The Level Three Advancement Process

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Contents 1 Qualities of Regional Judges 2 The Advancement Process 3 Step 1: Candidacy Prerequisites 4 Step 2: Pre-event Interview 5 Step 3: Written Test and Panel Interview

Regional Judges (L3s) are the leaders of premier organized play and the judge communities in their regions. They generally operate in large areas, provinces, and countries. They are recognized as regional leaders and are respected in their communities. They mentor L1s and L2s in becoming better judges. Regional Judges are expected to have a presence in their community and on mailing lists, web forums, etc. They are expected to conduct judge reviews, be Team Leaders at major events, and provide feedback on judges to the Judge Program.

Qualities of Regional Judges

Regional Judges are expected to show strength in the following areas:

• Rules and Policy Knowledge: Regional Judges are the leading experts in the rules of Magic and tournament policies. They have studied the Comprehensive Rules, the MIPG, the JAR and the MTR. They can make rulings on complex situations correctly and without significant delay to the tournament.
• Leadership, Presence and Charisma: Regional Judges command the respect of players and other judges as authorities on the practice of judging and the ways in which they accomplish judging-related tasks. They have an understanding of effective leadership in a broader context both within and outside of tournaments.
• Mentorship: Regional Judges actively improve the judging community in their local regions through the recruitment, training, and mentorship of other judges. This mentorship is tailored to the needs of the judges being mentored and results in measurable improvement in those judges.
• Teamwork and Diplomacy: Regional Judges understand that organized play requires teamwork with other judges, players, stores, organizers and venues. They can follow as well as lead. They are worthy ambassadors of the Judge Program who work closely with their Regional Coordinators and the Judge Manager. They are recognized as fair and firm arbiters of disputes and display significant diplomacy in disagreements, both in person and in other venues such as the internet.
• Penalty and Policy Philosophy: Regional Judges understand the underlying philosophies that inform the MTR, the MIPG, the JAR and other policies relevant to tournament operations and judging. They can effectively critique these philosophies and policies in the context of improving the Judge Program. Regional Judges know the importance of adhering to policy, but can also identify circumstances where policy is unclear, absent, or contrary to the spirit of the Judge Program’s practices.
• Communication Skills: Regional Judges can communicate well enough in English to be able to effectively lead a judge team at an international event and participate on international judge mailing lists. Regional Judges can clearly express themselves in their native language without a tendency for causing confusion or frustration in the audience. They are able to deliver penalties and rulings in a manner that is respectful, properly justified, and unapologetic.
• Attitude and Maturity: Regional Judges maintain a positive attitude when interacting with other members of the Magic community and demonstrate a solid and consistent work ethic. They are mature, trustworthy, punctual, and enjoyable to work with. They are rarely, if ever, regarded as being difficult to work with, negative, tardy, lazy, etc.
• Self-Evaluation: Regional Judges are self-reflective and capable of assessing their own strengths and weaknesses. They can effectively identify areas for their own improvement beyond superficial practices such as rules knowledge, and they demonstrate insight regarding their own judge practices.
• Assessment of Other Judges: Regional Judges evaluate and formally review other judges on a regular basis. The reviews they write are professional, constructive, detailed, and helpful to the judge reviewed. Regional Judges can observe and assess a wide variety of skills, attitudes, and abilities in their fellow judges, including those of higher level.
• Program Construction and Philosophy: Regional Judges can describe the roles of Level 1, 2, and 3 judges and the qualities that make good judges at those levels. They have expectations for judges at each level that are consistent with the philosophies of the Judge Program. They are aware of and understand recent developments and changes within the program.
• Stress and Conflict Management: Regional Judges can perform under pressure, maintaining a calm and focused demeanor at all times. They can handle leadership duties without allowing stress and pressure to adversely affect performance. They are capable of managing conflict as it arises between players, judges, event staff, etc, and they can do so without displaying signs of stress, doubt, or panic.
• Investigations: Regional Judges can identify instances where an investigation for potential cheating, fraud, etc. is appropriate. They can ask probing questions in a timely and productive manner, and arrive at an appropriate conclusion that protects the integrity of the event and shows respect and professionalism to the parties involved. When a disqualification is warranted, Regional Judges are capable of issuing one efficiently, unapologetically, and without disruption to the rest of the event.

The Advancement Process

To become a Regional Judge, you will be assessed on the above qualities via a three-step process:

1. Candidacy Prerequisites
2. Pre-event Interview
3. Written Test and Panel Interview

Step 1: Candidacy Prerequisites

To be considered as a candidate for advancement to L3, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• Rules and Policy Knowledge: Must have scored at least 80% on a Level 3 Practice Exam in the last 6 months (Please note: after you take a Level 3 Practice Exam, there is a three-month waiting period before you can take another)
• Leadership: Must have acted as Head Judge or Team Lead for at least 5 Competitive/Professional REL events, managing at least 2 other judges, including at least 2 such events in the last 12 months
• Leadership: Must have acted as Head Judge for at least 20 other events, including at least 5 such events in the last 12 months
• Mentorship: Must have certified (or participated extensively in the training and certification of) at least 2 judges in the last 12 months
• Communication Skills: Must demonstrate English competency sufficient to operate as a Team Lead at an international event and to participate on international mailing lists and projects
• Communication Skills: Must demonstrate participation in the judge community on a regional or global level (mailing lists, seminars, articles, projects, etc.)
• Self-Evaluation: Must have written a general (i.e. non-event-specific) self-review in the last 6 months, assessing your strengths and weaknesses on the Qualities of Regional Judges listed above
• Assessment of Other Judges: Must have written at least 10 reviews in the last 12 months (certification reviews count here, self-review does not)

• Must include reviews of judges from both inside and outside of your region
• Must include reviews of judges of higher, equal and lower level
• Must demonstrate the ability to point out both strengths and areas for improvement

• Must have received written recommendations from at least two of the following categories:

• Your Regional Coordinator
• An L3+ judge within your region
• An L3+ judge outside of your region

• Must have received a written recommendation from an L4+ judge indicating success in a Team Lead position at a Grand Prix where the recommending judge was the Head Judge

Note: The three required written recommendations listed above must come from three different people.

If you believe that you have met all of the Candidacy Prerequisites, send your application to both your Regional Coordinator and the Testing Manager. This application must contain explanations of the ways in which you have met the requirements, not simply a statement that you believe you have met them. Your application must include:

• Review IDs for certification reviews, self-review, recommendation reviews, and other relevant reviews
• Exam ID for your L3 practice exam
• Event dates for the Competitive/Professional REL events for which you acted as Head Judge or Team Lead
• Specific examples of your participation in the judge community

Your application will be reviewed by a committee of L3+ judges.

Step 2: Pre-event Interview

After you have met the Candidacy Prerequisites, you will be contacted via email by an L3+ judge who will serve as your initial evaluator. Your evaluator will ask you a series of questions about you and your experiences as a judge. The evaluator’s goal is to begin documenting your strengths and weaknesses with respect to the Qualities of Regional Judges listed above. You should expect your pre-event interview to last several weeks. Regardless of the duration of your pre-event interview, you will not be eligible for a panel interview until eight weeks after your application has been received.

Step 3: Written Test and Panel Interview

After your Pre-event Interview, you will be scheduled for a written test and a panel interview, most likely at a Grand Prix event. Interviews will be scheduled based on the needs of the Judge Program and the availability of experienced judges who can act as panelists. The Judge Program will make reasonable efforts to schedule your interview in a timely manner, but does not guarantee that you will be scheduled for an interview at your next Grand Prix. In general, a Grand Prix event will have the capacity for, at most, one L3 interview. This means that you will likely not be able to request testing at a particular Grand Prix. If your Candidacy Prerequisites lapse while you are waiting to be scheduled for an interview, this fact will not be held against you. (For example, if your passing L3 Practice Test score becomes more than six months old while you wait for your interview, this will not affect your testing process.) The Judge Program will endeavor to give you at least two weeks advance notice about whether or not you will be testing at an event you attend.

The L3 written exam is a difficult 50-question multiple-choice exam covering Magic rules and tournament policy. The passing score is 80%.

An L3 panel interview is an intensive one- to two-hour discussion with, generally, one L4+ judge and one L3+ judge. In this interview, the panel will complete the investigation of the Qualities of Regional Judges listed above, covering areas that were not previously covered by your evaluator. One or more role-playing scenarios may be used, although this will not be necessary for all candidates.

If your panel decides that you have a major deficiency in one or more of the Qualities of Regional Judges, or that you have minor deficiencies in three or more of the Qualities, you will remain L2. Otherwise, your panel will recommend promotion to L3. If you are not promoted, then within two weeks of your interview, you will receive from your panel and your evaluator a new Candidacy Checklist. Six months after your interview, you will be eligible to restart the L3 advancement process if you have met the requirements specified in your new Candidacy Checklist.

Whether or not you are promoted to L3, you will receive extensive feedback from your panel in the form of a detailed review. This feedback is intended to help make you a better judge, regardless of your level.