Not feeling very good about my CLD-R practice exam

[David Boyd]

I'm scheduled to take my CLD recert exam on Monday afternoon; this will be my third recert (took the CLD in Austin during NI Week 2004). As my LAVA listing shows, I've been using LabVIEW continuously for nearly thirteen years. I consider myself a pretty sharp guy (LV-wise), with a background in automated test, and the programming (in various environments) that goes with it, since the early eighties. My current employer didn't ask me to attain certification, I just did it on a lark.

I forget the specific scores, but I know that the original CLD and two subsequent CLD-R's were all scored in the high 90s (I think one recert was a 100%). So I waited until today (Sunday afternoon, quiet around the house) to work through the practice exam. Ouch! Not a very pleasant experience, and when I scored it, not surprisingly, I barely scraped a pass.

Random thoughts:

I expect that with each passing recert, there will be a few questions added in that will demonstrate that I haven't adopted a new feature in my own development. And I know this has been discussed elsewhere on the forums. I'm OK with not knowing every new feature intimately. (Network Shared Variables; just haven't needed 'em, though I remember when they were DataSockets, before they grew up. Feedback nodes still confuse me with their syntax, I so prefer shift registers. And sorry Stephen, but I just haven't found a programming challenge yet that whispers "LVOOP, LVOOP" in my ear. Someday I'm sure I will make the leap.)

Some of the example code snippets seem SO convoluted in their purpose, I can't help but wonder - am I being evaluated on how well I can troubleshoot some newbie-LV-minion's code? (I don't have any newbie-LV-minions at my command at my place of work, for better or worse.)

Guess I'll read some of the dustier corners of the online LV help on Monday, if I can spare the time. Wish me luck, never thought I'd need it.

Dave

[Antoine Chalons]

I couldn't agree more.

My work experience with LabVIEW is half of yours but I felt the same after miserably failing my CLD-R.

One thing that killed is that the questions are really focused on the latest version (I'm still on LV 8.6.1).

(not so) Random thought :

Feedback node are probably a cool new feature that everyone should learn to use but shift registers still do the job quite well - and personally their graphical representation is clearer to me.

4 questions about feedback node, this is silly.

[xtal]

Just when I think I want to become a certified LV Developer or Architect, I read messages like this. My employer trusts my abilities and doesn't require certification, so I'd only do it for my own gratification (and to join the cool people at NIWeek). Also, now that I work for a medical device company, we don't have the luxury of using the latest SW releases. I just upgraded some machines to 8.6.1. So I'm sure I'd fail the exams because I don't know about, much less use, any of the newer features.

Good luck, Dave. But if you don't pass, I won't hold it against you.

[David Boyd]

Thanks, Crystal. As one of the "Old Guard", you already (IMO) have a credential that surpasses anything a CLD certifies. Funny, though, perhaps we're not as tightly regulated as you, but we've never given a second thought here to migrating to newer releases when starting fresh projects. Sometimes I think we are still flying a bit under the radar. We focus more on qualification of test systems, rather than V&V of our LabVIEW-developed code apart from those systems. If we were to do more formal software verification, we'd surely need to add personnel to handle that workload.

Anyway, I took the test today. Got an 85. Way lower than my previous CLD-Rs and the original CLD. Not proud, not pleased, just relieved.

But I still feel as though too much of the test was of the form:

13) Which of the following (blah, blah,...)?

A. A twisty little maze of passages, all alike

B. A maze of little twisty passages, all alike

C. A twisty maze of little passages, all different

D. A maze of twisting little passages, all different

(With a nod to Colossal Cave, Zork, etc.)

Dave

[jgcode]

Got an 85... Not proud, not pleased, just relieved.

???

Come on man, don't be so hard on yourself - thats great!

If you got that score in an Uni exam you would be chuffed, right?

Or am I just being an underachiever?

Anyways - congratulations I say!

[xtal]

Good job, Dave!

PS: I loved Zork.

[ASTDan]

I am up for my 3rd CLD recert.

When I got my CLD I really leaned a lot in the process. I think going through the process has a lot of value.

Yes every recert is a little scary but I usually learn something that I would't have otherwise. Isn't that the point?

So good luck!!

[Dan DeFriese]

When I got my CLD I really leaned a lot in the process.

I agree. In fact I'd suggest that CLD recert should a practical exam instead of a multiple guess trivia game. I think this would be better for both NI and myself.

For me because I'd always have to keep my coding habits sharp.

For NI because they can review the submission to which "new" features and techniques are actually being used successfully by developers.

~Dan