• View topic - BS-Fail

Posted: **Thu Apr 12, 2018 2:56 pm**

I received my BS failed result :cry:

this morning after taking it for the fifth time and so frustrated about the result. Everything was level 1 except Electrical (level 3) and Specialties (level 2). Among all the divisions, BS was the hardest and I worked really hard since this was my last exam. I found out that my next eligibility for my next attempt will be in July 23, 2018 due to 3 maximum attempts in a "running year" (-which is practically useless because 4.0 retires end of June). Im so devastated since I thought I had one more chance for retake in June before the 4.0 retires. I called and posted it in NCARB community and someone explained to me the "running year " issue but still not clear how it works.

Heres the timeline:

November 17, 2016--first attempt
April 8, 2017---second attempt
July 23, 2017--third attempt
December 10, 2017--fourth attempt
April 8, 2018-- fifth attempt

Could someone explain to me based on my timeline how the running year applies in my situation and do I still have a chance for one retake before 4.0 retires?
Coach, any advise...thanks.

Posted: **Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:14 pm**

You are limited to three attempts in any 12-month period. #1 was July, #2 December, and April #3. So earliest retake would have been July 24th. So, you'll be transitioning and have to take PDD & PPD.

Hopefully, you don't have rolling clock issues too.

Posted: **Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:53 pm**

Thanks Coach. I didnt have any rolling clock issues other than Schematic w/c expires in August. I'm still not clear about the" running year "issue. I 1st took the exam November 2016 - I thought that should be the start of running year and should apply till November 2017.
Should I test the same month as the last running year? I thought I only tested twice this running year (December 2017 and April 2018) and still have a chance till June 2018 - 60 days after the most recent exam.

Posted: **Thu Apr 12, 2018 9:45 pm**

nc92 wrote:Thanks Coach. I didnt have any rolling clock issues other than Schematic w/c expires in August.

In transition all that matters is CDS, PPP, & SPD.

I'm still not clear about the" running year "issue. I 1st took the exam November 2016 - I thought that should be the start of running year and should apply till November 2017. Should I test the same month as the last running year? I thought I only tested twice this running year (December 2017 and April 2018) and still have a chance till June 2018 - 60 days after the most recent exam.

That's not how it works. You can take an exam 3 times in any 12-month period. Imagine a timeline and place your attempts on it. Then image a 12-month wide box that slides along that timeline. You cannot have more than 3 attempts in the box as it move along the timeline.

Posted: **Fri Apr 13, 2018 11:52 am**

Thanks for that clear explanation coach! If I had known this, I would have maximized my time on that last retake. Well, hopefully this transition wouldn't be too hard knowing that I passed BDCS and Structures not too long ago. Good luck to everyone who are still finishing 4.0 and don't forget to watch out carefully for the "running year " issue if ever you are planning to have retakes.

Posted: **Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:04 am**

Hi Coach and fellow test takers! Ive been contemplating to contest my BS result rather than switch to 5.0. I really cannot get over the fact that I failed this last exam after putting my heart and soul into studying. I thought I felt pretty good coming out after the exam. Plus the super long hours of hard work and stress I put in just to passed SS and BDCS--then suddenly got dissolved just like that is unimaginable...I think my worst nightmare had just been realized! As you can see (attached) I only have 2 deficiencies- Electrical (level 3) and Specialties (level 2) the rest level 1. Considering the % of the contents areas , Electrical 10-15%, Specialties 18-23%--where does NCARB's conjunctive scoring applies in this scenario? Is it really possible to fail even if( level 3 -electrical) is only composed of 12.5% av. and 20% av (level 2- Specialties)? I know that contesting the result with NCARB is going to be a lengthy process w/ uncertain result. Has anyone been to a similar situation before and what did you do to resolve this dilemma...thanks!

Posted: **Wed Apr 18, 2018 5:48 pm**

nc92 wrote:As you can see (attached) I only have 2 deficiencies- Electrical (level 3) and Specialties (level 2) the rest level 1. Considering the % of the contents areas , Electrical 10-15%, Specialties 18-23%--where does NCARB's conjunctive scoring applies in this scenario? Is it really possible to fail even if( level 3 -electrical) is only composed of 12.5% av. and 20% av (level 2- Specialties)? I know that contesting the result with NCARB is going to be a lengthy process w/ uncertain result. Has anyone been to a similar situation before and what did you do to resolve this dilemma...thanks!

Here's an example of how that can happen, and it's not uncommon.

Posted: **Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:35 pm**

Thank you coach for your efforts in creating a chart of a possible "score summation"- I really appreciate your help. I guess these are all based on probability , and your summary maybe close to the real NCARB scoring. But, who knows whats the passing score is, NCARB never really revealed them---it could be 65% or 70%, nobody knows except NCARB. I just don't know if its worth contesting the result or buckle up and study all over again for 5.0---this process is insane

.

Posted: **Wed Apr 18, 2018 11:37 pm**

It doesn't matter what the passing score is. The facts is that your situation can happen regardless and it's probably the same for most who fail.
What I think is happening here is the assumption that if you get a level 1 on a section you aced it, but that isn't the case. All ncarb is trying to do by breaking things up into content areas and assigning a performance value is to give you some idea of what areas you need to improve on.

It's not worth contesting and the process is no more insane than any other standardized test. Everyone is happy when they pass and pissed, looking for someone to blame, when they fail.

Posted: **Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:32 pm**

I got my fail result on my last test BS yesterday and I am so heartbroken since then. I passed everything except for the vignette which is level 2. I really studied hard for my last chance and nailed the MC portion and screwed up on the vignette to fail this exam. I am so devastated and can’t even think of how I am going to stay motivated until the end of this ARE journey. It looks like I have to take 2 more exams and the new test format seems harder because of computer lagging issue (again) for case study portion. Anyone out there being in the same boat as me? I really need any advice and encouragement.

Posted: **Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:06 pm**

SK601 wrote:I got my fail result on my last test BS yesterday and I am so heartbroken since then. I passed everything except for the vignette which is level 2.

Sorry to hear that but it was avoidable. Why didn’t you practice and post?

Posted: **Sat Jun 09, 2018 8:13 pm**

This was my third try and I didn’t have any problems with the vignette for the previous ones. But this time, the accent lighting spacing was different and some of them landed on the ceiling grid. I kept trying to adjust between lights and grid to avoid the problem and then the time ran out. It was hard to fix at the last minute. Sigh.... very disappointed and sad.

Posted: **Sun Jun 10, 2018 12:31 pm**

Coach,
When it comes to solving the room with the accent lights. Is it best to layout the grid first knowing where the 2x2 or 2x4 lights will be placed, then layout the accents lights
and adjust the grid to avoid conflicts before finalizing the light placements?

I find it most productive to layout the accent room last being that its the most trickiest and time consuming room.

Your thoughts!

Posted: **Sun Jun 10, 2018 3:42 pm**

donatello wrote:When it comes to solving the room with the accent lights. Is it best to layout the grid first knowing where the 2x2 or 2x4 lights will be placed, then layout the accents lights

Yes.

and adjust the grid to avoid conflicts before finalizing the light placements?

No. Unless rotating grid 90 helps, there's a lot more flexibility in accent placement.

I find it most productive to layout the accent room last being that its the most trickiest and time consuming room.

I prefer doing the hard thing first because if you start running short on time, the easier stuff won't bother you as much.

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:01 am**

Hi Coach,
Do you think it’s worth contacting Ncarb to review my vignette manually? Since my score is so close, I just can’t seems to grasp the reality of moving onto 5.0 because of the vignette.

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:31 am**

SK601 wrote:Do you think it’s worth contacting Ncarb to review my vignette manually?

It might be. See Score Verification on page 21 of Guidelines.

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