#head ref

Blue beater commits a technical foul on Red chaser, but the head referee decides to call advantage. Immediately thereafter, a Blue chaser intentionally initiates illegal contact with Red chaser. How should the head referee now rule?

This is one of the most tricky questions on the exam, as evidenced by its 25% passing rate. The first thing to note is a critical point on all the questions on this exam - read the question carefully! Two different players from the Blue team are involved in this question, so don’t let that trip you up.

The more challenging part to this question though is that it’s an advantage call within an advantage call. The most common wrong answer to this question is that play continues and that after the advantage ends no penalty is given to the Blue chaser. Just because Blue beater was the player who initiated the advantage doesn’t mean that Blue chaser can get away with committing a penalty too. Think about the ramifications on the game if that were the case and then you should be able to come to the right answer.

Regardless, make sure you study up on section 3.3.4. “Advantage” as the advantage rules have been rewritten in rulebook 8 and are an often tested subject.

Red chaser throws the quaffle through the Blue team's hoop. Which of the following penalties does NOT negate the score if it happened before Red chaser threw the quaffle?

This question sees ⅔ of candidates selecting the wrong answer. Under rulebook 8, almost any sort of penalty will negate a score - red cards, yellow cards, technical fouls, and delayed penalties. In fact, there’s only one type of infraction that doesn’t negate a score as will be revealed by close examination of section 4.1.1. “Good goal.” Though it’s one that makes some sense if you think about the reasons behind it, as it involves the only players on the pitch who couldn’t impact the quaffle game anyway.

A player wishes to play, but is wearing a hard cast due to a broken left arm. What is the proper decision by the head referee?

Equipment questions are among the most difficult as frankly they’re a little bit boring. But that doesn’t make them any less important. As a head referee, ensuring player safety is paramount among your duties and knowing what to do in situations like this one are critical. Only 40% of candidates knew that sometimes you have to make a call that players aren’t going to like in the name of the sport. If you’re still not sure what the right answer is, make sure you read up on section 2.5.4. “Additional equipment” to see what to do in this scenario.

A Red team Chaser takes a shot on goal that is blocked by the Blue team Keeper inside the Blue keeper zone, in such a manner that it is caught by a spectator seated in the spectator zone. What is the proper course of action?

Just over 40% of candidates wrongly believe that play should not be stopped in this scenario. While as referees we want to do our utmost to limit the amount of stoppage that occurs in a game, sometimes it is necessary.

Adding to the difficult to this question is the fact that we’ve changed the rules on what to do when a ball enters the spectator area, and the rules are different depending on whether the ball is a bludger or the quaffle. So make sure you read 7.2.6. “The spectator area” to understand these rules and how they are different this year, and you’ll nail this question.

  Which of the following could be the correct procedure for a delay of game?

The rules team rewrote the book on delay of game with rulebook 8, causing some 40% of candidates to miss the mark on this one. Section 3.3.6. “Delay of game” calls out specific scenarios that are and are not worthy of a delay of game call. Familiarize yourself with those lists and you’ll know that passing the quaffle to a keeper in the keeper zone does not constitute delay of game by itself.