This is determined by the old forces of supply and demand. Originally, the LBG force numbered around 100 individuals. From 1929 through 1952 no additional guides were added to the point where active guides decreased and numbered less than fifty. During the 1950's about fifteen to twenty guides were brought on bringing the number of active guides to around 60, a level maintained through periodic testing through the 60's, 70's and into the very early 1980's. At that time, the late Mr. John Andrews, Guide Supervisor, began a policy of gradually rebuilding the guide force to its original level of approximately 100. The large numbers of visitors requesting guide services as a result of the 125th Anniversary, Ken Burns' Civil War Series on PBS, and of course, Ted Turner's Gettysburg, forced the LBG's to finally break the 100 barrier. Since then the NPS has gone wild with the licensing process and at present, approximately 156 individuals hold valid guide licenses. Index

How is the size of the guide force determined?

Each year the park staff decides if guide staffing levels are such to warrant opening up the testing process. This is done based on an evaluation of the status of the present guide force. There is no guide retirement age. So long as a guide is physically able to maintain the license, the guide generally does so. Thus, openings are caused by death of older guides, or the moving out of the area of guides. Occasionally, some simply tire of it and give up their license. The park staff looks at the number of visitors turned-away at the desk due to lack of guides on any given day as well as an examination of visitation patterns. Based on all of this, a decision is made as to whether a test should be given and how many guides will be taken from that test. Index

When are exams announced?

Once a decision is made to offer a new exam, an announcement is generally made public in the summer. This is done via newspaper announcements in local newspapers as well as mailing a letter to all who inquired about an exam. By far the best way to get the information is to stop by the park visitor center or to write to the park and ask to have your name put on a list to receive guide-exam information when it next is sent out. If you stop by the visitor center ask to talk the Guide Supervisory Park Ranger, Mr. Clyde Bell. Index

If you write, send your request to :

Clyde Bell, Guide Supervisor
74 Taneytown Road
National Park Service Visitor Center
Gettysburg National Military Park,
Gettysburg, PA 17325.

Does it cost anything to apply?

Over the past few years, the number of interested applicants has increased dramatically. In December 1997 more than 750 folks applied to take a test of which about 200 actually showed up to take it. With those numbers the park was forced to institute an application fee. There is no cost to receive information concerning the test date, but if you wish to receive an application to take the test, you must send a non-refundable $50 fee to cover administrative costs. The December 13, 1997 test had about 200 take the exam of which about 85 qualified to move on. In February, 1998, these folks came to Gettysburg and participated in a two-day training session. More recent guide exams (2004, 2006) have been administered to pools of applicants numbering approximately 150 with only the top 20 or so scores being guaranteed the chance to take an oral examination.. Index

How long will I have to study?

The answer to this, generally, is years. You should be studying for the exam as soon as you have a burning desire to become a guide. The actual guide written exam is given in the late fall and generally a saturday in early December. Since it is announced in the summer or early fall, at best you would only have about four months of preparation time beforehand. Don't wait. Start reading and studying now. Index

What should I study?

The basic answer to this is anything and everything. Start with a good general work. Coddington's The Gettysburg Campaign is a good one. Go through and try to get the basics of the ebb and flow of the battle. Don't concern yourself with names, particularly below brigade level. And don't get bogged down on statistics. Once you've accomplished this, pick up one or two smaller works like Tucker's High Tide or a few of the older guide books. Although not-so-good for battle related action they make great sources of human interest stories. You also must concentrate on monuments, weapon types, uniforms, food, local area place-names etc. It is important to note that successful guides are those with a grasp of political, social, economic perspectives related to this era. Knowledge of military aspects alone normally is not sufficient. You'll find that those with the most detailed down-to-the-company knowledge level of the battle usually have the hardest time making it through the licensing process because they know too much of a specialized aspect of the battle (i.e. tactics) and too little of the broad scope of the battle; the human element and the meaning of it all. Index

When is the written test given?

Historically, the written test has been given during the month of December, usually the first or second Saturday. There are several reasons for this. First, it is the dead time of year freeing up both rangers and LBG's to polish up, test, print, administer, and score the exam. Second, the process can then be completed and the new guides licensed and uniformed before the start of heavy visitation the following summer. It is generally administered in the facilities of the Harrisburg Area Community College (Gettysburg Campus) from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. It is a timed and rather rigorous examination. The next written exam is preliminarily scheduled for December of 2008. Index

What is the written test like?

Each test is drawn from a data base of questions written by a number of people and approved by a variety of individuals from Civil War Historians to educators familiar with how to construct a test. It usually consists of between 100 and 200 objective-type questions, true-false, multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank. There may also be photographs of monuments which you will have to identify, photos of officers both north and south and a map section where you will be asked to identify place names. You also will find anywhere from four to eight essay questions designed not only to test your basic knowledge but your ability to express yourself. This is administered in a testing center with about twenty guides as proctors. It is graded by the park staff with the objective part rated numerically and the essays scored pass-fail. The 1997 version of the test was completely rewritten from previous versions and it is this basic exam which is still used today. Index See "Sample Test."

What does the score mean?

A few weeks after the exam is given, you would receive in the mail a letter from the guide supervisor stating what your score was and how you ranked in the list of guides. In the past, a passing score was a 75% with all essays rated "pass." Anyone with a score of 75 or better was guaranteed the opportunity to move on to the second and harder phase of the process, the oral exam. You would be called, based on you score. In other words, those with the highest scores were called first, those nearer 75 last. When all individuals who scored 75 or better were tested, the list was considered exhausted and a new test rescheduled for another year.

The 1994 exam was the first in which the process changed somewhat. The prior exam list had taken three years to deplete and this was not felt to be fair to those who scored in the high 70's. From the time they intensively prepared and took the written exam, so much time had passed before they were called for their oral that much was forgotten. Accordingly, in 1994, John Andrews announced that prospective guides would be taken from the list strictly according to need. As he needed 30 new guides only the top thirty scores qualified to move on. Some with scores in the high 70's and low 80's who three years earlier were guaranteed a chance, simply didn't make the cut. The 1997 exam returned to the "eligibles" list concept. When the same failings of prior exams were exhibited we returned to the process of setting a cut off score based on the approximate number of guides believed needed over the next several years. Anyone falling below that score would need to take the written exam again when offered. Index

O.K., I made the cut - what now?

The next phase in the licensing process is mandatory attendance at an intensive 18-hour training session. All successful examinees are informed of the scheduled date for the training. This is usually held on a weekend in late January through mid-February. In this session you will be instructed on all aspects of a guides' duties. Past topics have included:

"History of the NPS,"
"History of GNMP,"
"History of the LBG's,"
"Organization of the NPS at Gettysburg,"
"Interpretive Operations"
"Law Enforcement and Visitor Protection,"
"Natural and Cultural Resource Management on the Battlefield,"
"Interpretive Techniques,"
"Being an Effective Communicator,"
"Using Monuments as Interpretive Tools,"
"LBG Operations,"
"The Oral Exam."

It is a grueling experience but a learning one. One of the most important segments of this session is an afternoon spent with a panel of existing LBGs who will walk through the structure and pitfalls of a two-hour tour. Index

What is the oral exam like?

Immediately following the training session, the process enters its hardest phase. All applicants are expected to successfully pass an oral examination which consists of a two-hour tour which you give to a ranger and an LBG playing the role of visitors. You provide a vehicle and you drive. On the appointed day you arrive at the Visitor Center in report into the desk where the examiners will be called. Prior to arriving you should work out a good tour which covers all possible aspects of the battle within a two-hour time frame (not much shorter and absolutely not much over.) The oral is treated as any normal tour of the field. The examiners play the role of visitors and will tell you where they are from. You are expected to weave that knowledge into your interpretation, to personalize the tour to the party. You will be evaluated on that. The examiners will question you throughout the tour in order to test you knowledge and your ability to weave those answers into your narration. They will be looking for ability to present the information coherently, for evidence of a common theme, for good introductions and conclusions, nice transitions day to day and site to site, an ability to keep the party oriented, the ability to present at an appropriate level for your clients, your rapport with people, your tonal quality, the handling of tour mechanics, appearance, and driving ability. All of these and much more, will be looked at by the examiners. To say the least it is a nerve wracking experience that once endured, you do not wish to do again. Index

How will this be evaluated?

Throughout the trip the guide and ranger will busily be taking notes, recording their observations, and marking your score on a numeric scale. Sometimes you may be asked to return to the Visitor Center early. If this happens, you generally did something so wrong it needs to be corrected. If you do make it the whole way around, and most tours are allowed to continue to the end, just to see it, then you will be asked to give the examiner about a half hour to compare notes and talk about what they saw. This half hour may seem like the longest time you've ever waited.

You will be taken into an office and the three parties: guide, ranger, and you, will talk about the exam. You will be critiqued. You will be told what you did right, what you did wrong, and what areas you need to work on. You will be told at this time if you passed the exam or if the examiners wish you to take the test again. A good many of the guides now licensed failed the oral exam the first time through.

If you failed, you will be told exactly why and how to fix it. You will be allowed to take as much time as necessary to correct the problems, asked to take some more practice runs around the field and perhaps even hooked up with a guide willing to help you work on the rough spots. You will be provided with written comments from the examiners after the initial oral exam. At your convenience, you will be asked to phone in and let them know when you are ready an you will be rescheduled, going through the whole process again. Index

What if I fail the oral the second time?

In any given testing year about one-third of the folks who successfully pass the written test, fail both oral exams. If you fail the oral twice you must repeat the entire process. You must wait until the written test is offered again, take and pass it, go through the training session, then take the oral. Some do so and again fail, some do so and finally make it. Some simply give up. Index

And if I pass the oral exam?

If your examiners say "congratulations, you've passed!" you can breathe a deep sigh of relief. You're almost there. At this point you will be told you will receive an evaluation in the mail as you probably still have weak points to work on in your program. At the time you are doing so someone at the park will probably check out your references and paperwork to make sure all is in order. You will receive a written form of the license which must be signed along with the statement of rules and regulations which your signature indicates you will abide by. Included with this must be payment of your annual licensing fee, ranging anywhere from $150 to $380 depending on your license category. The superintendent will sign and issue your official license which is a card you must carry while on tour.

You need to acquire a uniform from the list of prescribed items. If you wish to do busses, you must purchase a portable public address system. You need to visit the Visitor Center. in order to get some guide patches for your uniform and some receipt books. Once this is done, and the expense to do so may run anywhere from $200 up to $500 to get this far, you are ready to show up one morning prepared to conduct your first tour!!! Index

How do I keep my license?

Once you are licensed, there is no additional examination necessary - ever. You are expected to keep up with your research and to keep current. You are expected to constantly refine your tour and, indeed, as you guide you actually begin to develop a lot of different tours in order to keep your own sanity.

Each year you are required to conduct a minimum amount of tours based on your category. Full time guides must do 175 tours a year, part time guides must do 100 tours a year and weekend, part time guides must do 50 tours a year. In addition, no more than 40% of those tours can be busses or groups. During the summer months, you must guide at least once every fifteen days. Presuming you meet all of those minimums and have not received complaints from visitors, you will automatically be renewed the following year whereupon you pay the fee and sign the licensing agreement again. Index

What are the licensing categories?

You are considered a full-time guide if you are available to work twelve months a year. A part time guide is generally available full time June, July and August, and on weekends April, May, September, October and November. The weekend, part time guide is available to work on weekends from May until the end of October and after 2:00 p.m. weekdays during the summer. These categories were designed not only to provide maximum guide coverage during peak visitation but to provide a variety of options for those still working at "real" jobs. You are asked to select a guide category each year and may change with permission of the guide supervisor. Index

Return to FAQ Page