It's a PASS! How I did it...
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 5:30 pm
4 years later, I’ve finally reached the end of my licensing journey- YAHOO!!!! For those of you who are still slogging it out, keep going- the end is in sight, and it’s just as sweet as you think it’s going to be.
Since I always found posts like this helpful, here’s how I did it.
I studied for approximately 3 months- I’d guess about 20 hours/week, 250 hours total. Maybe that’s too much, but over-studying is the only way I know how- and hey, at least it works, right? I used TWE as my main source, supplementing with the primary source links included in the study guide (the AIA contracts, the Ventura Wetlands Guide, and the T-24 summary were particularly helpful). I also attended the Doucette seminar in LA- I was at the halfway point in my studies at the time. While I didn’t really learn anything new, the seminar did help me realize I knew more than I thought I did- but my ultimate conclusion about the seminar is that it's helpful, but not absolutely necessary. The TWE audio guides are basically just repeats of the written study guide, but given how much time this Angeleno spends in the car, I thought they were a good way to study passively. Regarding practice tests, in addition to OMCES (which I did again and again until I basically memorized the questions) and the TWE project scenarios, I also took Gang Chen’s mock exam. While it’s not error-free, I actually thought it was pretty helpful in terms of difficulty level. In the last few weeks before the exam I spent a little time with the Pass X Flashcards, as well as reviewing some of my old CDS & PPP notes- there’s a lot of content overlap.
My biggest issue with TWE—and with the CSE Test Plan in general—is that I found the sequencing of the knowledge statements confusing in terms of how to process the information. To that end, I’m attaching my own personal Reorganized CSE Study Outline- it reshuffles the knowledge statements into a more coherent order (at least it was for me).
Thanks as always to Coach for managing this incredible forum- I always tell new ARE candidates that it’s the number #1 best resource out there, hands down! Also thanks to dkismet- another voice of wisdom and reassurance. And now…I’m off to live a blissfully test-free life! Good luck to all of you.
Since I always found posts like this helpful, here’s how I did it.
I studied for approximately 3 months- I’d guess about 20 hours/week, 250 hours total. Maybe that’s too much, but over-studying is the only way I know how- and hey, at least it works, right? I used TWE as my main source, supplementing with the primary source links included in the study guide (the AIA contracts, the Ventura Wetlands Guide, and the T-24 summary were particularly helpful). I also attended the Doucette seminar in LA- I was at the halfway point in my studies at the time. While I didn’t really learn anything new, the seminar did help me realize I knew more than I thought I did- but my ultimate conclusion about the seminar is that it's helpful, but not absolutely necessary. The TWE audio guides are basically just repeats of the written study guide, but given how much time this Angeleno spends in the car, I thought they were a good way to study passively. Regarding practice tests, in addition to OMCES (which I did again and again until I basically memorized the questions) and the TWE project scenarios, I also took Gang Chen’s mock exam. While it’s not error-free, I actually thought it was pretty helpful in terms of difficulty level. In the last few weeks before the exam I spent a little time with the Pass X Flashcards, as well as reviewing some of my old CDS & PPP notes- there’s a lot of content overlap.
My biggest issue with TWE—and with the CSE Test Plan in general—is that I found the sequencing of the knowledge statements confusing in terms of how to process the information. To that end, I’m attaching my own personal Reorganized CSE Study Outline- it reshuffles the knowledge statements into a more coherent order (at least it was for me).
Thanks as always to Coach for managing this incredible forum- I always tell new ARE candidates that it’s the number #1 best resource out there, hands down! Also thanks to dkismet- another voice of wisdom and reassurance. And now…I’m off to live a blissfully test-free life! Good luck to all of you.