Do Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts have to be examined in open Lodge before they progress to the next Degree?

In the Grand Lodge of New York,

Proficiency doesn’t have to be ascertained in open Lodge, but it does have to be ascertained. The Masonic Law of the Grand Lodge of New York says that a Brother seeking to advance must demonstrate suitable proficiency in the preceding Degree either by examination in open Lodge or by a committee, as directed by the Master. “Suitable” in this context means “adequate; satisfying propriety” which means that it is up to the Lodge to decide what constitutes suitable satisfaction of the Lodge’s proficiency criteria by any given candidate for advancement. Generally speaking “examination” means giving the answers in the Lecture of Forms and Ceremonies at whatever level of accuracy and thoroughness the Lodge may require, but proficiency also could include any number of other things such as delivering a short paper at a Lodge meeting, completing a reading course, observing a conferral of that Degree, attending certain classes, and so on. Much of this will come down to the traditions and expectations of each Lodge.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a candidate should not be examined on the catechisms in open Lodge unless it is certain he will pass with sufficient proficiency. Needless to say, a Brother should never be brought before the Lodge for examination if it is known he is not proficient to the Lodge’s criteria. Even then, we all have known that Brother who nails the Qs & As in practice sessions then blows it in front of the Lodge due to anxiety. There is never, ever any good reason to embarrass a Brother in front of his Lodge. I would suggest that the examination which “counts” should be done by a committee in a setting that makes the candidate for advancement comfortable. This should be reported and recorded in the proceedings and, if the Lodge desires and the candidate is comfortable doing so, all or some of the catechisms can be exemplified in a Communication. Another possibility that has been done by Lodges with extended Degree cycles is to have candidates for advancement exemplify the Lecture of Forms and Ceremonies when the Lodge confers the Degree upon another candidate. A final consideration is time: It takes about a dozen minutes for a fully proficient Brother to go through the complete Qs & As for the Entered Apprentice Degree. Depending on the number of candidates for advancement and the contemplated work of the evening, open examinations could be lengthy and—it must be admitted—not terribly interesting for the other attendees. These are all things a Lodge should consider in deciding whether to conduct its examinations in open Lodge or not. There is no wrong answer, although there are inadvisable ways of doing it either way.