Testing pitfalls & problems

Walter & Group...

[GH] Many of us are MCI's as well as active examiners. All of us have experienced being tested at at least one level. This includes our CCIs. Among our CCI's are many of you who are preparing for Master testing either soon or at some future date.

Hopefully, many of you who are or will become Masters will go on to seek additional qualification to serve as examiners on MCI testing teams.

One of the ways we have been able to improve our exams for the CICP *, is that we have received feedback from both examiners and candidates on their experiences, both good and bad, during the many exams given over the past years.

Improvement is (and should be) an ongoing process. Jim Valle spoke to this when he sent his request to the Group on January 11th:

"Gordy,

Interesting - just yesterday I was reviewing the presentation you and I did at Marlborough Mass three years ago. One of the first CE courses. ** The last slide was exactly that quote form Mel, guess I took it for granted that we all understand how important it is to give the student time to learn by doing!

Then you bring up the examining issue of the “what am I thinking game” … this is an easy mistake to fall into for an examiner.

Gordy, as you and I have discussed many times “how to examine” is a very dear subject for me and I am in the process of formulating a CE course on this very subject. I have given a few of these courses and it has been received with real enthusiasm over the next few weeks I will be addressing this topic at CE workshops in Marlborough and Somerset.

So I would like to ask you a favor… would you put out the question to the group asking for their input on other pitfalls or problems they see as part of the examining process… I would really appreciate their input in short bullets from either the examiner or candidate experiences.

Thanks

Jim"

Please help by submitting short messages containing your experiences with the exam process in the past. These should be factual rather than hearsay and contain constructive criticism when due.

Performances and testing procedures which you found especially good should also be added.

I'd like to avoid long emotional "horror stories" even though Jim and I are keenly aware that in past years there have been some, most of which have been addressed with our present way of doing things as well as the Master Candidate's Bill of Rights which Floyd Franke and I wrote with the help of other CBOG members and were approved by the CBOG several years ago.

I've placed the Master Candidate's Bill of Rights in an attachment.

he contents of your input may and probably will be used in future CE courses.

Gordy

* CICP = Casting Instructor Certification Program.

** CE = Continued Education

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