Mr_Jim

Just to update, I managed to get in touch with some very kind folks over at NI Training and Certification. While we haven't yet discussed the details, they're putting me in touch with a certification engineer. I'm very impressed with how receptive they are over there and they've definitely won me over (again). When I have a chance to speak with the aforementioned engineer I intend to ask if the bar has been intentionally raised on the CLA standard in general, or if perhaps I'm perceiving an unintended gap between the CLA and the CLA-R. If the bar in general has been raised, then so be it!

Heh heh... Well, thanks for the kind words. It's good to know I'm not alone on this one. I was actually dreading reading the replies to this one, feeling pretty badly about my last post. Oh, well. It is what it is. Try, try, again I will. It just makes me want to succeed that much more.

Heh heh... I think I need to take up your attitude. Looks like my cert is going to go into suspension, but I guess I shouldn't let it bother me.

Alright, I just took the CLA-R this morning. I almost squeaked by, but as we know "almost" isn't good enough. Discouragement aside, I'd like to remark on the test without revealing anything top secret. I believe in saying it like it is, (actually, I'm really hesitating, here, wondering if I should keep mum). While I certainly don't want to be a whiner, I would like to offer some constructive feedback if anyone from NI is listening. In no particular order, here are my thoughts: This is one humbling test. Not that I'm complaining - it should be hard and it should feel like a serious accomplishment. It does, but... Wow! (feel free to substitute other words to shout here) This is much more formidable than the CLA I remember. I'd rather take the four hour exam any day rather than this one. Unless the CLA has also changed, it would seem that the CLA and the CLA-R are oddly incongruent. It shouldn't be harder to keep a CLA than it is to get one. I would bet money that a lot of us are about to be weeded out. Is this intentional? I use all of the advanced LabVIEW features and nuances covered in this test, most of which on a daily or weekly basis. Yet, like university weed-out courses, it seems that the questions themselves are frequently the challenge, not the subject matter. At least two questions on my test seemed subjective to the whim of preference. A design choice should be clear, not "Johnny at NI likes to develop this way, so it's correct and everyone else is wrong." "As advertised," I still get the sense that more than a few questions here are based on expensive courses that the little guy in business for himself has a hard time affording. More power to you folks who work for famous consulting houses. If I was to hire developers/architects today, I would emphasize industry experience more than having taken requisite courses. I want to prove to the industry that I'm a genuinely qualified architect, not that I payed the fee and know how to navigate the test. This all being said, I love NI and I love the products, especially LabVIEW. I certainly mean no disrespect by what I've said here; I just believe that there is room for improvement on this relatively new test. Have I been fair in my assessment? Very respectfully, Jim

Thank you for your input, Mr. Mussa. As advertised, eh? If it's consistent with the prep materials that gives me a pretty good idea what we're in for. I haven't taken the skill evaluation quiz in a while, but maybe I will just for chuckles. If I'm honest, the formatting of NI test questions isn't contributing much to my paranoia, but taking the quiz certainly couldn't hurt. The last time I took an NI test of this formatting was my CLD re-cert back in 2006, so this may very well be helpful. Kind regards, Jim

I definitely agree. I figure I'll just retake it as many times as I have to. Hopefully it'll only be once, but I should probably have realistic expectations. Thanks again for your feedback...

Indeed, Steve, I also heard of the one year grace period, myself, but now I can't find proof of it on NI's site. Thankfully I've never had to use it yet! Yep, I was thinking the same thing. Good call!

Thanks so much for taking the time, Jason. That's exactly the advice I was looking for, even though it's not what I was hoping to hear. Bummer... Right now I'm really wishing I'd made the CLA summit so that I'd had the opportunity to voice my opinion on the matter. I'm glad they're making it tough - it should be, and that I have absolutely no problem with. My observation toward the old style test was such that one could pass it with: Comprehensive knowledge of the development environment, arguably to an elite extent Solid knowledge of software engineering and good coding practices (e.g. a software related engineering degree, though it wasn't entirely necessary) Solid project experience If you possessed those ingredients, you had no problem passing the CLA exam, though it was certainly challenging. (Debating whether or not I should hold my tongue here...) I have to admit that I'm somewhat peeved that I now ostensibly have to go and shell out thousands so that I know the magic NI-scoped terms with which to pass the exam. If it was like many other certifications in that I could obtain it by studying arduously from several readily available books and getting solid experience, I think I'd feel a lot better. Then again, NI are the certifying authority and they may define the standard as they wish. Admittedly I speak too soon, as I have not taken the test yet. You just happen to be the second person I've talked to with a nearly identical response to my question. Other than that I have no strong feelings on the matter. (With utmost respect to NI and all involved) Jim

Sure thing - I was planning on saying something about it afterward. I'm scheduled for the end of this month, so I'll know after that. As far as the manuals go, it's funny - when I used to work for an alliance partner I took for granted the extra course manuals we had laying around! Should I call up NI training and certification to see if I can purchase manuals, or is there another way? I've never gone about trying that.

Hmm... I'm getting the rather distinct impression that I am possibly the third person ever to take this version of the test. No one has taken it? (... or does no one feel inclined to talk about it?) Incidentally, upon reading the fine print I believe I've determined which courses NI may be referencing in the content of the re-cert exam: Managing Software Engineering in LabVIEW Advanced Architectures in LabVIEW At $1500 each, I suppose I'll have to wing it and hope for the best. Jim

Hello, I'm brand new as a poster on LAVA, but I've been lurking here for some time. So here I go on my first post: If you've been watching the NI forums today, you may have noticed this post. Coming up this month I will be renewing my CLA certification for the second time, having successfully taken the old-style four hour exam twice. Now I am faced with taking the new (Type R) recertification exam. I'm getting the impression that it's brand new because when I posted the aforementioned question on the NI forums no one seemed to know anything about it. Looking at the preparation page, there isn't a whole lot to go on except for the sample test. It's a 30 question multiple-guess exam, which doesn't seem all that bad, but the questions seem to focus on two broad topics: A certain NI-branded flavor of software engineering topics. Obscure features of the LabVIEW development environment. I'm not too worried about the latter, but what concerns me most is that software engineering is such a broad topic that I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what to study. Has anyone taken the new-style exam? I haven't taught any NI courses for a few years now, and I'm wondering if they're referencing their own classes which I am unlikely to be able to attend due to company budget restrictions and my own budget restrictions. I spoke to one of my long time colleagues who recently took it, and he said that some of the questions seemed "way out in left field," and that he barely passed it due to the obscurity of the questions. Can anyone offer any insight as to what I should study? Thanks very much, Jim