There was some recent discussion on the BJCP Forum about Exam Admins saving seats for homebrew club members which led to discussion on the BJCP Facebook Group about requiring examinees to pretest to have a seat in the exam. Well the BJCP has a clear policy on the matter. It states:
6. Sponsors may not require examinees to take a training course, or to belong to a specific homebrew club or organization. Any qualified person is permitted to take a registered exam.
That apparently was not clear enough for some so the Exam Directorate clarified the policy on Facebook.
Exam Administrators are not to reserve seats for clubs or study sessions as BJCP exams are to be open to anyone qualified. Basically there is not to be any restrictions beyond the BJCP requirements to reserve a seat. This includes being a member of a club, attending a study session or any pre-testing for qualification (other than BJCP entrance exam). If anyone becomes aware of one of these situations, please contact your Regional Rep, the Assistant Rep or Exam Director.
Reserving of seats should be on first come first serve. We understand opening reservations at time of exam registration can lead to a long wait list with people who are flooding lists looking for exams. This leads to a very high drop out rate as these people find other exams. It is acceptable to set a date which reservations will start being accepted, 1-3 months is generally enough lead time. As an exam admin you just need to provide that same info to everyone in order to maintain an open, and fair, opportunity to everyone. If someone contacts you prior to the reservation period, just inform them of the date you will start taking reservations so they can follow back up with you at that time.
So there you have it. There should be no confusion regarding the exam policy.