I Passed All 4 in less than a year, and help with section 4 mostly

[adam.d...@gmail.com]

Hey everyone, 

I'm so excited, I heard today through CLARB's website that I passed all 4 exams. I'm ready to get my license. I thought I'd write a little bit about my experience with tips on what worked and didn't work for me, also its fun to share with those who understand a little bit what it takes to pass. I've highlighted in red the "summary"

First, subjects I recommend studying up on (section it refers to in parenthesis) 

- (4) green roofs, specifically intensive vs extensive. I had not studied anything about these and got these 3 questions wrong.

- (4) fasteners, what bolts are used for what materials. masonry bolts, snap ties, etc.

- (4) watersheds, how to delineate and determine the area of a watershed (not calculating just diagrammatically showing where it is) 

- (4) fireproofing, example what plant material burns more than others. 

- (4) inverts, how to calculate them, where they are measured from (at the bottom of the pipe, not the top) etc.

- (4) max allowable slopes. specifically 2% max cross slopes, 1:12 max on ramps, 5% max on one directional travel, 2% max slope on multi-directional surfaces, etc.

- (4) grading, you need to understand how grades read and how to re grade a slope to fit a flat pad on (for a house for example). a note on how it works in the test is that they will give you three different pads. each only fits in one spot. Place all three then choose which one is the BEST answer or placement. 

I guess this is really only helpful for section 4. but thats because I've been questioning and questioning my answers for the past 6 weeks. 

Section 2 exam July 2017 passed first try

My first testing time was July 2017 and my plan was to take section 2 & 3 together because I wanted to get two out of the way. After studying a little bit by reading some of the suggested materials I got overwhelmed and decided to take only section 2. Reading the suggested books are a waste of time, in my opinion, instead I focused on practice tests. This practice test material was worthless. In fact when you look at amazon my review is the first one there with 1 star because you can't rate it with 0 stars. In short the practice test is just outdated. In the end it came down to the 6 years of experience that I had working on projects because after all of the studying I did I just ended up answering questions the way I would in real life, and I passed. Which is pretty reassuring in my opinion because it shows that I passed using mostly knowledge that I gained in the field and on the job (This may not be reassuring to those who don't have any experience, if so skip to sections 3 & 4), so in my opinion it shows that the LARE is pretty realistic and is going away from the "weird CLARB world" that people say isn't based on reality. 

Section 1 exam December 2017 passed first try

After the experience I had with section 2 I got frustrated and I thought *^@$ it and I went into the this section blind with the exception of the free practice test on this group literally three hours before the test. (I found this test to have better content and much more applicable information than the practice test referenced above) Again the 6 years of very broad experience in the private sector working on large projects like schools, universities, multi-family, sidewalks, and convenient stores. These projects gave me the experience i needed to know the processes and where to look for answers to "code" questions. Again, This if you have little to no experience look below and I think that advice will help. 

Section 3 & 4 April 2018 passed first try

These sections scared me so much from what I read and heard about pass/fail rates that I dove into the study/prep world. I learn best in a lecture/class setting vs reading things from a book, also I didn't have time to waste with a full time job and being a single father. I found a class that was offered a 5 hour drive from me (I'm very lucky that I had that option because those classes are rare, I've looked). The class is only offered once a year, the one at University of Texas Arlington. It was held two weekends in a row in February with the first weekend studying section 3 and the second weekend studying section 4. The only aspect of this class that I didn't like was that the material is old and we spent a lot of time working on old problems by hand for hours. The teachers logic was that if you know how to do it by hand then you know how to pass the "drag and drop questions" that come on the test. I completely agree however I wish there was more time spent going over the new format of questioning. But I left from those weekend classes with a very good set of materials and a general knowledge of what to study. I studied and reviewed the material from those classes, and...

MOST IMPORTANTLY i used study tests from LAREprep to be better than ANY material or studying that I've done...

I just want to highlight how much these helped me. I am not a rep for them at all but the reason I like those tests so much is because i'd say about 50-60% of the questions are directly applicable to the material on the exam but the format is dead on to the same as the exam. Also, they EXPLAIN why the answers are right or wrong, this is so valuable. I ended up buying only one practice test for section 4 (only that one) but knowing what i know now I will always recommend these tests to people. They are $30 each but the one i got was more valuable than that. I left section 3 thinking that I might have failed but had a good shot, and I left section 4 thinking I had a high chance of failing. I am so happy I passed though. and better yet I passed it all in less than 1 year!!! I think that CLARB is actually getting better and more realistic, like I said earlier, in the questioning. I didn't see any of the questions about parking lot orientations i.e. backing out of a spot into a main drive lane. 

Lastly, thanks for reading and I hope to help with any questions or issues that anyone can come up with. 

[aes9...@yahoo.com]

Thank you for all your input, and congrats on passing all of the exams. I had hoped to get them all passed within a year's time, but now will be retaking section 4. I'm not sure why I never used the LARE Prep, but looked at them today and will be using them this time around. I may take the Corton webinar because it may help me with the process of taking an exam like this. I worked through a lot of grading problems and went through all the CLARB suggested reading before the exam, studying before work everyday for several months. There were a few things I saw on the test that surprised me though. Anyway, thanks again for your help. And woohoo!!!Congrats again!!

[adam.d...@gmail.com]

Thank you, and I'm actually surprised, even though you are probably more surprised than I, that you didn't pass. You studied hard! I also looked into Corson (i think your talking about) and choose not to do it. but yes that LAREprep exam helped a lot by giving me some great examples and more than anything else, putting me into the test-taking mindset.

Good luck to you and I'd be very surprised if you don't pass it at this next go around.

[Bridger DeMars]

I'd just like to echo that people should pay for the LARE Prep tests. I took 3 in April and had at least a dozen questions that seemed nearly straight from the practice tests. They are eerily relevant and even if the questions aren't direct, reverse questions are asked which means if you know what the answer isn't, you're closer to the correct answer.

[Tyson Murray]

Thanks, just purchased the section 2 LAREprep exams. Hopefully you all don't work for LAREprep and are promoting their stuff! Haha.

[pe...@whitesycamore.com]

Congrats! I'm curious if you're willing to sell the LAREprep exam for Sec. 3 at some discount now that you passed? 

[Bridger DeMars]

That's not how the LarePreps work unfortunately. They are online tests that you only have access to for 90 days.

[Tony Kostreski]

It's a shame you have access for only 90 days but they are worth it.

[Bridger DeMars]

Agreed that the LarePreps are worth it. I think most people could probably get by with just those.

[stefano ascari]

I found the LAREprep to be much simpler than the actual exam. There was minimal overlap between topics and methodologies.

[aes9...@yahoo.com]

I didn't use the LARE Prep tests for the first three exams, but used other example exams from PPI and Shake and Bake. I read and outlined all the study material, and studied for two months before the exam, every  morning before work. I am using the LARE Prep tests, along with other example tests for Section 4. For me, Section 4 is the hardest of the tests. I failed it my 1st attempt, not by much, but that doesn't help. All this is to say that I am using every resource I have to pass the test next week. I feel like the LARE Prep are a good way to practice online. And for Section 4, most of the questions on the LARE Prep tests say 'choose all those that apply'. There is a lot to memorize in Section 4, so that makes it tricky. Just my 2 cents worth, but for section 4, I think they have been helpful. I would never assume just using any example tests alone would be enough for any of the sections.