Tabbed and hi-lighted code books

[tonyou812]

I am not a big fan of the theory that required CE courses are of any real benefit in proving anyone is still competent.

There are a lot of guys with masters and contractor license that have not cut off a piece of wire in ten years. Just because they passed the test 20 years ago, does not mean they could do so today.

There are also a lot of guys who leave the business and come back years later, and keep their license active by paying the periodic fees.

These kind of skills degrade a lot over time if they are unused.

That is a very generalized statement. How do you know what someone will remember or if he will continue his education on his own by reading.
I went to cooking school 12 years ago and I can still make the best bouliabase this side of France.

 

[brian john]

Many EC's never need to see a conductor once they receive their license. I think it is more important that the electricians keep up their training. The CE courses I have taken IMO are simple and at 8 hours a nice reprieve from answering phones and doing field work.

I took a few courses 5 days 8 hours each day and paid for the CEU's some local jurisdictions would not accept the training as valid, FRUSTRATING.

As for books I have taken many test and each had their own requirements the toughest test I took allowed any book you used in the field marked up like you wanted 7 hour test.

One test did not allow anything they furnished the NEC, pencils, paper and calculator.

 

[iaov]

Well ive talked to a few of the guys testing here lately where i live and they said its fine.

I guess one of the main things im looking at here is i was under the impression that a lot of these books are being marketed and sold as "exam preperation" books. But does this mean that in reality, these books are being used "against the system" to simply pass the exam?

I , for one, passed the test what i like to call "legitimately" and i frown on such a thing being allowed or accepted if this is indeed what is happening here. I mean sure its nice for those taking the test but as a trade is this the best way to gain credentials? what if doctors were allowed to gain their credentials by taking a test from books with the answers highlighted & ready to go?

Once again , i already am a licensed electrician but it just kindof bothers me that some of us are forced to know what we are doing and be able to pass the testing thus proving our knowledge and ability to use the code book + formulas, yet others can take test strategy courses and get books with the answers already highlighted in the color you need for your test taking level. So to me they have upped the requirements for being an electrician yet lessened the requirements to become one by allowing these "books", imo.

One of the most important skills an electrician has is knowing where to look for the answers. Some times its knowing what book to look in,some times its a matter of talking to the right people, some times its a matter of knowing wich lap top has the right software to talk to the particular equipment you are working on. Our trade is so broad and covers so many different things that I doubt if there is anyone who has all the answers all the time. Wether you are looking in a high-lighted book or one that is not,
you are still looking in a book!!

 

[ITO]

I high-light my book for things that are repeatedly referred to , quoted and scrutinized for meaning and scoff (a French sounding scoff like when you make bouliabase) at those in my office who can not find code references as fast as I can.

 

[Freebiez]

not trying to be rude but i think some of you are missing the point just a little. the books i am referring to are the ones marketed and sold with the TEST ANSWERS HIGHLIGHTED. not the most frequently used electrical formulas , charts, or tables (how could one know what particular trade would purchase the book whether it be industrial, resedential, or commercial?)

these books are marketed as "study guides" for the electrical exam , with their "keyword index" thats also filled with keywords that cant be for everyday use because the designer of the index obviously would miss tons and tons of valuable information. i mean whats the point of a second index? oh i know, its because the only things in said indexes are only filled with things that might lead to test answers.

last and not least the highlighting. the highlighting is exam specific. one color for the journeymans exam. one for the master exam , and another color for the questions that could be on either test.


So... Like i said before i was glad when they started a mandatory apprenticeship school requirement because this forced the trade to become a "smarter" one and kept the casual person from working as an electrician. logic dictates that this was done to ensure a more educated group of workers. this also lends itself to a more skilled trade which means higher wages etc. I was also glad that the test was difficult so not just any apprentice could say he was an electrician and yes he had to EARN his passage. last but not least im glad that there is a CE requirement for license renewals.

All these things are designed to make a more educated electrical trade, but then they allow these "cheat" code books to be allowed into some testing facilities? Am i the only person that wants his passing the exams (legitamitely) to be an accomplishment? starting to seem like it

 

[cschmid]

Freebiez
I would bet you are not the only one who wants an apprentice to pass legitimately..Now as for your highlighted code book..I have never seen one and would have some questions right away..the journeyman's test and the masters test I do not believe are nation wide standard tests..if they were every state would have reciprocal licenses..Yet that is not the case..So how would a highlighted code book help you..it is published nation wide and the tests vary from state to state..at most it could give you only general answer areas..probably with only about 50% of the answer areas being accurate for any one testing area..So what really is the point to the highlighted books but to increase sales for the publisher..

 

[RHJohnson]

Lots of states are using the same testing company now. But not all states reciprocate, some not even with adjoining states. I have tested in several different states all over the U.S. The usual permissable item was code book, without notes, paper, pencil, 4 function calculator. Smoke breaks and water breaks came out of your test time!
Some states had a practical given the next day. Wyoming was one - there were 10 separate stations with various electrical tasks. I do remember wiring a light for 3 way control, a motor control with start stop station, and conduit bending - saddle over another conduit, 90 at each end, offset into box. The clearance on the saddle had to be between 1/8" and 3/8", no more, no less, and the conduit had to lay flush, no wobble, and slide into the box without catching. If you failed any one of those 10 stations you would not be licensed.
If you failed the written test in most states you were not allowed to test again for 90 days.
In all the states I tested you were required to have 8000 hours of helper or apprenticeship training before testing.
In various states the apprentice was required to be registered, and there was mandatory schooling. Some were night classes only - but in Alaska they had to pack up their tools and head for Fairbanks or Anchorage and attend school full time for a couple months. On their own dime...
Can't remember all the Master requirements, but the Master test in Idaho was 6 hours, and 2 years experience as a journeyman before you are allowed to test.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

As far as my experience has taught me in regards to the tests and prehighlighted books, there is no book out there that can be presold to a person and be just right for the test. If the individual is relying on the prehighlighted book, it may be even more confusing, as the highlighting will include more than just the test and possible be just too confusing.

An open book test is just that. Baring someone knowing the actual answers to the test and writng them down in his/her book for the test, actual highlighting of the book is not a given that one will pass.

Studying and having some prior experience in the field is the best chance one has to pass the test.