What can the Candidate do to prepare?

  • Life experiences, theological study and clinical training are themselves preparation. Candidates who have read, marked, learned and inwardly digested their studies should do well. Cramming will not be helpful and may in fact be harmful by causing fatigue and stress.
    • Review recent GOEs and practice answering some of their questions.
    • Know that GBEC policy is not to reuse previously asked GOE questions.
    • Join a GOE preparation study group if it is calm, orderly and prayerful rather than anxious, unfocused and spiritually ungrounded.
    • Review the six canonical areas, remembering that proficiency in them includes the ability to communicate ideas clearly and accurately.
    • Familiarize yourself with the GBEC website and how it works by following the Login and General Instructions.
    • Come rested and free of other responsibilities.
    • All questions currently are "Limited Resources." The GBEC will provide with each question links to the Book of Common Prayer, a study Bible, and other resources specific to that question.

What are some pointers for answering GOE questions?

  • The GOE asks applied knowledge questions: Provide some information and then do something with it, such as compare and contrast it or connect its relevancy to something in the Church today. So don't just dump information. Think about the question, provide the information it requests, and then make the connections for which it asks. If English is not your primary language, please state that fact as requested at the outset of each question: "English is not my first language."
    • Manage your time so you can organize, write, edit and submit your answer before your time expires and the onscreen clock locks you out. All questions ask for responses of approximately 1,000 words within a generous 3 1/2 hours. The GOE questions are written to be answerable in two hours. Don't race the clock! The GBEC will not accept late answers.
      • Answer the question asked rather than the one you wish had been asked. Read and reread and understand the question! Consider why the GBEC would ask this question on this GOE.
      • Read and reread and understand the scoring rubrics before you begin answering the question. Refer to them throughout the exam. They are your guide to exactly what the Evaluators are looking for in your response to the question. 
      • Answer the question in the form requested by the question. This might be a description or discussion, a letter to parishioners, an adult forum, an outline, a list, a letter to the community, a community forum. If the question says to put the answer in the form of a newsletter article, consider what that means as opposed to a discussion, for instance. 
    • Take time to think carefully about the answer (perhaps even briefly outlining it) before beginning to write.
    • The approximate 1,000-word limit is an important part of the questions, so answers should not be overly brief or too long.
    • Answers should speak clearly and directly to all parts of the question and should follow the structure of the question. Leaving part of the question unanswered is the same as not answering the question. Answer everything asked for in the scoring rubrics.
    • These questions ask for biblical, theological, or historical information and/or current issues and life situations. You can respond in various ways, such as: How do you do this? How do you perceive the issues involved? How aware are you of the available resources? What criteria do you apply? All of these will determine the quality of the response. Personal witness is welcome and is sometimes requested, but it is not a substitute for a solid answer. Please do not include identifying information such as your name, your seminary, your professors' names, your diocese, etc.
    • Be sure to note the varied dimensions of the questions. Some may require a pastoral awareness of the people to whom the answers are addressed. The form of the answer requested by the question can be a key indicator of this dimension.
    • Use language precisely and correctly.
    • For a week after you take the GOE, remember not to contact or consult with any other person about the GOE in writing, electronically, in person, or in any other way, because not everyone takes the exam on the same schedule or even at the same time.

Do answers require citations or references?

  • Absolutely! The GBEC asks Candidates to cite all sources consulted, whether or not directly quoted, and may check all GOE answers with iThenticate and other plagiarism- and AI-detection software to ensure originality of work and accuracy of citations.
  • Since the GOE currently asks only "Limited Resources" questions, each question will come with links to its allowed resources, as well as links to the Book of Common Prayer and a study Bible. Candidates should use only short parenthetical citations: i.e., (BCP 326), (Matthew 1:11), or otherwise cite which limited resource used. Citations should be embedded within the text of your answer. A bibliography and/or endnotes are not necessary. The GBEC is more interested in your ability to use sources correctly than in your precise style of citation.
    • Put direct quotations of more than five words within quotation marks.
    • Credit the source of any quotations or paraphrases in parentheses within your answer, as shown above.