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There are seven dungeon exams during the game, though the first can be skipped. Passing the exams is not required, but you earn demerits for giving up or failing, which can lead to expulsion. Some storylines have bonus scenes if you fail, so as long as you have enough merits to stay in school it is not always important to pass.

Exam 1 - September 27th[]

1st Exam - Black Magic Choice

1st Exam - Black Magic Choice

You're teleported to a small room with no visible exit. As the player, your job is to pick what type of magic you should use to escape. If you choose something that you have less than 5 points of power in, you always lose and get demerits. This is mostly a warm-up to prepare for later tests and most characters will get a neutral result, neither losing nor gaining merits.

  • Red - With less than 25 points in red magic, Grabiner teleports you out and sends you on your way with no merits or demerits. With 25 or more you can destroy the wall, earning +5 merits.
  • Blue - With less than 30 points in blue magic, you're teleported out by Grabiner and receive no merits or demerits. With 30 or more you teleport yourself for an amusing scene, and given +10 merits (Because your character is not supposed to have been able to do that.)
  • Green - Grabiner teleports you out and scolds you, resulting in +15 demerits if you don't have many points in green magic, and +10 if you do, along with a detention regardless. An intelligent character may be able to talk her way into fewer demerits (untested)
  • Black - With less than 25 points in black magic you're teleported out and receive no merits or demerits (unless you had less than five, then see the start of the entry). With 25 or more you can reshape the wall and make an exit, earning +5 merits
  • White - You're teleported out and given +10 demerits and a detention. An intelligent character can explain her reasoning, talking her way out of both punishments (smart score untested, 22 doesn't work, 30 does)
  • Note - If you focus on one subject for the weeks leading up to the test, you will be told that you can't participate. At this point, you can choose to avoid detention (+10 demerits) or you can go to detention (+5 weird). Choosing to go to detention will give you the chance for Donald to invite you to a gardening session that will earn you +10 merits.

Exam 2 - October 25th[]

You're teleported to a U-shaped chamber with a large pit between you and the exit, and must cross the pit to reach the exit. There are a number of different methods that may achieve this.

  • Awareness (White) to see the other side of the pit + Teleport Self (Blue) to teleport across. Requires at least 30 magic/smarts
  • Teleport Other (Blue) to move the stone bridge at the other side of the chamber across the pit. Make sure it's facing the right way!
  • Boost Strength (Green) to jump across the pit
  • Stoneshape (Black) to change the pile of rocks next to the pit into a bridge
  • Push Object (Red) to push the bridge across the pit

Completing the exam grants +5 merits.

Jumping without boosting your strength will result in demerits and detention. You can earn +5 Weird points for requesting to be spanked during detention.

Exam 3 - December 2nd[]

You're teleported to a small randomly-generated maze, and must find the hidden exit. There are a couple of different spells that work.

  • Breeze (Red) tells you which way the exit is. Using it in front of the illusory wall makes the wall disappear automatically.
  • Truesight (Blue) reveals illusions in the current square. Doesn't tell you which way the exit is, though.
  • Track Scent (Green) Grabiner's been through the dungeon, and his scent trail will lead you to the exit. He may occasionally lead you in the wrong direction before getting you to the exit. This only works if you start casting right away without walking around first.
  • Spirit Echoes (White) works like Track Scent and shows you Grabiner's trail. This will work even if you've already walked around.
  • Awareness (White) will expose nearby map cells and reveal the exit if it is in one of them, but this only works if you're already near the exit.
  • Inspection (Black) allows you to realize the wall is an illusion, but only if you cast it directly on the correct square.
  • Dispel Object (Black) will also remove the illusion if cast on the correct square.

Completing the exams earns +5 merits.

You can also fail by:

  • casting Sleep (Green/White) on yourself

Exam 4 - January 10th[]

You're teleported into a dungeon with a monster called a Hodag. Your starting position is always in a long hallway going east-west, with a turn north into a dead end at each end, and a northbound path in the middle leading to the Hodag. Once past the monster you reach another eat-west hallway, this time with turns south into dead ends. The path to the exit is random, and can be at either end. There are a number of methods for dealing with the Hodag.

  • Fight it with damage spells. Can be risky, especially if you don't have much health/strength, also makes you lose out on the bonus merits.
  • Teleport the Hodag (Teleport Other) or yourself (Teleport Self). Both are Blue Magic. Exploring one of the dead ends and teleporting the Hodag there is a good choice. Using Awareness (White) and teleporting the Hodag into a closed room solves the problem permanently.
  • Move past it. This can be accomplished using Distraction (White), Blind (Green), or Darkness (Blue). Distraction will not prevent the Hodag from damaging you in the turn you cast it (if you try the spell on Donald in Duel Practice, your character notices that it's too slow to stop a current action) but it will prevent the Hodag from acting in the following turn, allowing you to move then. The Hodag can catch up to you if you stop to cast or turn in the wrong direction.
  • If you put the Hodag to Sleep (Green+White) it won't follow you unless you attack it to wake it up again.
  • Make it run away. This can be accomplished with use of the Fear (White) spell. It may also be possible to make it run towards you with the Call (White) spell and then slip past it.
  • Create a path connecting the northern and southern parts of the dungeons with the Dig (Black) spell. This requires a lot of mana.
  • Turn yourself invisible with Cloak (Blue) and walk past it.
  • You can also save while inside the dungeon, then re-load your game and explore until you find the stairs. This can be done without meeting the Hodag. (I saved at the T section where one path leads to the dead end and the other to the Hodag. After i loaded, i headed north then found out that i got a different path, took it, then i found the exit.)

Completing the exam without hurting the Hodag or getting hurt yourself earns you +5 bonus merits, for a total of +10 merits. Giving up at any point earns you +10 demerits, but Grabiner at least compliments you for knowing your limits. If the Hodag reduces your health to zero, you are teleported out of the dungeon, criticized for picking a fight you couldn't win, and given +10 demerits and detention.

Exam 5 - February 7th[]

You're teleported into the center of a cross-shaped dungeon. To the west is a doorway, which can only be opened with the key from the trapped chest to the north. At the end of the south path is a stone sphere. There are a couple of ways to remove the charm.

  • Open the chest, causing it to explode. You can do this with the Open (Black) or by examining the chest and choosing Open. If possible, cast Boost Strength (Green) and Heal (Green) first to give yourself as many hit points as possible. If your strength is high enough, you'll just lose some health, and can head to the exit. Trigger (Black) also causes the chest to explode, damaging you.
  • Dispel Object (Black) removes the charm on the chest, allowing it to be opened safely.
  • Shield (Blue) will protect you when opening the chest.
  • Televoke (Blue & Black) will trigger the explosion while you're a safe distance away, allowing you to open the chest and take the key safely. Telepyre (Red & Blue) will also trigger the explosion by damaging the chest.
  • Transfer Charm (Blue & Black) will allow you to move the charm to the dungeon walls, making the chest safe to open.
  • Lightning (Red) in the direction of the chest from the center square will detonate the trap.
  • Push Object (Red) or Force Push (Red) on the sphere to roll it into the chest will detonate the trap.

There is an illusion of a Manus at the end of the east path, which can be dispelled with Truesight (Blue). You can also use Spirit Sight (White) for the same result. It may chase you, or move from its starting position and catch you by surprise, but it cannot harm you or get in your way.

Using Truesight on the Manus earns +5 bonus merits, for a total of +10. If you don't cast any spells at all but only open the chest and walk out, you won't get merits. If your strength is too low and the explosion trap reduces your health to zero, or you cast any spells on yourself that reduce your health to zero or render you incapable of completing the exam, you get +10 demerits and detention.

Note: if you have seen a Manus before the test, when meeting it there will be several choices available (call for help, ignore it, etc.). Some of them are equivalent to giving up, leading to demerits.

Exam 6 - March 14th[]

This time you're racing a male student whom you'll encounter as soon as you move. There are a few ways to deal with your opponent.

  • Attack him and do enough damage to knock him out of the dungeon. Be careful to keep enough magic to be able to deal with the door or you will have to surrender.
  • Outrun him, which may be done fairly easily, depending on the design on the dungeon. Spells like Slow, Sleep, Sticky Feet, or Entangle may also help slow him down. Several other White spells may also cause him to lose turns or go in the wrong direction.
  • Bypass him completely - this dungeon is randomly generated, and sometimes use of Awareness and Dig or Teleport Self will let you go straight from the start square to the end square without ever meeting the Opponent.
  • Reason with him. Attempting to talk to him (through the "examine" option) three times will give you a chance to talk him into giving up. You can challenge him to a game of wits (Requires over 35 smart, being exactly 35 smart does NOT let you win), offer to kiss him for +5 cute points, bribe him with $100, or try to bribe him with your wand or your amulet, if you have one. Only bribing him with money or beating him in the game seem to work. You can also talk to him with just one try if you use the Communication spell.
  • Follow him,Wait for him to open the door (it will require multiple attacks from him) and then let him lead you to the exit and teleport him back to the beginning.
  • Drain all his magic power, this will cause him to throw his hands up and surrender since he can no longer break the door down
  • Cast Sleep on him. This will put him temporarily out of commission, though he may not stay asleep forever.

Every version of the level appears to contain an intersection with Wrong Way cast on it, along with a locked door, and a small patch of grass. Your opponent will always try to break down the door with Red magic, taking 2-3 turns in doing so. You can run past him as soon as he gets the door open, or use the opportunity to stop and talk to him. He will also cast Breeze at every intersection, which slows him down and will reveal the correct path to you if you're close enough to see it.

The Opponent will sometimes use Push or Teleport Other on you to get you out of his way, if you catch up to him near the end of the dungeon.

If he reaches the exit first, a gong will sound and you will lose. If you reach the exit first, you gain +5 merits. If you manage to talk your opponent into giving up you'll earn +5 bonus merits, for +10 merits total.

Exam 7 - April 29th[]

7th exam

The 7th and last exam's dungeon

This is the final exam, and you're taking it as part of a team with Ellen and Virginia. Whether or not you succeed depends more on your character than your strategy, but the important thing is to make sure that everyone reaches the end with some magic left. Each character offers a different strategy, forcing you to choose which one to attempt. Note that if you are on either girl's path you'll automatically end up going with their idea. Also note that in a number of routes you'll be able to chat with the girls beforehand about your choices, potentially leading to problems during the exam.

Virginia will suggest going after any monsters in the level using Track Scent. As you move you'll trigger a trap, and can heal yourself or ask the others to heal you. Upon finding the monsters you're given the choice between luring them out, casting Lightning into the darkness, or ambushing the monsters.

Ellen will suggest focusing on the crystal, using Farspeak (combination Blue/White) to keep all three of you in touch. Wandering around in the dark, you'll have the option to cast any tracking or searching spells you know, including Truesight, which will allow you to avoid the trap from Virginia's route. Eventually you'll find, and have to deal with, the monsters, and you can choose between casting Call (White), or using yourself as bait and having Ellen teleport you to safety. Note that you will lose some health acting as bait.

After that, if all three of you make it, you'll reach the crystal, and if you each have enough magic left, you'll finish the exam. Characters with low magic may use Tap the Flow, Sacrifice, or borrow some mana from their teammates in order to finish.

Finishing the exam will earn you +5 merits, ot +10 if you didn't get hurt.

Summary[]

Exam Date Best outcome Worst outcome Other
Exam 1 September 27th 10 merits 15 demerits Skipping gives detention & 10 merits
Exam 2 October 25th 5 merits 5 Weird & detention
Exam 3 December 2nd 5 merits 10 demerits & detention no detention on giving up
Exam 4 January 10th 10 merits 10 demerits & detention no detention on giving up
Exam 5 February 7th 10 merits 10 demerits
Exam 6 March 14th 10 merits 10 demerits
Exam 7 April 29th 10 merits Summer School
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