Certified SolidWorks Tests now Online? 3

[rjason71]

I noticed SWorks is now offering there CSWA and CSWP tests online and you can take them for free by requesting a voucher.

Has anyone received a voucher they had sent for? I am still waiting for mine (about a week).

 

[ShaggyPE]

Make sure you email them with a thorough description of the issues you encountered. I believe they are running this promotion to work all the bugs out of the online testing concept.

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional

 

[dragginthru]

That would be great. I got so frustrated with the test that I quit halfway through.

 

[ctopher]

dragginthru,
You weren't the only one.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 2.0
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog

 

[Cheeseburger]

I'm not trying to be insensitive or anything but I don't understand something ...

(Some) People who failed the exam think there is something missing or not enough information given ... but there are others who took the same/similar exam (the only differences are there's different values for A, B, C, D, etc) ... and they passed.

Are the people who failed the exam just not paying enough attention to the questions ? I know that's what happened to me the first time I took the exam ... I didn't pay attention. Everything you need is given in the exam, you just have to look.

But that's just my opinion ...

Brian Mazejka, CSWP
Documentation Control Manager
Microline Pentax, Inc.

 

[ctopher]

I think it is probably true for some. I have been doing drafting/design for a long time and know SW well. The dwgs that were shown to me during the test were missing some dims and other info. I was able to get approx 95% of the model done on one test, the other 5% was guessed. I made notes and screenshots of the errors and sent them to SW without any response.
I'm curious how many different configurations of the test there are?

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 2.0
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog

 

[NL8]

In theory there could be an infinite number of combinations that work, but realistically there are probably only a few thousand combos that are viable. multiple that across 18 questions and you get a number high enough as to be practically infinite.

 

[Cheeseburger]

Now I'm going to probably sound very insensitive ...

The test is the test ... there's nothing you can really do about it.

I understand that if you failed ... you're bummed out about it. I was bummed out when I failed the test my first time. But as I mentioned the first time I took it I jumped right in without taking the advice clearly stated at the beginning of the test ... (something like) "read over the exam carefully before starting" ...

If the test is (as you say) missing information and nobody can pass it ... then why are there people who have passed it ??? I concede that if no one was passing it then SWx would need to revamp the exam ... but that's not the case it.

Everything you need to build the model is given to you.

Cheers ...

Brian

 

[ShaggyPE]

Everything you need to build the model is given to you.

True, but it could be given more clearly and with larger images. Also, when I took it, one of the Cosmos questions wanted the deflection answer to two decimal places... and the result was .002 in. You tell me what that answer is to two decimal places.

There are a bunch of posts above that describe the issues with the exam.

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional

 

[ctopher]

I agree. I had the issue with the pictures of models not being clear (fuzzy) and the same issue with Cosmos.
All issues I sent to SW.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 2.0
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog

 

[maartenmk]

From my own experience, I tend to agree with Brian. It could be I was just lucky with my questions, but I was, with careful scrutiny, able to get all the information from the pictures, after first thinking it wasn't complete. Lots of information was given by means of center lines.

Not that I agree with this way of making your test more difficult, after all it is about SWX modeling, not reading pictures.
But still, the test has some value in my opinion, since it does require sufficient skill with Solidworks to pass. Unless you train specifically for the kind of questions that are asked, which I think is a weakness. Same as Ctopher I wonder how many configurations there are....

Dustin, the result of my Cosmosworks question was the same as yours (which could indicate the question was the same), but they did ask for 5 decimals. But they did change the no. of decimals for that question (the modeling questions for that part asked for 2 or 3 decimals), so maybe your comments helped.

Maarten

 

[gp13]

Yeah, I thought the same thing at first, but when I couldn't make sense of it, I looked up and they did change it to 5 decimal places for just that question. BTW I passed.

 

[draftsman2008]

So if they extended The FREE Exam voucher program until June 30, 2008 where do I get mine. We just put our two seats on subscription last week and I would like the chance to take the test.

Brian
Dell Optiplex 745
Intel Core 2 6300 @ 1.86 GHz 2 gig Ram
Solidworks 2007 SP 5 & 2008 SP 3.1
AutoCAD Mechanical 2005

 

[ShaggyPE]

Once you are logged in to the SolidWorks customer portal, this link should work:

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services/subscription/Certification.html

Also, the voucher works for the Advanced Cosmos Designer exam CSWPCDES (worth $20). Also, Also, you get one voucher per exam... so take the CSWA before the CSWP. That is the route a co-worker of mine has pursued.

Good Luck.

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional

 

[draftsman2008]

So I can take the CSWA and pass then I can the CSWP and pass(in theory)to become a CSWA and a CSWP?

Brian
Dell Optiplex 745
Intel Core 2 6300 @ 1.86 GHz 2 gig Ram
Solidworks 2007 SP 5 & 2008 SP 3.1
AutoCAD Mechanical 2005

 

[Cheeseburger]

draftsman ...

Yes ... you can take both tests. BUT ... purchase the exams separately. The voucher is only good for One (1) exam. If you purchase more than one exam at a time you'll only be given credit for one and you'll be charged for the others in your "shopping" cart.

Good Luck

Cheers

Brian

 

[draftsman2008]

I passed the CSWA last week and I am planning on taking the CSWP test this weekend.

I was wondering if anyone, without giving to much away, could tell me how the test compares to the CSWA so I can better prepare myself for the test?

Thank you or sorry for the post, whichever is appropriate, in advance,




Brian-CSWA
Dell Optiplex 745
Intel Core 2 6300 @ 1.86 GHz 2 gig Ram
Solidworks 2007 SP 5 & 2008 SP 3.1
AutoCAD Mechanical 2005

 

[ShaggyPE]

incontext assembly

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional

 

[draftsman2008]

I did that in the CSWA test.

Brian-CSWA
Dell Optiplex 745
Intel Core 2 6300 @ 1.86 GHz 2 gig Ram
Solidworks 2007 SP 5 & 2008 SP 3.1
AutoCAD Mechanical 2005

 

[NL8]

If you had models that weren't quite exactly the right answer to the CSWA then I would recommend you try and figure out what you did different, because the CSWP expects an exact answer. And watch your decimal places, they'll get you on that too.

Joe Hasik, CSWP
SW 08 x64, SP 3.0
Dell T3400
Intel Core2 Quad
Q6700 2.66 GHz
3.93 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4600

 

[ShaggyPE]

Re-read some of the content near the middle of this thread. There are some good nuggets in there.

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional