The new Women's Development Program Compulsory Exercises will be in effect from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2029. All individuals who want to judge Level 1-5 athletes are required to pass the 2021-29 Level 4/5 Judges' exam. Those who hold a current 2013-2021 Level 4/5 rating have until December 31, 2021 to renew before their current rating expires. However, for the assignment of judges for compulsory meets after August 1, 2021, the assignors will use the following priorities:

  1. The first to be assigned are those judges who have taken the 2021-22 Level 4/5 exam and earned a 2021-29 Level 4/5 rating.
  2. If there are not enough available judges who meet criteria #1, next assigned are those individuals who have taken the Level 4/5 exam but have not yet passed.
  3. Lastly, those individuals who have not yet taken the new Level 4/5 exam may be assigned IF nobody is available with the above criteria. If there are not enough 2021-29 accredited Level 4/5 judges available for a specific meet, and someone who has a 2013-21 Level 4/5 rating but has not yet tested is needed, it is highly recommended that they be assigned to Vault or Bars, since those events are very similar to the 2013-21 routines.
  4. When a meet requires Optional-rated judges who also are Compulsory-rated, the assignor must first assign individuals who have the required Optional rating plus the 2021-29 Level 4/5 rating. If there are not enough Optional rated judges who are also eligible to judge the new compulsories, then additional compulsory-rated judges should be assigned, if available, to cover the compulsory sessions.
    • If a Meet Director requests specific judges for a compulsory and optional session meet, the requested judges may be assigned only if they have a current Optional and new 2021-29 Compulsory rating. If they have not yet earned a 2021-29 Level 4/5 rating, they may be assigned to the Optional sessions only and properly rated compulsory judges must be additionally assigned, or the meet director may accept other available judges who are properly rated for both Compulsory and Optional.

The Level 4/5 judging exam will now be offered only as an ONLINE, open-book 50-question multiple choice exam. Individuals may register and take the exam at their convenience, but once the exam is started, it must be completed within 60 minutes. There will be 10 questions on General Faults/Penalties, 10 questions on Level 4/5 Handspring Vault and 5 questions each for Level 4 and Level 5 Bars, Beam and Floor Exercise. Each question is worth 2 points and the passing rate is 70%. Results will be sent via email from USA Gymnastics within several days of completion of the exam.

In the event that a 70% passing grade is not achieved, the individual may take up to four attempts to pass the exam within an accreditation year (August 1 - July 31). The first time testing, register for the A1 version. If additional attempts are necessary, the order is A1, B1, A2, B2. There is no specific time required before taking the test another time once you have received the results.

Registration for the online Level 4/5 exam will not be available until mid-August. Instructions on how to register will be available HERE. The cost of the exam is $25.00.

All Optional exams will continue to be offered at in-person testing sites. Follow the link on the above webpage to see the master schedule and to register for a Level 7/8, 9 or 10 Written and/or Practical exam.

Another announcement will be made as soon as registration is open for the Level 4/5 exam.