When does the GOE occur?

  • Every fall, the GBEC invites bishops, seminary deans and others to nominate Candidates to sit for the General Ordinantion Examination. The GBEC offers the GOE once a year in January.

 

Where?

  • The GBEC electronically administers the GOE at Episcopal seminaries and at other locations in this country and abroad with the help of Seminary/Group Liaisons and with Special Liaisons appointed by bishops.

 

How long does it last?

  • The GBEC administers the GOE in early January over the course of three days and Candidates have three-and-a-half hours to answer each question in about 1,000 words. Two questions are asked each day -- one in the morning and one after lunch. Each covers a different canonical area (The Holy Scriptures, History of the Christian Church, Christian Theology, The Practice of Ministry, Christian Worship, and Christian Ethics and Moral Theology) - a total of six questions - all of which will be "Open Resources." The GBEC writes questions Candidates can answer in two hours but allows an extra hour-and-a-half.

 

How does the GBEC create the GOE?

  • The GBEC produces a new GOE annually through a process of conceiving and formulating questions based on the six canonical areas, time constraints of the exam, input from seminary curricula, and the Standards. Board Members and volunteers form six teams, each responsible for one canonical area and for constructing questions designed to give Candidates plenty of opportunity to show their knowledge and understanding. Teams first work independently, then seek feedback from other teams, from staff, from a testing consultant, and from people who have previously taken the GOE. Candidates may want to look at Previous Exams.

 

What forms do the GOE answers take?

  • The GOE has asked for answers in the following forms: essays or short answers; multiple-choice or true/false selections; a combination of some of these. At present, the GOE consists of six essay questions, each representing one of the canonical areas. The GBEC's current policy is to ask only "Open Resorces" questions.

 

What does the GOE cover?

 

What do "Open Resources" and "Limited Resources" and "No Outside Resources" mean?

  • The GOE asks Candidates to cite all sources consulted whether or not directly quoted, and automatically checks all GOE answers with iThenticate and other plagiarism-detection software to ensure originality of work and accuracy of citations.
  • "Open Resources" allow Candidates to utilize all electronic and printed reference and other materials. However, the GBEC creates questions not to determine the Candidate's ability to cite facts, figures and theologies, but to show how well the Candidate can think and write theologically about specific issues while having resource materials to confirm facts cited in answers. These questions allow the Candidate to use any resources at his or her disposal - e.g. books, class notes, and electronic material. "Open Resources" questions should not pressure Candidates to produce detailed, perfect and/or voluminous answers, but rather allow Candidates to refresh their minds on facts and details. Note that while Candidates may use any print or electronic resources, Candidates may not contact or consult with any other person in writing, electronically, in person, or in any other way.
  • "Limited Resources" questions aim to find out what the Candidate has learned while giving the examinee access to specified limited resources, e.g. only the Book of Common Prayer, 1982 Hymnal, and specified Bible. These questions might ask about the practice of liturgy or for the exegesis of Scripture. However, the GBEC's current policy is to ask only "Open Resorces" questions.
  • "No Outside Resources" questions try to discover how well the Candidate responds using his or her own resources - application and expression knowledge gained by learning and experience; intelligence; and memory. These questions do not allow any outside resources. However, the GBEC's current policy is to ask only "Open Resources" questions.