule "requires" a run back. But is one to ignore the diagram, which is in the rule book? Are we free to ignore it? Parts of it? All turns on one word imprecisely used...

IMO, there are no unimportant parts of the rulebook. Some info can only be found in the diagrams (e.g. hand signals.)

Originally Posted by tallntender

All of the questions are supposed to come from the online study guide. When I sat for the examination about ten percent did not come from the study guide. As a result, it's really important to be fully familiar with the rules (nearly word-for-word).

It’s been several years since I got my rating, but as I recall, ALL of the answers were in the study guide. This may have changed since then, though. Nonetheless, you still need to be very familiar with all the rules. Remember, you will not be able to look up rules during you practical exam, and the study guide certainly will not tell you every issue might arise during that bout. Overlook a rule that comes up during a bout, and you may fail, even if it was not on the written exam! Example: the only time I have ever seen an illegally wired epee (both wires inside the guard were in one rubber "tube" of insulation) was during the practical test for my "5." Glad I didn’t forget about that rule (or forget the check under the pad) while the FOC examiner was watching and taking notes!
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Lastly, if you’re taking the epee section, don’t assume that the written or practical tests are going to be easy, even if you think that epee is easier to direct that foil or sabre (and I don’t say this only because I filed the "5" epee written the first time around… ). Some of the questions (e.g. ones regarding when to annul a touch for fencer A and/or B when you have two lights and one or more fencers with one or more feet off the strip) can be more confusing than any right of way question. I can’t personally compare the tests since I never sought a rating in foil or sabre, but I have heard several other rated referees comment that the written epee questions were even harder than the foil and sabre sections. Given the slim pass/fail margain, take nothing for granted.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

ok, also, where can I buy a set of cards? Can I produce my own set at home?