RE: ABHP Exam, common sense?

[L_K_II_Les_Aldrich@RL.gov]

Part II is certainly not difficult.  I passed it on the first try with
NO preparation.  It was Part I that it took me three tries to pass.
Considering the same areas of knowledge are tested in Part II every
year, its hard to figure why it would be unpredictable.  Having served 4
years on the Part II Panel, I can tell you that the "party line" is
essentially correct.  It is easy to tell, when grading essay questions,
whether the candidate had a clue about the subject or just tried to
write enough words that maybe a grader would be fooled into giving them
partial credit.  On the questions I graded during my 4 years, there were
large differences from year to year in the quality of the answers (which
meant differences either in the candidate's preparation or in their
knowledge).

To some extent, the difference in preparation from year to year can also
be seen on the Part I exam's performance analysis.

My personal opinion is that if you want to have a good chance to pass,
400 hours of preparation is not unreasonable, 200 hours will give you a
shot if you're lucky on your guesses, and if you study much less than
200 hours, you might as well stay home. (And time spent in exam prep
courses does not count in those numbers!). 

Just my personal opinions.
Its not about calculatORS, its about calculatIONS.

Les Aldrich

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	LIPTONW@dteenergy.com [SMTP:LIPTONW@dteenergy.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, February 11, 1999 7:23 AM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	Re: ABHP Exam, common sense?
> 
> I think that the problem is NOT that the exam is difficult, but that
> it is 
> unpredictable, with the pass rate varying so much from year to year.
> I 
> don't buy the party line that this is due to differences in candidate 
> preparation.  It's hard to prepare for a craps shoot. (BTW, I am a
> CHP.)  I 
> think that the exam should be difficult, but that it should be written
> so
> that 
> there is an established set of knowledge and skills, which, if
> mastered,
> will 
> provide the candidate a reasonable assurance of passing. 
>  
> The opinions expressed are strictly mine. 
> It's not about dose, it's about trust. 
>  
> Bill Lipton 
> liptonw@dteenergy.com 
>  
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