I have just taken the two CRCP exams for CR XI and felt the need to comment.
First some info / comments that maybe useful to others taking this route.
Pass marks:
Exam 1: 70% (45 questions)
Exam 2: 75% (40 questions)
Time: about 80 ish minutes each, I was finished in 30, including checking my answers.
The CRCP book by Annette Harper is still well worth a read for anyone taking these exams. The few things that are unique to XI and not in the book are in the help files. In fact I would recommend her book alone for the chapter on trouble shooting and the third party utilities, as this comes up in the exam (more than once).
The Exams:
Many of the questions were just plain strange. A few had a paragraph of text describing a scenario or functionality, then a question that was totally unrelated, two questions required to you answer based on how proficient a fictional ‘someone’ was at their job. A few also had numerous right answers, but you could only pick one so you are left guessing what they really meant.
A couple of questions were also down to a matter of opinion, and if I’m honest I would have answered one of them:
“Work in secret to make yourself as indispensable as possible.”
But am sure that is not the answer they wanted :-D.
In my opinion, the high number of questionable questions and the high pass marks make this exam more luck based than any professional qualification should be.
The overall pitch of the questions was more to do with familiarity with the interface than reporting knowledge.
Anyone planning to take this exam to prove their abilities will be disappointed and I would not suggest basing any recruitment decisions on this qualification.
Incidentally, I did pass both exams, so this not a bitterness thing.
And all said and done, I will be adding it to my CV, so any employer looking for a reporting consultant with a dodgy qualification and who likes to “Work in secret to make yourself as indispensable as possible.”: here I am…..
First some info / comments that maybe useful to others taking this route.
Pass marks:
Exam 1: 70% (45 questions)
Exam 2: 75% (40 questions)
Time: about 80 ish minutes each, I was finished in 30, including checking my answers.
The CRCP book by Annette Harper is still well worth a read for anyone taking these exams. The few things that are unique to XI and not in the book are in the help files. In fact I would recommend her book alone for the chapter on trouble shooting and the third party utilities, as this comes up in the exam (more than once).
The Exams:
Many of the questions were just plain strange. A few had a paragraph of text describing a scenario or functionality, then a question that was totally unrelated, two questions required to you answer based on how proficient a fictional ‘someone’ was at their job. A few also had numerous right answers, but you could only pick one so you are left guessing what they really meant.
A couple of questions were also down to a matter of opinion, and if I’m honest I would have answered one of them:
“Work in secret to make yourself as indispensable as possible.”
But am sure that is not the answer they wanted :-D.
In my opinion, the high number of questionable questions and the high pass marks make this exam more luck based than any professional qualification should be.
The overall pitch of the questions was more to do with familiarity with the interface than reporting knowledge.
Anyone planning to take this exam to prove their abilities will be disappointed and I would not suggest basing any recruitment decisions on this qualification.
Incidentally, I did pass both exams, so this not a bitterness thing.
And all said and done, I will be adding it to my CV, so any employer looking for a reporting consultant with a dodgy qualification and who likes to “Work in secret to make yourself as indispensable as possible.”: here I am…..