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CLD Grading?
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JulieC
May 15, 2006, 12:10:10 PM5/15/06
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I took the CLD exam last Thursday. That thing was LONG! Anyway, not that it matters, but paranoia about passing is setting in. I got it working, minus a few small points, think the style was ok, documentation of controls only about 1/2 done, comments on algorithms pretty good. Anyone care to take an educated guess on whther I passed? Heck, anyone want to take a wild guess? *LOL*
mfitzsimons
May 15, 2006, 12:40:09 PM5/15/06
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Julie,
Your guess is as good as mine. It took about 2.5 weeks before I received my grade. I am very proud of my 97.5 grade event though I thought it was perfect :smileywink:
Anyway, it is a difficult test and designed to really test your ability to generate quality LabVIEW code in a short amount of time. Heck, when people are paying you by the hour they expect results. I have seen people that can code in LabVIEW but they are slooow. One of the main advantages of LabVIEW is memory management and the ability to generate complex quality software quickly.
So, it short you did the best that you could. That is all that is expected from anyone. Hope you passed and I won't make any predictions.
Matt Fitzsimons
Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer
Certified LabVIEW Developer
Owner of Complete Automated Solutions and always looking for quality Certified LabVIEW Developers
Your guess is as good as mine. It took about 2.5 weeks before I received my grade. I am very proud of my 97.5 grade event though I thought it was perfect :smileywink:
Anyway, it is a difficult test and designed to really test your ability to generate quality LabVIEW code in a short amount of time. Heck, when people are paying you by the hour they expect results. I have seen people that can code in LabVIEW but they are slooow. One of the main advantages of LabVIEW is memory management and the ability to generate complex quality software quickly.
So, it short you did the best that you could. That is all that is expected from anyone. Hope you passed and I won't make any predictions.
Matt Fitzsimons
Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer
Certified LabVIEW Developer
Owner of Complete Automated Solutions and always looking for quality Certified LabVIEW Developers
JulieC
May 15, 2006, 12:40:10 PM5/15/06
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No prediction, what the heck good are you? (kiding) I'm really just wanting to vent my paranoia to someone who understands!
I'm impatient, but yes, I understand why it is the way it is. I like the CLAD grading, instant gratification! There is no good way to do that for the CLD, but in my perfect world ...
On the downside, my proctor said the last two CLD exams he prctored failed. EEEK! On the upside, he said my code looked a lot less sparse than theirs and I had something working, which they didn't. My educated guess is that I got no lower than a 62%, no higher than an 83%, which of course, means I am on the nail-biting edge.
Oh well, if I have to retake it, at least I know where I spent too much time and have a few ideas to streamline things.
I'm impatient, but yes, I understand why it is the way it is. I like the CLAD grading, instant gratification! There is no good way to do that for the CLD, but in my perfect world ...
On the downside, my proctor said the last two CLD exams he prctored failed. EEEK! On the upside, he said my code looked a lot less sparse than theirs and I had something working, which they didn't. My educated guess is that I got no lower than a 62%, no higher than an 83%, which of course, means I am on the nail-biting edge.
Oh well, if I have to retake it, at least I know where I spent too much time and have a few ideas to streamline things.
JulieC
May 15, 2006, 6:40:08 PM5/15/06
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75%. I tend to be overly picky and pessimistic, but my luck has been horrid lately, so I don't know what side of the line I'll end up on.
JulieC
May 16, 2006, 11:10:10 AM5/16/06
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It took 4.5 weeks for your CLAD results? Wow. I took the CLAD in December and within a few seconds after I verified that I was really and truly finished, it automatically popped up that I had passed. Totally automated. I got an 85%. NI sent me the logo, certificate, etc., all within a day or two.
Julie
Julie
Wiebe@CARYA
May 16, 2006, 12:01:30 PM5/16/06
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We got a bundle of B&W copies, they where put
into an envolope, and it was send to the US...
The certificate was included, the logo came very
soon after the result.
Regards,
Wiebe.
"JulieC" <x...@no.email> wrote in message news:1147792209...@exchange.ni.com...
Ed Dickens
May 16, 2006, 1:40:10 PM5/16/06
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Each CLD exam is hand graded by a team back at NI where the
CLAD exam can be automatically graded since it's just multiple choice. This
takes time as these folks have other duties as well.
CLAD exam can be automatically graded since it's just multiple choice. This
takes time as these folks have other duties as well.
It's hard to take any kind of guess on what your grade will be as each person
grading probably has their own interpretation on how to grade it. I remember
getting a point taken off for, "Having too many bends in some wires".
But when I opened it, there were only bends where absolutely necessary.
I think it took close to a month to get mine back, so it
really depends on how busy they are. It sounds like you hit most of the
important points, so you might be sitting pretty good.
Ed
mfitzsimons
May 25, 2006, 11:40:09 AM5/25/06
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Julie,
No worries, it is not fatal. The test is intended to be difficult. How would you feel taking a test that anyone could pass?
Tip for the future. Do ALL of the examples. Follow the LabVIEW style guide checklist. Use Queued Message Handlers or State Machines. This demonstrates you mastery of data flow and use of design structures. Learn to program fast. This is a timed test that is very difficult to complete in 4 hours.
Good Luck in the future,
MattMessage Edited by mfitzsimons on 05-25-2006 10:26 AM
ADAC
Dec 21, 2007, 2:40:05 PM12/21/07
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When I got my results back, I was quite annoyed. I passed, so maybe I shouldn't care, but I got dinged heavily for things that were obviously not a problem, while things I knew were weak points were not even commented on. (Believe me, I know - I used to teach LabVIEW classes for NI). The worst:
"Sequence structure used for other than initializing and shutdown" WHAT?!? Show me the data flow between two "Beep.vi" nodes and I'll gladly wire it, because that's the only sequence in my exam. It seems like the grader has a "zero-tolerance rule" in their head that supercedes actually understanding the 'offending' technique. (Should I have put them in separate subsequent states? BEEP1 and BEEP 2? :smileymad:)
BTW, who is this 'group' that grades the exams? If it's Applications Engineering (tech support), that would be a crying shame.
"Sequence structure used for other than initializing and shutdown" WHAT?!? Show me the data flow between two "Beep.vi" nodes and I'll gladly wire it, because that's the only sequence in my exam. It seems like the grader has a "zero-tolerance rule" in their head that supercedes actually understanding the 'offending' technique. (Should I have put them in separate subsequent states? BEEP1 and BEEP 2? :smileymad:)
BTW, who is this 'group' that grades the exams? If it's Applications Engineering (tech support), that would be a crying shame.
Ravens Fan
Jan 2, 2008, 11:40:04 PM1/2/08
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I wonder if you had put a comment in the sequence structure along the lines "Sequence structure was used because there is no other way to enforce data flow." would have helped? Then if they still dinged you even though you are very specifically telling them you know what you are doing ......
I wonder if the NI graders are using tools like the VI analyzer to help grade the exams. How else could you explain the earlier post where the person what hurt for doing many wire bends even though they had the minimum that were necessary. If VI analyzer says you have x number of wires with more than 3 bends, then they take off points without acutally looking at the code to see if the places where the wire bends more times is logical, clean, and necessary.
I wonder if the NI graders are using tools like the VI analyzer to help grade the exams. How else could you explain the earlier post where the person what hurt for doing many wire bends even though they had the minimum that were necessary. If VI analyzer says you have x number of wires with more than 3 bends, then they take off points without acutally looking at the code to see if the places where the wire bends more times is logical, clean, and necessary.
Ben
Jan 3, 2008, 7:10:06 AM1/3/08
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Ravens fan wrote "I wonder if the NI graders are using tools like the VI analyzer to help grade the exams. "
I was thinking the same!
Although its not a bad tool to start a review, the VIA standards are designed to be adjusted for the circumstances. The situation mentioned above sounds like one of those cases.
Ben
I was thinking the same!
Although its not a bad tool to start a review, the VIA standards are designed to be adjusted for the circumstances. The situation mentioned above sounds like one of those cases.
Ben
Mexico City
Jan 3, 2008, 7:10:10 PM1/3/08
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As one of those people who still occasionally grades CLD exams, I can give some background to the marking process.
CLD exams are graded by a small group of engineers in the Customer Education Course Development Group. Exam grading is a two stage process where the exam is first marked by an engineer and a second engineer checks the marking and concurs. The graders use a marking template to provide guidance on what should be evaluated and how many marks should be deducted (along with lots of training). The <a href="http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/3425" target="_blank">"How Can I prepare for the Certified LabVIEW Developer (CLD) Certification Exam"</a> document pretty much replicates the marking template that we use. The template generates a set of standard comments that are included in the evaluation form candidates receive with their exam results. This process is designed to ensure as consistent marking process and eliminate individual opinions on what should and should not be marked.
We do not currently use the VI Analyser to mark exams. The main reason for this is that a human being can look at an exam submission see what the intent of the candidate was when writing the application and adjust the marking accordingly. In other words, if the application does not work, but the examiner can tell that the candidate ran out of time and was 99% of the way to completing the application, then it will be taken into account. As was suggested in an earlier post comments in the LabVIEW application are a great way for candidates to communicate information back to the examiner; we do read them.
I cannot comment on specific exams, but be assured that everyone who marks exams does so with the intent of giving a passing mark. We want everyone to pass the exam, while at the same time maintaining the standards that we have set.
Regards,
David Corney
Customer Education Program Manager
National Instruments
CLD exams are graded by a small group of engineers in the Customer Education Course Development Group. Exam grading is a two stage process where the exam is first marked by an engineer and a second engineer checks the marking and concurs. The graders use a marking template to provide guidance on what should be evaluated and how many marks should be deducted (along with lots of training). The <a href="http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/3425" target="_blank">"How Can I prepare for the Certified LabVIEW Developer (CLD) Certification Exam"</a> document pretty much replicates the marking template that we use. The template generates a set of standard comments that are included in the evaluation form candidates receive with their exam results. This process is designed to ensure as consistent marking process and eliminate individual opinions on what should and should not be marked.
We do not currently use the VI Analyser to mark exams. The main reason for this is that a human being can look at an exam submission see what the intent of the candidate was when writing the application and adjust the marking accordingly. In other words, if the application does not work, but the examiner can tell that the candidate ran out of time and was 99% of the way to completing the application, then it will be taken into account. As was suggested in an earlier post comments in the LabVIEW application are a great way for candidates to communicate information back to the examiner; we do read them.
I cannot comment on specific exams, but be assured that everyone who marks exams does so with the intent of giving a passing mark. We want everyone to pass the exam, while at the same time maintaining the standards that we have set.
Regards,
David Corney
Customer Education Program Manager
National Instruments
tbob
Jan 3, 2008, 7:40:07 PM1/3/08
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This is very good feedback. I am glad to know that a human is involved, and VI Analyzer is not. Also it is good to know that the grading process is controlled to where a passing grade is not left up to the whim of a certain examiner.
BTW, I passed the CLD. I'm now certified!!!!! :smileyhappy:
BTW, I passed the CLD. I'm now certified!!!!! :smileyhappy:
Ben
Jan 4, 2008, 9:10:05 AM1/4/08
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Congratulations tbob!
and...
Thank you David!
Note to future readers:
Although the VI Analyzer is NOT used for grading, it can serve as a "tutor" to help prepare for the certification exams. If you can get into the habit of developing code the VIA is happy with, your style is well on its way to being acceptable.
Ben
and...
Thank you David!
Note to future readers:
Although the VI Analyzer is NOT used for grading, it can serve as a "tutor" to help prepare for the certification exams. If you can get into the habit of developing code the VIA is happy with, your style is well on its way to being acceptable.
Ben
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