C&E First Take - No Luck
I took the C&E for the first time yesterday, I felt great about leaving the test center but i just got the results and the four big letters nobody wants to see appeared - FAIL. I am beyond frustrated, it is my 5th FAIL overall, at this point i am not sure where to turn to tackle these tests. I feel like every exam was a comprhension exam and test on the test taking skills. I have studied and spent tremendous amount of time absorbing the materials and analyzing the real world applications, but still came down to test taking skills that has nothing to do with being an architect. This is just my take and I would love to hear what others thought about these tests.
Incidentally, English is my second language, not to use that as an excuse but it adds extra burden when it comes to taking these standardized tests. There is no accomodation when it comes to that either and CAlifornia Architects Board clearly states it on their website.
Anyways, good luck everyone and I am off to the next exam - PjM here we go.
-
Hi Yohannes,
I agree that there's definitely an aspect of this exam that simply requires good test taking skills - I think that's true of any standardized test. The CE exam has a lot of legal language that's not common in spoken English - I'd say it's really important to use flashcards to make sure you're absolutely clear on what all of the terms mean. I think it's a good idea to move on to PjM and to keep pushing to achieve your goal!
We recently hosted an episode of ARE Live with a panel discussion about taking the ARE when English isn't your first language - check it out if you have a chance!
Chris Hopstock RA
Black Spectacles
ARE Community -
Yohannes -
I can agree with you that the ESL issue is a significant issue, and give you real credit for pursuing your license via a second language, as I myself would not be able to do it.
That said, you have to realize that if this is an issue for you as a test taker, it will likely be an issue for you in the field as a licensed architect. In AE everything is run by the contract, and it dictates all aspects of the job from the relationships to the responsibilities (and liabilities) to the actual deliverables and all the rest. So, you are going to need to know the contracts back and forth - for all these exams - and more importantly for your career beyond. A judge in a lawsuit will not be concerned about ESL, all they'll focus on is what is in the contract.
See this thread regarding punch lists for the nuance that relates to contracts - it illustrates what I'm talking about:
Good luck to you! =)
-
CE is a fail for me again, this time I was so confident before the test, passed the PCM and PJM. But I felt like -time management for this exam is a big issue (specially CE). Those two case studies were so overwhelming, I left an hour for the case study but it appears like it was not enough. However I am not leaving this fight without winning it. @Sean Engle I wish if I could see your post before the exam, that is really helpful. thanks
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
3 comments