Originally posted by Yuval Tzur:
The first one is a simple bug that could be easily fixed: mana symbols don't appear on in exams. Probably broken image path.
The developers have been advised of this problem, and I have been told that a fix is not immediately forthcoming. It is unfortunate, and I have no real answer to offer as to the why.
Originally posted by Yuval Tzur:
The second one is more conceptual and will require some work to fix (if we decide to fix it).
The problem is practice tests. I use the easy practice test to assess a candidate's basic level of knowledge as a first step of a candidate's way towards L1, and to measure progress. The problem with practice tests is that they include questions about the IPG, which L1 candidates are not required to know.
The only test (other than L1) that includes only the knowledge necessary for a L1 judge is an L1 practice test, but with its retest wait time, it's not a good tool to assess a candidate's progress.
Any ideas?
I would respond with a pair of conceptual questions…
(a) Why do you presume that a Level 1 candidate should have no familiarity at all with the MIPG? Even at a basic level?
(b) Why do you presume that the Easy Practice exam serves only the needs of Level 1 candidates?
The reason I recommend the Easy Practice exam for Level 1 candidates is because it contains content that most people will grasp or otherwise understand without a detailed knowledge of documents like the CompRules or Magic Tournament Rules. The exam serves as one path towards helping a person learn more about those documents and about both game rules and basic policies/procedures. In some cases, the question is simply enough that someone could look up the answer via the appropriate document or even in Gatherer. In other cases, they might suggest a document the person could look up.
Thus, the questions make rules or policies a little bit more accessible for someone who might not have a mentor. Or, if the person does have a mentor, something they could privately discuss. It's material that may not be overly complicated, or if a little challenging, contains a straight-forward enough explanation to get the person to the right document in a relatively easy manner. And we have a large number of people who use the Judge Center, many who are just interested in learning the rules or policies that might come up at various events.
I really can't go into a more detailed public conversation on the content featured in the exam pools, since that content is confidential. But I would stress that the composition of the Easy Practice exam pool is such that the majority of policy-related questions are geared towards Regular REL stuff and basic tournament procedures. The relatively few number of MIPG oriented questions are very basic in nature and comprise a small percentage of the pool. (EDIT: In some respects, they serve more to illustrate the difference between Regular REL and Competitive REL, or at least make people are that there is such a thing as different RELs.)
Outside of that, if there are specific concerns or questions about why a question is assigned to a particular exam… Aside from the “There is great care and deliberation about the exact nature of the question and where it is best suited” process that I go through every time, I am happy to explain a particular assignment if there is a question.
Edited Brian Schenck (July 10, 2016 04:24:04 PM)