PcM/Pjm Pass - CE Fail
Hey guys,
I failed CE this past Monday after feeling like I was on a roll from passing PcM and PjM. I'm honestly pretty surprised at how badly the exam went because I felt like I had a really good grasp on contracts, project closeout, admin procedures etc.
I felt that the exam had a lot of detailing/code questions that I wasn't sure how I should have prepared for. I've seen a lot of people on this forum say "I have a lot of experience so those were no problem". This really isn't helpful. I think NCARB needs to reevaluate their suggested resources list for this exam because studying AHPP, CSI Manual, CSI Masterformat and the contracts will NOT fully prepare you for this exam. (I also supplemented with: Building Construction Illustrated, Fundamentals of Building Construction, the Hammer & Hand Manual, Ballast 5.0, and used both Designer Hacks and Black Spectacles for practice exams.)
Anyone who passed this exam with limited CA experience, I'd love to hear how you studied for this exam, because I am kind of at a loss here for my retake.. Thank you!!
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Hi Ying- sorry to hear that. Funny you should comment on my post today because I re-took CE this morning and failed for the second time. I was shocked to receive a likely fail this time around because I felt prepared and thought the exam was going well. I’m sorry that I have no advice to give you from my second time around. I am really at a loss for this division. Best of luck.
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Allison,
I studied the same materials as you did and looked at all the other posts as well. The exam may have changed because I had questions that were somewhat code related, clearances, mechanical system drawings, fire systems, and door clearances. Had I known this and seen it on the ARE handbook guide - I would have definitely studied this. Were you asked about these subjects?
Best,
Jose
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Hi Jose,
Exactly. The handbook leads you to believe that the exam primarily focuses on preconstruction, contracts, submittals, project closeout, etc. But the actual exam is filled with code, systems, and clearances like you said. We are on the same page - I would have studied this information as well if NCARB listed a recommended resource on this material. I think it is a real oversight on their part.
-Allison
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Allison,
I agree - I did the same route as you did PcM, PjM, CE btw. It's a terrible oversight on their part... The only way someone could've passed this exam was if they had taken any of the technical based exams (PA, PPD, or PDD) or had some practicing experience to be able to pass this exam. It seems that while the knowledge was broad and reasonable to learn - I was taken aback by how much there wasn't any overlap on the NCARB recommended study material. It wasn't only referencing hammer and hand, BCI, or the CSI resources. I saw some of the CSI content come up but it shouldn't have been an NCARB resource for the amount that it came up in my opinion...
I'm going to spend a couple of days fishing through content to be able to give good feedback on this thread for this exam because it just needs to be addressed.
Best,
Jose
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Jose,
Definitely let me know your thoughts after fishing through the content. I actually contacted NCARB after my first attempt at this exam, but I didn't get anywhere with them. They just kept referring back to the handbook and didn't understand that I was saying the handbook is inadequate. They also wrapped it up with just recommending I look to this forum as a resource. The forum is good, but I don't think it's acceptable that they're saying we should rely on peers for resources.
I could honestly rant about this for a while, haha. My plan now is to just wait until I've completed the rest of my exams to go back and take CE. Hopefully by then I will have the experience needed, but also maybe by then NCARB will decide to recommend helpful resources and be clear about this exam's content! Fingers crossed.
-Allison
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