# 1 - My husband, who has not much knowledge of Interior Design, could take this test and pass it. So could my neighbor. And my brother. And anyone who can read, really. How? They. Give. You. Everything. You. Need. To. Know. To. Pass. Read the directions. Use the resources. I note this here, too.
# 2 - "Wow, people who are reading my blog probably think I'm a royal idiot for thinking this test is hard and crying about it and having a temper tantrum and test anxiety and blogging about Tips & Tricks like it's such a puzzle."
Not only does each exercise clearly list everything required, the test booklet has a handy section titled "NCIDQ Section 3 Building Code Requirements" which reiterates codes you already know, but will likely forget when you're racing the clock to finish the equivalent of (7) projects in one 8-hour working day. By hand. On a weekend.
The things I got wrong on my Life-Safety exercise: in the booklet.
The things I got wrong on my Lighting exercise: in the booklet.
And for Systems Integration: in the booklet. On the plan.
And for the Egress: ...
And for the Millwork: ...
Okay, so the last two are actually tough given the time limits, but the point is - everything is right there for you. Can one pass with this alone? Yes, some can. But most people need to practice, refresh their knowledge, and gain confidence & speed.
While it's tempting to stop all prep right now and test my theory cold hard facts, I'm going to continue practicing because while it's all there, I'm pretty sure that even my no-knowledge-of-design-husband wouldn't be able to stick within the time limits. In fact, in his showing me how "easy" and "fast" I could lay out my Egress spaces, he forgot an entire space and had to start all over. HaHaHa!!
Just kidding on the laughing up there... he saved me on that one.
Anyway, it's all there. The hardest thing for me... is remembering that. This all seems so obvious now. And humbling... like really, really humbling.
Oops, Duh, and Sigh,
Carolyn
Just wanted to tell you that I love your blog! I've failed the Practicum twice and am not going to let it happen again! I went through a lot of the same anxiety you mention in some of your posts - I was literally shaking through the space planning because I was running out of time. Every one of yours posts totally resonate with me because my approach to studying for this test was completely wrong before. Keep up the fun blog posts and good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the kind words! I know you'll pass it this time! I find that self awareness, reflection & reaction, and honest efforts will always pay off! What city are you taking the test in?
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