Experience Sharing on Taking the Registered Consulting Engineer Exam (Reposted from Engineering Consulting Network)
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Some Thoughts on Taking the Registered Consulting Engineer Exam – Song Qingyun (Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences) In recent years, I have taken this exam almost every year; its difficulty level is even greater than that of the consulting engineer exam. So this exam is nothing new to me. However, achieving a good score this time was something I hadn’t expected. After several years of study, I can’t say I’ve accumulated much learning experience, but one thing I’m certain of is that no pains, no gains. Here are some of my learning methods and insights, which I’d like to share and discuss with everyone. 1. The “three-step” learning method. First, read the textbook thoroughly; if there are parts that are not easy to understand, don’t spend too much time on them. The goal of this initial reading is to gain an overall understanding of the book’s structure and main content ； Secondly, it is necessary to read the textbook carefully and tackle the key points and difficult areas one by one; this step is the most important. I have a habit of using pens of different colors to make notes in my books; I mark keywords, important points, and areas where mistakes are likely to occur with a bright red pen. Don’t underestimate these seemingly minor details – I find them very helpful for remembering key points and overcoming carelessness. You should give it a try. At the same time, during this stage it is necessary to use practice problems to assess the learning outcomes and to reinforce the difficult and key concepts. When encountering problems that one doesn’t understand or where mistakes are likely to occur, one should turn to the relevant chapters in the book and study them in more depth until the concepts are fully understood. Finally, the third time is to strengthen the memorization and understanding of the key concepts, and to integrate the relevant knowledge points from various chapters and different courses. Of course, if you have the time and energy, you can go through the key points from the book again a few days before the exam, focusing on memorizing those areas where mistakes are likely to be made and where concepts are ambiguous. II. Some Thoughts on Learning 1. When taking an exam, it is essential to have a strong desire to pass it. Many people, although they have signed up, do not take it seriously enough; in fact, they rely on luck. You get what you give – to succeed in learning, one must be down-to-earth and put in more effort than others in order to achieve results that exceed those of ordinary people. 2. There must be a plan for learning*. The entire learning process is mainly divided into three modules, namely textbooks, supplementary materials, and practice tests. From the start of studying, it is necessary to develop a study plan, such as determining when to read the book for the first time and when to read it a second time ； When to do *questions ； When to create practice test papers. The plan does not have to be highly detailed, but it must be practical and achievable in the initial stage, so as not to undermine the learner’s confidence due to failure to complete it. 3. When working on exercises, especially subjective ones, do not rush to check the answers; instead, develop the habit of thinking independently. When checking answers, avoid focusing only on the questions you got wrong. When doing the questions, especially multiple-choice ones, it’s possible to guess the correct answer to some extent; if you ignore those questions, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get them right next time. Therefore, after checking the answers, one should go through all the questions again to ensure that no knowledge points have been missed. 4. Pay attention to the analysis of past exam questions. The consultant examination has only been around for three years, and the content and difficulty level of the questions are still in the exploratory phase. Candidates generally find it difficult to determine the direction and difficulty of the exam; therefore, past exam papers serve as an excellent reference for our preparation. It is essential to work through past exam questions independently. For the subjective questions, one should complete them just as they would in the actual exam, and analyze in depth the perspective, intent, and style behind the questions; this is particularly helpful for preparing for Subject 5. III. Taking Exams 1. One must maintain firm confidence. One should believe in themselves; as long as one studies hard, they must be convinced that effort will yield results. One shouldn’t hesitate or become fearful before even starting the challenge ； 2. Pay attention to exam techniques. Before starting to answer the questions, one should first take a look at the exam paper, especially for the fifth subject, in order to get an idea of the types of questions and their quantity, so as to plan one’s time effectively. When answering multiple-choice questions, try to maintain a steady pace of answering, avoiding spending too much time on a single question, so as not to run out of time and disrupt your ability to answer the subsequent questions. For questions you’re not sure about, you can mark them; once all the questions have been answered, you can take the time to go back and think about them again ； For questions that one knows nothing about, first rule out the obviously absurd and incorrect answers, then guess based on intuition; there’s no need to spend too much time pondering over them. Due to the need to balance work, family, and studies, the path of taking exams after starting work is quite challenging. But once one makes this choice, they must have the confidence and perseverance to carry on, as efforts will surely yield results. The above are some of my thoughts and insights; I hope they can be of some help to everyone. I also wish all candidates taking the 2007 Registered Consulting Engineer exam success! August 8, 2006
Applying What One Has Learned and Using It to Promote Further Learning: Thoughts on Becoming a Registered Consulting Engineer (Investment) The first examination for certification as a Registered Consulting Engineer (Investment) was held in 2004; upon hearing about it, I decided to sign up for it on a whim. Only after obtaining the textbooks did I realize the difficulties; since it seemed not closely related to my work, I decided to give up taking that exam that year before even starting to study. Last year I transferred to a consulting firm, and to adapt to my new role as quickly as possible, I picked up the textbooks again. I originally signed up for the 2006 exam just as a trial, with the intention of using it as motivation to study; I planned to pass as many subjects as I could. Unexpectedly, I achieved good results. The following are my own insights from a year of learning* and preparing for exams; I welcome feedback from my colleagues. I. Applying What I Have Learned As mentioned at the beginning, the purpose of my learning* is to better adapt to the work in counseling. It was precisely this pressure that made it clear from the very beginning that this course had to be completed, with no room for retreat. By learning the knowledge from the training materials, one can continuously improve their theoretical knowledge and work quality; applying what has been learned while doing so helps to shorten the transition period when changing roles. For a period of time, textbooks became the “operating manuals” for work, integrating learning with practical application and turning learning into a part of the work itself. In particular, materials such as \"Introduction to Engineering Consulting,\" \"Macroeconomic Policy and Development Planning,\" \"The State Council’s Decision on Reforms to the Investment System,\" and \"The Central Government’s Recommendations for Formulating the 11th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development\" have truly become a treasure trove for work. II. Using Practice to Promote Learning Since consulting work involves a great variety of topics, mastering the various knowledge points presented in textbooks becomes a significant challenge; whereas applying that knowledge is the best way to learn and acquire it. In the courses of \"Project Organization and Management\", \"Project Decision Analysis and Evaluation\", and \"Modern Consulting Methods and Practices\", special attention should be paid to the cases presented in the textbooks; at the same time, it is important to get involved as much as possible in various professional tasks in order to deepen the understanding and memory of the relevant knowledge points. During that time, I happened to be involved in the preparation of a feasibility study report, and I took an active and comprehensive role in the work related to various disciplines – from market forecasting, design planning, investment estimation, financial and economic evaluations, to scheme optimization and risk analysis. This not only helped me understand the interconnections between the different aspects of a project in a more thorough and systematic way, but also enhanced my mastery of the relevant knowledge. As a result, very little time was spent on the above matters in the subsequent recovery sprints. III. Steps of Learning The overall principle of learning is not to memorize mechanically; one must understand first, and then memorize based on that understanding, as well as through practice. My study plan consists of roughly 3 stages: 1. Extensive reading. In this stage, it’s like reading a novel – one goes through all five textbooks to get an overview of the content, so as to know what is available for reference in case problems arise later on. 2. Intensive reading: Read the entire book carefully, striving to master all the key concepts; after understanding them, mark the important parts, as there is no need to read the additional explanatory content later. Regarding the small number of remaining issues that are not understandable, I consciously strive to understand them through practical work. 3. Practice Keep practicing in work to deepen understanding and reinforce impressions. IV. Exams The overall impression regarding exams is that they mainly assess one’s grasp of knowledge points and their ability to apply them. The vast majority of the exam content consists of key topics from the textbooks, especially those related to counseling work. As long as these topics are understood, even if one cannot recall them, it is still possible to determine the correct answer by comparing and analyzing the various alternative answers ； There is very little that needs to be memorized by rote. The exam preparation process generally consists of the following 3 steps: 1. Review and intensive practice – mainly involving repeated memorization of the content marked in the study materials. 2. Test preparation: Practice and analyze a set of mock test questions to understand the types of questions, estimate the required speed for answering them, and develop strategies for taking the exam. My own strategy for taking exams is to allocate time for each question; if I run out of time, I choose the most likely answer and move on to the next questions. Mark the questions you are unsure about while answering; if there is time left at the end of the exam, go back and review those marked questions. For multiple-choice questions, if you are not sure about an answer, do not choose it at all to avoid losing points. When answering the questions in the \"Modern Consulting Methods and Practices\" exam, make sure to address each knowledge point and strive to provide complete answers so as not to lose the points you deserve ； Due to the tight schedule for the exam, start with the questions that require less calculation. For those questions that cannot be completed in time, at least provide the steps and methods used to solve them. 3. Taking Exams Follow your own exam strategy, let go of stress, and answer the questions calmly. For a year now, obtaining the \"Registered Consulting Engineer (Investment) Practice Qualification Certificate\" has been my dream. Through my own efforts, my dream finally became a reality. I still clearly remember the anxious and complicated feelings my colleagues and I who took the exam had when we found out the results, to the point that we asked another colleague to help check them. When they learned that everyone had passed, they clapped their hands in excitement; joy filled the entire room, and it took a long time for things to calm down. Our personal experiences as my colleagues and I show that with determination, effort, and the right methods, it is definitely possible to pass the registration exam for consulting engineers (investment). Sun Zhong, MTR Technical Consulting (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. August 3, 2006
For more insights on investment consulting exams, please visit http://www.cnaec.com.cn/zhushi/othermore.htm
I plan to apply this year as well; these experiences will be very useful to me. Thank you! !
Does the original poster have practice questions? Could you send it to me? zhoueve@sina.com
Thank you for sharing; obviously I have no plan for preparing for the exam