Hunter Exam

The Hunter Exam (ハンター試験, Hantā Shiken) is a yearly event that an applicant must pass in order to become a Hunter; an elite member of humanity. These exams consist of several tests and stages. Thus far, 289 Hunter Exams have taken place.

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:




 * 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 Jenny (approximately 90 million yen) at any bank.
 * 6) Access to the secret Hunters-Only Website, where secret intelligence about various subjects, uploaded by other Hunters, can be purchased.

Location
The location changes each year along with the stages of the exam. And it is impossible to find. In order to get to the site, the applicant must find a navigator (a person or magical beasts that can lead them to the exam site).

Time
The Hunter Exam occurs once every year in early January. The registration ends on December 31st. However, the 289th Hunter Exam seems to have taken place in early July.

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

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 stated that sometimes rookies never pass or reach the final phase for about ten years and all of a sudden a group of interesting rookies reaches 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.

Applicants
The great importance of being a Hunter draws millions of people, despite the fact that fatalities are quite common.

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. If one loses his badge then the committee won't bother searching for him in case he failed or was trapped.

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 its goal.

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.

267th Hunter Exam
Applicants:
 * Ging Freecss (Passed)
 * Tonpa (Failed)
 * Moritonio (Failed) (oneshot only, unconfirmed)

284th Hunter Exam
Applicants:
 * Pokkle (Failed the 4th phase)
 * Tonpa (Failed)

286th Hunter Exam
Applicants:
 * Bodoro (Failed 1st phase)
 * Hisoka (Disqualified)
 * Tonpa (Failed)

Examiners:
 * Togari

287th Hunter Exam
Passed by:
 * Kurapika
 * Gon Freecss
 * Hisoka
 * Hanzo
 * Pokkle
 * Illumi Zoldyck
 * Leorio Paradinight

Examiners:
 * Satotz
 * Buhara
 * Menchi
 * Lippo
 * Trick Tower's 3rd examiner
 * Khara
 * Masta
 * Netero

288th Hunter Exam
Passed by:
 * Killua Zoldyck

Examiners:
 * 288th Hunter Exam's 1st Phase Examiner

289th Hunter Exam
Applicants:
 * Tayta (Passed)
 * Muherr (Failed)
 * Yunde (Failed)

Examiners:
 * Cheadle Yorkshire
 * Kurapika