Hunter Exam

The Hunter Exam (ハンター試験, Hantā Shiken) is a yearly event which an applicant must pass in order to become a Hunter, an elite member of humanity and a part of the Hunter Association. These exams consist of several tests and stages which can vary drastically. Thus far, 289 Hunter Exams have taken place. The Head of the Exam Commission is the Chairman of the Hunter Association themselves.

Overview

Location

The Exam Hall changes each year along with the stages of the exam, and it is impossible to find on one's own. Applicants are given only approximate information on the location of the exam. In order to reach it, they must find a navigator (a person or Magical Beast who can lead them to the exam site).

Time

The Hunter Exam occurs once every year starting from January 7^th and lasts for a period comprised between one week and one month. The exact date and time is communicated to the applicant upon registering. The application deadline is December 31^st. The 289th exam was an exception, as it was moved to an unknown date between early January and July 3^rd.

Difficulty

Due to the large numbers of people who want to become Hunters, the Exam phases tend to be exceptionally difficult. Many applicants end up dead or handicapped. The Hunter Association hires people to "trim the fat", that is, to eliminate all the weak applicants who aren't worthy of taking the main exam, since the Association doesn't have the time or the resources to test everyone. Navigators themselves are authorized to test them.

Moreover, statistics show that:

• 1 out of 10,000 people make it to the main exam.
• The rate of rookies passing the exam is once every 3 years.
• Netero corrected that estimation by stating that it often happens rookies never pass or reach the final phase for about ten years; then all of a sudden a group of interesting ones get to the final phase at once. This delights the chairman and usually he makes the final stages so that most of the applicants pass if they have what it takes.

The Exam

Applicants

The great importance of being a Hunter draws millions of people, despite the fact that fatalities are quite common. If the applicant is underage, the signature of a parent or guardian is required on the application card. Applicants are each given a badge with an assigned number once they are officially taking the exam. These badges also have transmitters that help the Hunters committee track the examinees and monitor their progress, or find them if they are lost. Losing one's badge makes it difficult for the committee to rescue the applicant.

Stages

Usually, in every exam there are about 5 or 6 stages. Since the location of the exam changes, so does the location of the phases, and their goal. Passing the third stage grants an applicant unconditional access to the following year's Hunter Exam.

Examiners

Examiners are elite hunters who are examining the applicants without pay. They change every year and each examiner assigns the examinees a different task. Attacking an examiner will result in immediate disqualification.

Criteria

The specifics of the scoring system and each applicant's score are classified. In broad terms, three categories are considered:

• Physical ability: it measures the applicant's strength, agility and endurance, as well as the sharpness of their senses.
• Mental acuity: it is used to evaluate focus, flexibility, judgment and creativity.
• Overall impression: everything that is not included in the other two categories falls under this one. It serves to assess the potential as a Hunter of the candidate. To assign a score, the members of the Exam Commission discuss their opinions among themselves, and test them against the impact each applicant has had on the others.

Benefits

Passing the Hunter Exam grants one a Hunter License which is very beneficial. Aside from the recognition the license holder enjoys, the benefits are:

A Hunter License

1. 95% of all public facilities can be used at no cost. Furthermore, all such services are provided at first class.
2. Unrivaled freedom to travel around the world. Access is granted to about 90% of countries which normally restrict the entry of outsiders, and access to 75% of areas that the general public is prohibited from entering.
3. Almost no legal responsibility for murder.
4. The ability to sell the Hunter License as a valuable collector's item. Though only the original owner of a Hunter License can take advantage of the normal benefits, it can be still sold for enough money to support the seller for at least 7 generations in luxury.
5. The ability to use the license as collateral for a zero-interest loan of 100 million  at any bank.
6. Access to the secret Hunters-Only Website, where secret intelligence about various subjects, uploaded by other Hunters, can be purchased.

Known Hunter Exams

267th Hunter Exam

Applicants:

• Ging Freecss (Passed)
• Tonpa (Failed)
• Moritonio (Failed) (oneshot only, unconfirmed)

284th Hunter Exam

Applicants:

• Pokkle (Failed the 4th phase)^{[citation needed]}
• Tonpa (Failed)

286th Hunter Exam

Applicants:

• Bodoro (Failed 1st phase)^{[citation needed]}
• Hisoka Morow (Disqualified)
• Tonpa (Failed)

Examiners:

• Togari

287th Hunter Exam

Passed by:

• Kurapika
• Gon Freecss
• Hisoka Morow
• Hanzo
• Pokkle
• Illumi Zoldyck
• Leorio Paradinight

Examiners:

• Satotz
• Buhara
• Menchi
• Lippo
• Trick Tower's 3rd examiner
• Khara
• Masta
• Isaac Netero

288th Hunter Exam

Passed by:

• Killua Zoldyck

Examiners:

• 288th Hunter Exam's 1st Phase Examiner

289th Hunter Exam

Applicants:

• Theta (Passed, provisional)
• Salkov (Passed, provisional)
• Myuhan (Passed, provisional)
• Danjin (Passed, provisional)
• Muherr (Failed)
• Juhnde (Failed)

Examiners:

• Cheadle Yorkshire
• Kurapika

Trivia

• If the statistics provided by Kurapika (1 rookie passes every 3 years) and Netero (no rookies pass for 10 years, then a batch of them succeeds in the same exam) are both to be considered accurate, an average closer to the actual rate of rookies passing the exam on the first try would be 3 or 4 every decade.
  • However, the only rookie to pass during the 267th Hunter Exam was Ging Freecss, while during the 287th, 6 reached the final phase and 5 passed, showing that although the interval might be consistent, the number of rookies who pass is not.