I've just returned to Austin from my trip to Oklahoma City to observe the grading of this past August's ordination exams. It was quite an experience, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who is able to participate.
In addition to learning a lot about the grading process, I met many many wonderful people; elders and pastors from all around this region of the country, as well as representatives from the PCC which designs and administers the tests. These are all people who genuinely care about the success of candidates for ministry. I found myself answering as many questions about the seminary experience as I was asking about the test grading. I also managed to stay up until 3am a couple of nights talking one-on-one with the PCC theology representative about everything ranging from theology to exegesis to worship to movies. The whole experience was great fun, in addition to being hard work and educational.
Now, for those who are wondering about the grading process, I'll write a few of the highlights. I'm sure Monica and I will be asked to present our experience during the prep sessions next semester and, of course, I'm more than willing to share everything I know if asked. All of this should be taken as my personal opinion and observation, and not as the firm policy of the PCC. Additionally, I observed the OKC reading group, though grading processes should be consistent with other groups.
I see two main things that a person taking the ord exams must accomplish on each exam. The first is objective and involves following the directions. There were many times when otherwise well-written exams failed because the answer did not meet the objective requirements of the question. These objective criteria primarily include providing the correct number of correct citations from either the Book of Order or the Book of Confessions, but also include answering the question asked. The questions, especially on the theology exam, usually require a synthesis of information as well as application. This synthesis involves describing how two or more doctrines interact and inform each other in practice, which is one reason the theology test is quite difficult. An example from this past test had to do with Christ's role in the Reformed practice of prayer. Writing an essay about Christ as mediator without linking that to actual practices of prayer such as intercession, confession, etc. would not meet the requirement of the question.
The other thing that must be accomplished in answering the exam questions is more subjective. The answer must be pastoral. In other words, the person grading the exam will be deciding whether the answer exhibits evidence of readiness to enter ministry. One of the reasons that elder as well as pastors grade these exams, is that elders bring a lay perspective to the exam process. Your answers will be speaking to graders in much the same way that you will be dealing with people in the parish. By nature, this evaluation has subjectivity to it, but then, so will the rest of your career in ministry. While pastoral sensitivity in these answers is necessary, one should take care to avoid sappiness or condecension, as it comes across loud and clear in the writing and does not leave a favorable impression.
Now, while having your fate in the hands of a bunch of unknown people who have license to grade you subjectively is scary, rest assured that these people want you to pass. And, each exam is graded at least twice by different people to provide addtional checks and consistency. From my observations, any randomness in grading favors passing the exam rather than failing it. That said, although the graders want you to pass, they take seriously their responsibility to make sure you are ready to be a pastor based upon your exam answers. No one wants to inflict a bad pastor upon the church.
So how does one prepare for this? The questions are complex. They require knowledge of doctrine and polity. They require you to organize and apply it appropriately. And they require a quality answer to be formulated in a relatively short period of time. These are not easy essays to write on the spur of the moment. There is not a surefire answer that will guarantee success, but there are some things that will get you most of the way there I think. First, know the Book of Order fairly well. It's not necessary to memorize it, but you should have a good idea of how to answer most questions, especially on the sacraments, without having to search for general answers. During the test you will want to already know where things are found in the book. You want to spend your time looking up supporting details, instead of trying to find basic answers. The same is true of the Book of Confessions. If you go into the test without a good idea of the contents of the historical confessions and how to navigate through the book, you will be on shaky ground when trying to come up with concise answers to the complex interactions of the questions. Those are the main two written resources that are critical to preparation. For general theology, Calvin, Barth, Migliore, Guthrie, etc. should be familiar and quotable.
I'm not sure what to recommend for cultivating the ability to answer pastorally. Much of this is experiential and/or common sense (which seems to not always be so common). Having discussions with pastors and professors, and listening to how they frame answers to sensitive questions will give some idea of how to be pastoral. When responding to the hypothetical people in the questions consider using a form of affirmation and admonition. Validate what you can and suggest correction or another way of thinking as a response. Especially when dealing with polity, do not use the rules as a club to enforce your answer. Conversely, do not compromise on the rules in order to be pastoral. For example, if rebaptism is prohibited, then agreeing to rebaptize so as not to offend the person in the question will most likely get a failing grade. So a good answer will adhere to polity and confessional standards while, at the same time, educating and encouraging the person who is raising an issue.
There's my quick and dirty guide to the Ords. Feel free to ask me for clarification or more details and I'll gladly opine further.
