Rules Exam Only Registration & Rules Exam Policies

• During the Closed Book portion of the exam, no resource materials are allowed.
• During the Open Book portion of the exam, any printed or handwritten materials may be used.
• No digital resources are allowed, except for the USGA Rules of Golf app.
  • In using the USGA Rules of Golf app, only the Rules of Golf (including Definitions and Clarifications) and the Committee Procedures are allowed to be accessed.
  • The Search function within the Rules of Golf is allowed.
  • Accessing notes from the “Personalized Rulebook” is allowed.
  • Any other feature in the app is not allowed for the exam (including videos, quiz questions or anything that links to pages outside of the app such as the Study Guide or rules.usga.org).
• Other than the Rules of Golf App, phones may be used to check the time or during breaks for anything unrelated to the Rules of Golf and exam. Phones may not be used for any for any other purpose related to the exam.
• No exam materials or questions may be copied (by hand or digitally) or taken from the exam room or from the online screen. Violation(s) of these policies may result in disciplinary action up to and including, without limitation, cancellation of an exam score(s), temporary suspension from taking Rules Exams, and permanent prohibition from taking Rules Exams.
  

Rules of Golf App for the Exam FAQ
Generally, no digital resources are allowed for Part 2 of the USGA Rules of Golf Certification Exam, (also known as the “Open Book” section). Starting in 2025, the sole exception will be the USGA Rules of Golf App may be utilized during the exam, for Part 2 only (no reference materials are allowed for Part 1).

What Parts of the App May Be Used During the Exam?
Only the Rules of Golf and the Committee Procedures as found in the Official Guide may be accessed during the exam. This includes the Rules, Definitions, Clarifications, the Committee Procedures section and Model Local Rules and the Search feature within the app to search these specific texts. Additionally, notes and bookmarks made using the “Personalized Rulebook” feature may be used.

What is Not Allowed During the Exam?
Any other feature within the app, or any link that leads to an external webpage is not allowed during the exam. This includes videos, quiz questions and links to other USGA resources such as the Equipment Rules, the Rules of Handicapping or other pages at rules.usga.org as well as anything accessible through your profile such as the Study Guide or Workshop Information.

May I Use the Rules of Golf Online through rules.usga.org?
No. The allowance for digital materials is limited to the text of the Rules and Official Guide found in the USGA Rules of Golf app. Accessing the texts through rules.usga.org is not allowed during the exam. While this may be the same text, the limitation is set so that navigating to/viewing a webpage is still prohibited.

Why is the USGA Rules of Golf App being allowed for the Exam?
With the new release of the app, there are several features that have been added that make the app more similar to how people currently interact with their hard copy books. With one goal of the rules modernization being sustainability and encouraging the use of the app in the field, we’re comfortable that testing Rules of Golf knowledge is not compromised by allowing test takers to search for the Rules and Clarifications within the app.

Are There Any Special Settings I Need to Use in the App?
While there is no specific “testing” setting that needs to be in place, you likely want to make sure your app is set to Experienced/Administrator mode in order to have quick access to the whole Official Guide rather than just the Rules of Golf.

What if Someone Uses a Phone to Photograph the Exam?
Mobile devices have been allowed in the testing room for some time now with extremely limited cases in attempted copying. It has been a long-standing policy that exam materials may not be copied and the consequences for someone violating that policy may result in disciplinary actions up to and including (without limitation), immediate dismissal from the exam, cancellation of an exam score(s), temporary suspension from taking Rules Exams and/or Workshops, and permanent prohibition from taking Rules Exams and/or Workshops.

If you have any questions about how the USGA Rules App may be used during the exam, please reach out in advance to rules@usga.org or 908-326-1850 and we would be happy to help.