Thank you for your interest in becoming a judge. By expressing interest, you have taken the first step in becoming part of a great community, one whose main goal is to develop and grow the wonderful game of Magic. Due to the recent changes in Level 1 requirements, there will be more people who want to become a judge, so this guide is here to try to answer your questions. (If you have any follow-up questions that this guide does not answer, please post them here. You can PM me privately as well, but chances are, there are other people who have the same question as you.)
Do you have what it takes to become a judge?
As a judge, you will be responsible for many tasks – you have to answer rules questions, handle disputes between players, fix problems, and generally be representatives of the DCI. You don’t have to know how to do all of those things now, but ask yourself, “Am I willing to learn, to work hard, and to perform these tasks when the need arises?” If you answered “Yes”, then you have what it takes!
How do you become a judge?
First, contact an L2 (or higher) judge in your local area. This judge will be your mentor, and will answer questions and help you with problems that are not covered in this guide.
Next, you need to have run two sanctioned events within the past six months. An easy point of entry is FNM or another weekly event. In at least one of them, your L2 must be in attendance. He/she will be observing to make sure you have a good relationship with the players, and to see how you handle questions or problems that arise. He/she will also speak with you over the course of the event to see how you’re doing and to help with any problems you’re facing.
Then, you need to take a multiple choice test. This ensures that you have satisfactory rules and tournament knowledge. The passing grade is 70%.
Finally, your L2 will sit down with you and answer any additional questions you may have about the test, the events, or the testing process in general. If all goes well, he/she will recommend you for L1 status, and you’ll be an L1 by the end of the week.
What do you need to know to become a judge?
The rules – Having a strong rules knowledge base is essential to becoming a judge. Most of the judge calls you handle will be rules-related, and you want to answer them correctly. The official source is the Comprehensive Rules , but that document is 200 pages long! There are a lot of other ways to strengthen your rules knowledge – going to Magic rules forums, reading articles, talking to other judges, or coming up with your own crazy scenarios. The Judge Classes are also an excellent resource, as they split up the rules into very manageable sections.
How to handle mistakes – “Judge! I accidentally flipped over the top card of my library. What do I do?” Players make mistakes. If those mistakes break the rules, it’s time for a judge. The best resource for handling mistakes is the Judging at Regular REL (JAR) document. It provides the most common mistakes made at local events, and how to deal with them. It’s only two pages long, so read it!
How to run a tournament – As mentioned before, your job as an L1 will be to help run the tournament smoothly. The best way to do this is with hands-on experience, so talk to your local store and ask if you can help out at an event or two. In addition, things like time limits should be kept consistent at all tournaments. You can find all that info in the Magic Tournament Rules (MTR). At minimum, familiarize yourself with Section 2, Section 10, and Appendix B.
What does a level 1 judge do?
An L1 judge’s responsibilities range from “the store to the floor”. Beginner L1s must be able to run a local store event with minimal supervision and disruption. That means enrolling players, announcing pairings, entering results, and answering questions from players that regularly come up. Experienced L1s can floor judge at Competitive Rules Enforcement Level (REL) events, like Pro Tour Qualifiers and Grands Prix. That means setting up the venue, checking decklists, addressing rules infractions, giving out penalties, handling disputes and even picking up garbage. Where in the L1 spectrum do you want to be? That’s your choice.
What's the difference between Regular and Competitive RELs?
Regular REL events (FNMs, weekly drafts, prereleases etc.) are for having fun, and for learning. At these events, judges should be gentle teachers, not strict disciplinarians. As you have read in the JAR, there are generally no penalties. Fix the problem, educate the players about why something was wrong, and move on - no Warnings, no Game Losses (usually). Obviously, some “Very Bad Things” warrant Disqualification or removal from the store, but only in serious situations, like Cheating or Aggressive Behaviour.
At Competitive REL events, players are held to a higher standard of rules and tournament procedure knowledge. Penalties will be awarded for illegal plays. However, you are not required to know about Competitive REL to become an L1. If you want to work Competitive REL events, check out the section titled “You’re an L1, now what?”
How do you know if you’re ready for the test?
The rules questions on the judge test are generally more detailed than you would normally encounter. Make sure you’re familiar with the following areas of the rules, because they show up frequently:
Interaction of Continuous Effects ("What happens if a Rancor-ed creature is Turned to frog?")
Turn Structure ("What are the steps and phases in a turn?")
Multiple prevention/replacement effects ("How does regeneration interact with Totem Armor?")
State-based actions ("What the heck do they do?")
Casting spells/activating abilities ("When do I announce targets or make other choices?"
Handling triggered abilities ("What happens if two abilities trigger at the same time?")
Combat and combat damage ("How can I assign damage if my 4/4 is blocked by two 2/3s?")
Resolving spells/abilities ("What happens if one of my spell's three targets dies before the ability resolves?")
Know the policy and procedures related to running events at Regular REL. That means, understand the JAR. Additionally, knowledge of most of the information found in MTR 2, 10 and B should come naturally with experience in playing in tournaments, but there are some areas that aren’t commonly-known, like time extensions or deck construction time. Knowing these tidbits keeps tournament operation consistent.
Take a practice test at the Judge Centre to get a feel for what kinds of questions will be asked. The actual test’s difficulty lies somewhere between Easy and Hard. Be sure to do some Policy practice as well, but do note that it includes some Competitive REL questions, which will not be on the L1 test.
What’s on the test?
There are 18 rules questions and 7 JAR/MTR questions. They are all multiple choice, but some are “choose the correct answer” and some are “choose all that are correct”. The Oracle text for all cards in question will be provided. The players’ names all start with A or N, for active player or non-active player. Read the questions and answers very carefully! The difference between a right answer and a wrong answer may be as small as a few words.
Please remember, all content on the test is confidential. You may discuss it with your L2, but not with anyone else (especially not online!)
What happens if you fail?
If you fail, do not be discouraged. You still have what it takes to become a judge. Your L2 will discuss with you areas in which your knowledge can be improved. As long as you are willing to learn, you will always have the opportunity to become a judge. Unsuccessful candidates may take the test again after two months.
You’re a judge, now what?
Congratulations! Now go judge. The requirement to maintain L1 is to judge at one event every six months. That’s really easy, and if you can’t maintain that, you may want to re-consider whether you really want to be a judge. To make it easier for you, judges can play and judge at the same time at Regular REL events. Of course, you must remain unbiased in all rulings, even ones that affect yourself.
You will automatically be enrolled on the DCIJUDGE e-mail list, where judges from all around the world discuss interesting rulings or debate existing policies. In addition, your L2 may choose to add you to various Google or Facebook groups that are more region-specific.
If you want to start working “bigger” events, your first step is to know all the documents well. That’s the Comprehensive Rules, the full MTR, and the Infraction Procedure Guide (IPG). The IPG outlines the penalties, infractions and fixes for mistakes at Competitive REL events. Look for some Competitive REL events happening in your area, and contact the tournament organizer. As you continue working these events, you will build a good relationship with tournament organizers and other judges. You may find yourself working more events, and perhaps even transition to bigger events like Grands Prix and Nationals.
Judging can take you as far as you want to go, as long as you’re willing to work hard for it.
Summary
Requirements to become a judge:
Judge at least two events in the past six months, with an L2 attending at least one of them
Have a brief interview with that L2
Pass a written judge test (70% or higher) – Know the CR, JAR, and MTR 2, 10 and B
Changelog:
(Minor wording changes will not be recorded)
February 2, 2019 - Changed links to point to the current relevant pages.
April 3, 2013 - Changed links to dcifamily to instead point to wiki.magicjudges
July 9, 2011 - Removed "Requirements to maintain judge status"
July 9, 2011 - Added four more areas to study under "How do you know if you're ready for the test?" - thanks to epeeguy for input
Level 3 Magic Judge
Do you know any judges who always impress you with their work ethic, knowledge, or attitude? Nominate them to be the next Judge of the Week!
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO "I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
We have no Level 2 (or even level 1) judge in our area. In fact, last time I checked I beleive we only have two Level 2 judges in all of our region (Ontario, Canada).
If this is the case how is one supposed to be tested? Must they travel for 2-3 weeks for FNM events to be tested or can something be worked out?
Is it possible that virtual testing would be an option?
Is it possible that virtual testing would be an option?
For this, contact the Regional Coordinatior for your region. For Canada is this Kyle Ryc. He will work out a solution. Remote testing is possible, but I don't know under which circumstances.
Lord Zosh - Generally, remote testing is an option if there is no L2+ in the area, the area is far enough from "large events" that traveling to one is unreasonable, and there is big enough community that a judge would be needed. I'm not sure how big "big enough" is, but in a town of over 100,000 people, I'd assume Sudbury is.
Thanks to Lim_Dul for providing information about where to find your Regional Coordinators.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Level 3 Magic Judge
Do you know any judges who always impress you with their work ethic, knowledge, or attitude? Nominate them to be the next Judge of the Week!
Lord Zosh - Generally, remote testing is an option if there is no L2+ in the area, the area is far enough from "large events" that traveling to one is unreasonable, and there is big enough community that a judge would be needed. I'm not sure how big "big enough" is, but in a town of over 100,000 people, I'd assume Sudbury is.
Thanks to Lim_Dul for providing information about where to find your Regional Coordinators.
Thanks, and thank you Lim_Dul as well for providing info
Is having a mentor completely neccessary?
Can one not become a judge simply by passing the exams?
I've taken the Rules Advisor and Level 1 Judge exam on the DCI website many times, and none of the judges who referred me there mentioned anything about having a mentor (which might explain why I've failed every time)
Is having a mentor completely neccessary?
Can one not become a judge simply by passing the exams?
I've taken the Rules Advisor and Level 1 Judge exam on the DCI website many times, and none of the judges who referred me there mentioned anything about having a mentor (which might explain why I've failed every time)
Yes, a Level 2+ Judge is required to administer the Level 1 exam and submit an interview. You cannot simply create it on your own, you've probably been taking the L1 practice exam.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"To face death, that's nothing much. But to feel really stupid when you die, well, that would be insufferable." -Nafai, The Ships of Earth
Ever wanted to know what guidelines Judges use to make rulings? Find out at the DCI Document Center.
You can also find the latest Comprehensive Rules here.
Is it completely necessary that you have a mentor throughout the entire process of your judge development? No. Sometimes there are no L2+ judges even remotely close to you, and therefore none can attend your events. Sometimes, there will be mass certifications at Grands Prix or other big events, where the certifying judge will have met you only once and seen you work only one event - the event itself. (And as Exsam said, you cannot just take the L1 test by yourself - it must be administered by an L2+.)
Do I strongly recommend that you find a mentor? Yes! This guide, and the internet in general, is a great way (excuse my Humility :)) of developing your rules and policy knowledge. What it cannot do is tell you as a specific person how you can improve as a judge. A mentor can watch and comment on your interactions with players, your work ethic, your confidence, and all the other judge qualities that a test cannot measure He/she can recommend strategies to help you improve your rules and policy knowledge. And finally, your mentor is a great way for you to get connected with your community.
Random side note: Though I've never met him myself, I hear there's an L2 in Vancouver who's really good. I'll PM you his information.
Level 3 Magic Judge
Do you know any judges who always impress you with their work ethic, knowledge, or attitude? Nominate them to be the next Judge of the Week!
However, in today's culture of Justin Bieber, Jersey Shore, and Twilight, where every song on the radio, every program on television and every site on the internet is just another monument to the pinnacle of human stupidity, it's certainly not the worst thing that people could be watching.
I don't believe there is an official age requirement for being a judge. I read this in an article once:
Quote from L5 judge Toby Elliott, about Collin Jackson »
"He's broken the mold in so many ways that the judge program had to remake the mold to accommodate him. Why isn't there an age limit on judges? Because we might miss the next Collin Jackson. On Level 3? Because we might hold back the next Collin Jackson.
Certainly not an official answer, but seems legit.
There might be some areas of concern regarding interaction with players, physical ability, mental maturity etc. but I think those things can all be addressed during the mentoring or testing process, and can simply be areas where the candidate looks to improve.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Level 3 Magic Judge
Do you know any judges who always impress you with their work ethic, knowledge, or attitude? Nominate them to be the next Judge of the Week!
You can go to your local TO/Judge and ask to help them out with events. Congratulations, you're now a L0.
The basic point is that you don't need to be a certified judge to judge at events, in fact judging at events is a prerequisite to getting certified.
There isn't an age restriction that I know of, but the TO you help out still has to comply with relevant child labor laws.
If you are wanting to test for L1, and are concerned about it, you should talk to your local L2+ about how they feel about your age, maturity and ability to work independently.
Thank you for your interest in becoming a judge. By expressing interest, you have taken the first step in becoming part of a great community, one whose main goal is to develop and grow the wonderful game of Magic. Due to the recent changes in Level 1 requirements, there will be more people who want to become a judge, so this guide is here to try to answer your questions. (If you have any follow-up questions that this guide does not answer, please post them here. You can PM me privately as well, but chances are, there are other people who have the same question as you.)
Do you have what it takes to become a judge?
As a judge, you will be responsible for many tasks – you have to answer rules questions, handle disputes between players, fix problems, and generally be representatives of the DCI. You don’t have to know how to do all of those things now, but ask yourself, “Am I willing to learn, to work hard, and to perform these tasks when the need arises?” If you answered “Yes”, then you have what it takes!
How do you become a judge?
First, contact an L2 (or higher) judge in your local area. This judge will be your mentor, and will answer questions and help you with problems that are not covered in this guide.
Next, you need to have run two sanctioned events within the past six months. An easy point of entry is FNM or another weekly event. In at least one of them, your L2 must be in attendance. He/she will be observing to make sure you have a good relationship with the players, and to see how you handle questions or problems that arise. He/she will also speak with you over the course of the event to see how you’re doing and to help with any problems you’re facing.
Then, you need to take a multiple choice test. This ensures that you have satisfactory rules and tournament knowledge. The passing grade is 70%.
Finally, your L2 will sit down with you and answer any additional questions you may have about the test, the events, or the testing process in general. If all goes well, he/she will recommend you for L1 status, and you’ll be an L1 by the end of the week.
What do you need to know to become a judge?
The rules – Having a strong rules knowledge base is essential to becoming a judge. Most of the judge calls you handle will be rules-related, and you want to answer them correctly. The official source is the Comprehensive Rules , but that document is 200 pages long! There are a lot of other ways to strengthen your rules knowledge – going to Magic rules forums, reading articles, talking to other judges, or coming up with your own crazy scenarios. The Judge Classes are also an excellent resource, as they split up the rules into very manageable sections.
How to handle mistakes – “Judge! I accidentally flipped over the top card of my library. What do I do?” Players make mistakes. If those mistakes break the rules, it’s time for a judge. The best resource for handling mistakes is the Judging at Regular REL (JAR) document. It provides the most common mistakes made at local events, and how to deal with them. It’s only two pages long, so read it!
How to run a tournament – As mentioned before, your job as an L1 will be to help run the tournament smoothly. The best way to do this is with hands-on experience, so talk to your local store and ask if you can help out at an event or two. In addition, things like time limits should be kept consistent at all tournaments. You can find all that info in the Magic Tournament Rules (MTR). At minimum, familiarize yourself with Section 2, Section 10, and Appendix B.
What does a level 1 judge do?
An L1 judge’s responsibilities range from “the store to the floor”. Beginner L1s must be able to run a local store event with minimal supervision and disruption. That means enrolling players, announcing pairings, entering results, and answering questions from players that regularly come up. Experienced L1s can floor judge at Competitive Rules Enforcement Level (REL) events, like Pro Tour Qualifiers and Grands Prix. That means setting up the venue, checking decklists, addressing rules infractions, giving out penalties, handling disputes and even picking up garbage. Where in the L1 spectrum do you want to be? That’s your choice.
What's the difference between Regular and Competitive RELs?
Regular REL events (FNMs, weekly drafts, prereleases etc.) are for having fun, and for learning. At these events, judges should be gentle teachers, not strict disciplinarians. As you have read in the JAR, there are generally no penalties. Fix the problem, educate the players about why something was wrong, and move on - no Warnings, no Game Losses (usually). Obviously, some “Very Bad Things” warrant Disqualification or removal from the store, but only in serious situations, like Cheating or Aggressive Behaviour.
At Competitive REL events, players are held to a higher standard of rules and tournament procedure knowledge. Penalties will be awarded for illegal plays. However, you are not required to know about Competitive REL to become an L1. If you want to work Competitive REL events, check out the section titled “You’re an L1, now what?”
How do you know if you’re ready for the test?
The rules questions on the judge test are generally more detailed than you would normally encounter. Make sure you’re familiar with the following areas of the rules, because they show up frequently:
Take a practice test at the Judge Centre to get a feel for what kinds of questions will be asked. The actual test’s difficulty lies somewhere between Easy and Hard. Be sure to do some Policy practice as well, but do note that it includes some Competitive REL questions, which will not be on the L1 test.
What’s on the test?
There are 18 rules questions and 7 JAR/MTR questions. They are all multiple choice, but some are “choose the correct answer” and some are “choose all that are correct”. The Oracle text for all cards in question will be provided. The players’ names all start with A or N, for active player or non-active player. Read the questions and answers very carefully! The difference between a right answer and a wrong answer may be as small as a few words.
Please remember, all content on the test is confidential. You may discuss it with your L2, but not with anyone else (especially not online!)
What happens if you fail?
If you fail, do not be discouraged. You still have what it takes to become a judge. Your L2 will discuss with you areas in which your knowledge can be improved. As long as you are willing to learn, you will always have the opportunity to become a judge. Unsuccessful candidates may take the test again after two months.
You’re a judge, now what?
Congratulations! Now go judge. The requirement to maintain L1 is to judge at one event every six months. That’s really easy, and if you can’t maintain that, you may want to re-consider whether you really want to be a judge. To make it easier for you, judges can play and judge at the same time at Regular REL events. Of course, you must remain unbiased in all rulings, even ones that affect yourself.
You will automatically be enrolled on the DCIJUDGE e-mail list, where judges from all around the world discuss interesting rulings or debate existing policies. In addition, your L2 may choose to add you to various Google or Facebook groups that are more region-specific.
If you want to start working “bigger” events, your first step is to know all the documents well. That’s the Comprehensive Rules, the full MTR, and the Infraction Procedure Guide (IPG). The IPG outlines the penalties, infractions and fixes for mistakes at Competitive REL events. Look for some Competitive REL events happening in your area, and contact the tournament organizer. As you continue working these events, you will build a good relationship with tournament organizers and other judges. You may find yourself working more events, and perhaps even transition to bigger events like Grands Prix and Nationals.
Judging can take you as far as you want to go, as long as you’re willing to work hard for it.
Summary
Requirements to become a judge:
Judge Locator – http://judge.wizards.com/people.aspx
Comprehensive Rules - https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules
Judge Classes - http://wiki.magicjudges.org/en/w/Judge_Classes
Judging at Regular REL, Magic Tournament Rules, Infraction Procedure Guide - https://wpn.wizards.com/en/resources/rules-documents?category=all
Practice Tests - http://judge.wizards.com/exams.aspx
Changelog:
(Minor wording changes will not be recorded)
February 2, 2019 - Changed links to point to the current relevant pages.
April 3, 2013 - Changed links to dcifamily to instead point to wiki.magicjudges
July 9, 2011 - Removed "Requirements to maintain judge status"
July 9, 2011 - Added four more areas to study under "How do you know if you're ready for the test?" - thanks to epeeguy for input
Do you know any judges who always impress you with their work ethic, knowledge, or attitude? Nominate them to be the next Judge of the Week!
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO
"I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
We have no Level 2 (or even level 1) judge in our area. In fact, last time I checked I beleive we only have two Level 2 judges in all of our region (Ontario, Canada).
If this is the case how is one supposed to be tested? Must they travel for 2-3 weeks for FNM events to be tested or can something be worked out?
Is it possible that virtual testing would be an option?
Sig by Sioux Heroes of the Plane Studios
For this, contact the Regional Coordinatior for your region. For Canada is this Kyle Ryc. He will work out a solution. Remote testing is possible, but I don't know under which circumstances.
Basicly, if there is no local L2 in your area, the best person to contact is the regional coordinator for the region. They are listed in the MagicJudges wiki: http://wiki.magicjudges.org/en/w/Regional_Coordinators
Thanks to Lim_Dul for providing information about where to find your Regional Coordinators.
Do you know any judges who always impress you with their work ethic, knowledge, or attitude? Nominate them to be the next Judge of the Week!
Thanks, and thank you Lim_Dul as well for providing info
Sig by Sioux Heroes of the Plane Studios
Can one not become a judge simply by passing the exams?
I've taken the Rules Advisor and Level 1 Judge exam on the DCI website many times, and none of the judges who referred me there mentioned anything about having a mentor (which might explain why I've failed every time)
Yes, a Level 2+ Judge is required to administer the Level 1 exam and submit an interview. You cannot simply create it on your own, you've probably been taking the L1 practice exam.
Ever wanted to know what guidelines Judges use to make rulings? Find out at the DCI Document Center.
You can also find the latest Comprehensive Rules here.
Do I strongly recommend that you find a mentor? Yes! This guide, and the internet in general, is a great way (excuse my Humility :)) of developing your rules and policy knowledge. What it cannot do is tell you as a specific person how you can improve as a judge. A mentor can watch and comment on your interactions with players, your work ethic, your confidence, and all the other judge qualities that a test cannot measure He/she can recommend strategies to help you improve your rules and policy knowledge. And finally, your mentor is a great way for you to get connected with your community.
Random side note: Though I've never met him myself, I hear there's an L2 in Vancouver who's really good. I'll PM you his information.
Do you know any judges who always impress you with their work ethic, knowledge, or attitude? Nominate them to be the next Judge of the Week!
I'm Da_Man on Cockatrice
There might be some areas of concern regarding interaction with players, physical ability, mental maturity etc. but I think those things can all be addressed during the mentoring or testing process, and can simply be areas where the candidate looks to improve.
Do you know any judges who always impress you with their work ethic, knowledge, or attitude? Nominate them to be the next Judge of the Week!
The basic point is that you don't need to be a certified judge to judge at events, in fact judging at events is a prerequisite to getting certified.
There isn't an age restriction that I know of, but the TO you help out still has to comply with relevant child labor laws.
If you are wanting to test for L1, and are concerned about it, you should talk to your local L2+ about how they feel about your age, maturity and ability to work independently.