CLD Exam vs. CLD Samples

[NelsonUWP]

I just curious if anyone has taken the CLD exam lately? If so, how did you feel it compared to the samples? The reason I'm asking is, I was able to run through the sample exams in around two hours each, however, the actual exam took me right to the wire. This was my fear going into it, seeing that all the samples were at least five years old; a lot has changed since LabVIEW 7.1.

My advice to anyone taking the exam soon, would be to try to cram two of the three sample exams into the four-hour block when studying to get an idea of how much time you're going to need. 

[j_osh_o]

I feel that the practice exams were very similar to the actual exams.  I took each practice exam twice.  It usually took me longer the second time, because I learned that I had to do more in order to meet the style guidelines.  If you only took two hours to do the practice exams, you were not doing a thorough enough job.  The exams are not hard, but there is a lot to do in four hours, even if you are a speed demon with the quick drop menu.  There are a lot of things that any developer would use, like DAQmx, LVOOP, XML, TCPIP, etc. that are not included in the test.

[mysticfree]

I'm not sure of my competency to succeed with the exam.  Are there more CLD examples anywhere to practice with?

[j_osh_o]

The three examples should be enough.  I did each one twice, maybe it says something about my memory, but it was still a challenge the second time around.  The quick drop menu is your friend, speed is crucial.  Read the guidelines, know how to make a functional global and a timer.  The test is very challenging in terms of speed, but it does not require advanced technique.  There is no OOP, no dynamic loading, no user events, no hardware interface, etc. etc.  If you are fast and you know the basics cold, you will pass.

[LVUser94]

Wanted to share my opinion on this topic since I took the CLD three times, the last one was yesterday.

First time was in 2004. It was very easy similar to the Sample exams. Passed it at 1st attempt. However I let the CLD certification expire in 2006 out of laziness ( stupid mistake)

Second time I took it in 2010. I did all the sample exams in 2 hours, but the actual one was very difficult. Could not complete and failed the CLD exam, partly because I focused on coding for almost 3.5 hours and only did a half-hearted attempt at documentation after the coding fiasco.

Third time I took in 2012 (yesterday!). Got lucky because the exam was very easy similar to the practice exam. Had no trouble finishing the coding in 2 hours.

So it appears that some CLD exams are difficult some easy. It depends on your luck what you get! Or if you take it twice, odds are good that you will get an easy one the second time.

Having said that, I think I could have passed the 2nd CLD in 2010 if I had been forewarned that some CLD exams are difficult. Just to give you an idea, it took me 7.5 hours when I repeated the second CLD exam (just for practice). In subsequent practice attempts over the past two years, I was able to complete the coding in 3.5 hours just once out of the 5 times i tried. Since I spaced my attempts every 6 months or so, i had completey forgotten how I wrote the code previously, so each new attempt resulted in very different code. So in retrospect, I feel that if you get a tough CLD exam, even if you are a very experienced LabVIEW developer, chances of completing the coding in 3.5 hours are very small. I have been an LabVIEW developer from 1994, so I consider myself a decent and fast programmer. So I think I am not out of line when I say this. However if you get an exam like the sample exam, you should be able to do it in 2-2.5 hours.

The key to passing the difficult CLD exam is to just get the very basic functionality done in 3 hours or so, then spend rest of the time just documenting how you would have done the functions you did not complete. I believe NI evaluates the CLD exams relatively so you may get a passing grade with < 50% functionality on a difficult CLD compared to 100% functionality on an easy CLD exam. However easy or tough the exam is, do not sacrifice style...hopefuly the style (look at all LabVIEW design patterns) should come naturally to you by the time you take CLD.

Good Luck all.

[plyons.gks]

Hey folks,

I know these posts are fairly old, but I'm having trouble finding the exmples for the CLD posted anywhere...  are they no longer available?  I'd like to start trying them out to see how challanging they are for me- anyone have a link?    (my googling hasn't turned up anything which i thought was surprising).

Thanks

-Pat

[JensG69]

Here's the CLD Preparation E-Kit

https://lumen.ni.com/nicif/us/ekitcldexmprp/content.xhtml

Jens

[Jeff-P]

Hi Pat,

There is a lot of information here, including a link to the sample exams.

In addition the forums are a great place to get studying tips and advice on preparing for the exam!

Good luck!

Jeff Peacock 

Product Support Engineer | LabVIEW R&D | National Instruments 

[plyons.gks]

Thanks much!  enjoy the kudos