Failed Section One

[Mary Carole Bourey]

Anyone else didn't pass section one that wants to talk about it? Haha.....because man i got 640/650 and it just feels so frustrating to pay these fees, do all the right studying, and have questions that are just so vague and worded so oddly to figure out.

Shout out, I'd love to make a plan to team up with someone to either tackle 1 & 4 together or just move on to 3 and wait till the change rolls out. Sharing resources makes this process easier.....

MC

[Carson Booth]

I passed section one but I agree with you about how poorly worded the questions were.  It's somewhat incredible and arguably a bit negligent to pay hundreds of dollars to CLARB simply to create a record (i.e. for them to make you a row in their .CSV table) then spend additional hundreds on a test, only for the test itself to be internally inconsistent with its use of terminology.   

My only recommendation would be to study more than just Hinze - find bad flashcard decks that use synonyms you've never heard of.  Get into the habit of deconstructing a question back to your core knowledge base.  Approach each question with the energy of a pedantic anorak:  it's always about public works projects, and always tightly defined within how CLARB understands the profession, NOT with how the profession is actually practiced.  

And get used to dancing around the issues at hand:  I'd LOVE to give you examples of pedantry from section 1 but I am forbidden from discussing the test forever, in perpetuity, throughout the universe.  Contrast that to NCARB and NCEES, who provide guardrails for the content of each test, reading material that is both affordable and in-print, study material, and discussion forums for test takers.  We pay the same dollar value in fees but we're off lurking in some back corner google group like a bunch of rats, trading PDF scans of books last published in the Clinton administration.  

I'd also strongly recommend you retake 1 and tackle 4.  If you think the information environment around the test is bad now, it'll get 10000x worse with the new format.  I for one DO NOT want to spend multiple hundreds of dollars and hours to be a guinea pig on new test material.  

[B Cooper]

You're not alone. I've failed this section twice already. I think Carson has the right answer. I'm going to take 1&4 this spring because they cohesively work well together from how much I've studied 1 and section 4 relating to so much of the in depth administrative stuff in 1

[Mary Carole Bourey]

Awesome, I think that is my plan too. Are you interested in trying to do some go studying or something? Maybe do practice exams together and discuss answers to preparation?

[Mary Carole Bourey]

Hey Carson,

I sent a direct message back to you but I do not see where it sent. Maybe you got it. But if you didn't thanks for your funny response. It made me laugh and validates all our frustrations. Are you preparing for test 4? Are you on the East Coast by any chance?