I'm taking my tasting exam @ the end of Feb. Publicly-posted commercial calibration would be huge, though I don't think it exists. In fact, a reader wrote in to Zymurgy complaining that different judges were coming up with such different descriptors for the same beer. [EDIT!!! If you are an AHA member, go on to eZymurgy and you can find a lot of different commercial calibrations! One more reason to join if you aren't already a member!]
I passed my online exam in October, have judged one comp as a provisional (judged saisons with Dave Houseman in the afternoon, who contributes to the calibration column...such a great guy and a great teacher!) and stewarded two others prior. I was particularly psyched when Dave and I would come up with the same score for a beer!
Also, one of my clubs does a non-sanctioned comp every month, which has helped me taste different beer, learn the styles (somewhat, as we do a different category each month), and learn to use descriptors.
Finally, I have been trying to fill out a minimum of 5 scoresheets per week. A couple of things I have found helpful as well:
-my proctor recommended taking one beer (eg Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout), and judging it in three different categories, ie "Oatmeal Stout", "Russian Imperial Stout", and "Baltic Porter". That way, you can learn to ID STYLE flaws and not just technical flaws. SS's Oatmeal Stout is a well-made beer, but it is probably not the best Baltic Porter.
-look through Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate for simple reviews of the beer you just did. Like anything crowd-sourced, a lot of the 'data' can be crap, but you might catch a descriptor that you missed (make sure to save some of the sample when you are reviewing your scoresheet.
-Finally, I will quiz myself on some reverse-learning stuff (there's probably a more technical term). Ie instead of reading the style guidelines for saison and biere de garde, I will try to write down the differences between a saison and biere de garde. For example:
Biere de garde has (should have):
-malty upfront sweetness followed by dryness
-low esters, malt-focused aroma potentially with some toasty character
-clean lager character over some melanoidin
Saison:
-ester/yeast-forward aroma
-much more citrus/tart flavor
-similar dryness
-some hop bitterness (whereas the dryness in a BDG comes more from the fermentation)
This may be completely useless, but it helps me remember style characteristics. Where I do get a bit fuzzy is on the difference between a German Pils and a Bo Pils (german has more hop bitterness, higher carb?), and a N. German Alt and a Dusseldorf Alt!
Wish me luck!