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The Certified Journalism Educator exam is designed to demonstrate your knowledge of basics in journalism and media advising. The following information will assist you in preparing for the exam.
How is the test designed?
The test consists of 20 short-essay questions. The 20 questions deal with the general areas of journalistic writing and editing, graphics and design, photojournalism, business and advertising, legal and ethical considerations, and media staff and administration relationships. A list of the contents is included in this study guide. Three sample exam questions and answers are included in this guide.
REVISED! What should I expect when I take the exam?
The exam will last two and one-half hours, including instructions, and will be administered at least twice each year, during each JEA/NSPA convention. You must register by Oct. 1 for the fall convention exam and by March 1 for the spring convention exam. No on-site registrations will be accepted. The exam will be administered on computers during the Write-off contest at the convention. You will have approximately seven minutes per question to answer the 20 questions. Although you could go into great detail in answering the questions, restrict your answers to the time you have. The judges realize that you are writing under a tight time limit. Each of the 20 questions will be in a separate Microsoft Word document. You will word process your answer on a computer supplied by JEA. (No personal computers will be allowed.)
In writing your answers, you are not to use your name, the name of your school or state or any other form of identification of yourself or your program. The judges should not be able to determine who you are based on your answers; such answers will be invalidated. More than one judge will be involved in evaluating your answers. Consequently, each answer must be able to stand alone. Do not refer to your statements in a previous question when answering another question.
Your answers should be written in prose form. You may organize your answers in list or outline form (and not complete paragraph form); however, your answers must be in complete sentences.
You will not be asked to count a headline or size a photo -- skills that are not used by publication staffs that do production work on computers.
How will my answers be evaluated?
Members of the JEA Certification Commission will serve as the board of judges for the exam. At least two judges will read your answers. Answers will be scored holistically. Each of your answers could be worth up to four points. Judges may award scores which include a fraction of a point. You must receive an average score of 75 percent on 20 questions to sucessfully pass the exam.Each of your answers will be evaluated on a scale of 0-4:
4 = Excellent
3 = Good
2 = Minimum Competency
1 = Unsatisfactory
0 = Irrelevant
You must earn a total of 60 points for the 20 questions. This respresents an average of Good or 3 points per question. The chart at the bottom of this page explains the criteria judges will use in evaluating your answers.
How can I prepare for the exam?
Review the list of categories on the exam, which are included in this study guide, and determine if there are any areas in which you consider yourself weak. The attached list of resources provides information which should help you prepare for the exam.
When will I receive my results?
You will receive the results of the exam and your CJE status within six to eight weeks after you take the exam. You will not receive your scored answers. If you do not pass the exam, you will receive a list of specific areas in which your answers were not satisfactory and in which you need additional study
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