The entirety of the first phase of the first class mage exam is covered conveniently in this volume. Since only Frieren and Fern are the mages of the party, Stark gets to sit the bench on this one, undergoing his own training off panel.
The first phase of the exam splits Frieren and Fern into different parties, which allows the author to introduce new characters to interact with our main characters. Both Frieren and Fern get to shine, putting themselves head and shoulders above the mages of this age.
The well developed characters are one main draws of this story, and splitting the two into different parties for the exam allows the reader to show different facets of Frieren and Fern. Fern is usually the adult of the party, although he's just in her teens, but she's her usual dependable self, but she lets her cute pouting side show for once. Frieren acts on whims, relying on Fern to reel her in, but being grouped with two bickering friends, she acts like a teacher to bring her party together.
It's an entertaining arc that brings the best out of Frieren and Fern, but sadly not for Stark.