At the NJCL convention, there are many written tests. There is no harm to taking tests, so even if one has little knowledge concerning Greek Derivatives, they can and should still take said test. The tests include Classical Greek, Heptathlon, the Decathlon, Ancient Geography, Classical Art, Latin Grammar, Greek Derivatives, Greek History, Greek Life and Literature, Latin Derivatives, Latin Literature, Mottoes Abbreviations and Quotations, Mythology, Reading Comprehension, Roman History, Roman Life, and Latin Vocabulary. The resources given on this page will hopefully help WJCLers to prepare for the rigorous tests at nationals. The Certamen resources page should be used to study for the Roman history, Latin Grammar, Latin Vocabulary, Mythology, and Latin literature tests. Old NJCL tests can be found only on this page. There is no other website or place that has these tests. If there is not enough resources listed below, please email Tech@gmail.com
How do I study for these difficult tests?
The most important thing to study for these tests is to take the old tests. Taking the old tests allows an individual to learn the types of questions which will be asked, the format in which they will be asked, and common questions. On the Roman History tests at national convention, they often repeat history questions. It also of huge importance to study the resources below, which are designed to help people to prepare for these tests. It is also important to remember that these tests are very hard. Don't be discouraged if your scores are in the 40 and 60 percent ranges, or even lower than that. On some tests, this is enough to place in the top 5. Remember that you novices will only be scored against novices, and intermediates will only be scored against intermediates and so on. Also it is important to note that some tests are very easy to win because nobody studies for them. A perfect example of this is Greek literature, where a very low score with little studying can still allow one to place. Although the guides posted below are great, they are not sources (although some of them are) and challenges can only be supported by official NJCL sources. These are listed on theNJCL sources page on the NJCL website
Ancient Greek Grammar
There is a Greek Grammar test at both national and state convention. Because there is a scarcity of people who know any syntax, vocabulary, or even to read the letters, it is possible to score well without much knowledge of Greek. At state convention, there is a Greek Grammar test, and although it is very easy, few people have any knowledge of Greek. The state Greek Grammar test is fairly easy and asks no questions about actual syntax, and if one were to know the Greek alphabet and the 65 most common Greek words, they would likely place first or second on the state Greek Grammar test. At national convention, the test is very difficult and rigorous. It starts with 50 vocabulary questions which are often obscure, and then 50 grammar questions which are often very hard. Using these guides will ensure a good score on either. Ancient Greek Letters Guide - Unfortunately Greek and English do not share an alphabet. This is a one page guide that shows the Ancient Greek letters and their English equivalents.
The 50% vocabulary list (65 most common words) - This list makes up 50% of the Greek database. There are only 65 words in this guide, and if it were to be memorized, one would do very well (1st, 2nd, or third place) on the WJCL test. It is barely a page, and includes only the most important words. Knowing this guide is beneficial for state convention, however at NJCL convention, knowing this guide will not be enough information to place in the top ten.
80% vocabulary list - This 1193 word vocabulary Ancient Greek vocabulary guide which makes up 80% of all vocabulary says "As students of ancient Greek know, some Greek words can appear in multiple forms. Did the Greeks have a memory vastly superior to speakers of other languages? No. They knew multiple forms of many words but Greek uses a smaller number of different words. Many languages have a core of about 2,000-3,000 words generate the 80% portion (in English it's about 2,300). Greek, however, reaches the 80% mark with half the number of vocabulary items. The goal, here, then is to capture those words which make up 80% of most Greek."
Ancient Greek principle Parts - Ancient Greek verbs have a total of six parts (unfortunately). This makes Greek verbs much harder than Latin verbs. This 10 page guide offers many of the principle parts of Attic Greek.
Hansen and Quinn Greek Textbook- It is extremely difficult to find textbooks online for free, however this one is in the form of a Scribd document. It is a textbook which can be used to study from and slowly learn about the syntax of the language. It is quite long and detailed and gives a lot of information for studying.
The Perseus Project- gives almost all of the surviving works of Ancient Greece.
Smyth - A book that is a comprehensive guide to Greek Grammar. It is extremely hard to read and has numerous footnotes. It has 3048 sections and is probably better used as a reference, or to challenge inaccuracies.
To take the Greek derivatives test, one does not need to have knowledge of the Greek Alphabet. Greek derivatives are asked on both national and state tests.
Greenwald's Greek Derivatives Dictionary - A very long national source that is essentially comprehensive FJCL Greek Derivatives Study Guide - The Florida Junior Classical League's rather short guide to Greek Derivatives, learning this short, 4 page guide would ensure one of the top places at the state level, and proficiency at the national level
There are only two guides posted here because there is a scarcity of guides concerning Greek history. These two guides together are more or less comprehensive
Map of the Regions of Italy- A map of the regions of Italy, useful to learn the basics of the Geography of Italy
Roman geography guide - A guide with worksheets, helpful to study ancient geography with work
Regionals study guide- A guide that along with many maps, gives the names of ancient cities and their corresponding modern names NB: There are more study guides at Flint Hill Certamen's Geography Page and they are more comprehensive than the guides posted here
The heptathlon (deriving from hepta, meaning seven in Greek) is a test that is a combination of seven categories. There is no single study guide for the Heptathlon as it is seven different categories. The decathlon is the same thing as the heptathlon, however, it is much harder, and should only be taken if one feels that they have extreme expertise in multiple categories.
This may be shocking, but the best way to get good at reading comprehension is to read Latin. However reading real Latin can be very tricky and difficult. Plautus often shortens word forms, Ovid has adjectives modifying nouns that are lines apart, Cicero has sentences that can go over 200 words, and Virgil makes AP Latin students cry. However, with the proper guides, Ovid, Virgil, Caesar, Cicero, Plautus, and other authors become easier. As one reads more Latin, they become quicker to realize the adjectives and what they modify, and the different quirks of certain authors. Below will be a link to the Latin Library, as well as many some guides to different authors.
Latin Library - contains many different authors, and all their works