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Basic Referee Training Course

peter

New Member
So yeah, I'm halfway through my basic referee course doing my first day today. The exam and practical is next week and i just have a few questions:

  1. what is the exam like? (really easy, multiple choice?)
  2. How is the practical assessed and is it easy to pass?
  3. and when i become a referee, I was looking for some advice because im scared i might make some wrong decisions?
Thanks
 
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Hi Peter.
The exam I did was multiple choice. It was in two parts. 35 questions on LOTG at 2 points each, and 30 questions based on a video concerning the interpretation of the law. I believe the pass mark was 70 but it may have been 75. As long as you bone up on the LOTG you won't go far wrong on the first part. I found that the hardest bit on the second part was gauging what was a foul and what wasn't. Of those, determining which was reckless and which was excessive force. I think that as a group we did not all do particularly well with this section.
I presume from "the practical" you mean your 6 games. I can't answer how it is assessed as I have yet to have one of mine assessed. I understand that an assessor attends and gives you feedback.
Regarding point 3. You will make mistakes. You will make loads of them. That is how we learn. You will also make loads of correct decisions that no-one will thank you for. Remember that 95% of the time when you give a decision in favour of one team that the other team will be unhappy.
 
Hi Peter.
The exam I did was multiple choice. It was in two parts. 35 questions on LOTG at 2 points each, and 30 questions based on a video concerning the interpretation of the law. I believe the pass mark was 70 but it may have been 75. As long as you bone up on the LOTG you won't go far wrong on the first part. I found that the hardest bit on the second part was gauging what was a foul and what wasn't. Of those, determining which was reckless and which was excessive force. I think that as a group we did not all do particularly well with this section.
I presume from "the practical" you mean your 6 games. I can't answer how it is assessed as I have yet to have one of mine assessed. I understand that an assessor attends and gives you feedback.
Regarding point 3. You will make mistakes. You will make loads of them. That is how we learn. You will also make loads of correct decisions that no-one will thank you for. Remember that 95% of the time when you give a decision in favour of one team that the other team will be unhappy.

Is the exam easy? and is it under full test conditions? (silence, no talking)
im just nervous that i might not pass
 
Like I said, you need to put the work in for the LOTG. I did quite a lot of work so did not find it too bad. I used this site and this http://areferee.com/soccer.php as a revision aid. For us, it was under full test conditions. As long as you put a bit of work in, you should be alright.
 
Like I said, you need to put the work in for the LOTG. I did quite a lot of work so did not find it too bad. I used this site and this http://areferee.com/soccer.php as a revision aid. For us, it was under full test conditions. As long as you put a bit of work in, you should be alright.

I think i know most of the laws having played football for 7-8 years, so i should be alright, just need to brush up on a few things
 
Use areferee.com. I found it a really good revision aid. If I got one wrong, I went away and read over it in the LOTG. After doing more questions, the ones I got wrong would reappear after a while.
 
Peter, just to answer your questions (I know Mick has already covered most of them. I'll just say how it was for me)
what is the exam like? (really easy, multiple choice?)
Personally, I found it rather easy. Like Mick said, the careless, reckless and excessive force was probably the hardest part of the exam - just because they cannot tell you how to look for it. The easiest bit was probably the equipment. The camera would look along a body, and stop at a certain point. It would then zoom into what was wrong - pretty idiot proof. You then get the "Oh, there it is!" from everyone, which helps you along nonetheless!

Secondly:
How is the practical assessed and is it easy to pass?
What bit do you mean? The practical bit on the course? If this is so, you won't be 'assessed'. Your tutor will go through some signals with you, and you will repeat them. Then when I did my course we went into a game with each of us taking turns in refereeing and being assistants. For me I found this harder than the actual game; people were doing small things to try and catch you out. Nothing like what you would encounter in the everyday football on a Sunday!
On the other hand, if you mean the 6 games. None of them will be assessed. You will put your 6 game record down on a sheet and send it off. The assessors have more important games to be assessing, than a newly qualified referee's first couple of games. Your mentor may come along to watch and they may give you some advice, but you will not be assessed on these!

Finally:
and when i become a referee, I was looking for some advice because im scared i might make some wrong decisions?
Ever seen the clip of Graham Poll giving out 3 yellow cards? Even still, have you seen a game of football?! If you have then you are bound to have seen a wrong decision! The problem is not making the bad decision, it is how you deal with it. If you decide to get a flustered and change your mind 100 times. The players will feel unconfident about you - and may try to take advantage too! If you make a bad decision, that is it. It has happened. You can change your mind, as long as play has not resumed. One last thing, is stick by your decision no matter what you say. Don't change it because one set of players are unhappy with the decision!

Good luck in your exam!
 
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