CA EXAM Questions

[MonkeyMan_812]

I been studying for the test and wanted to know what type of questions are on the test. Are there a lot of multiple choice, or do you have to fill in the blanks by spelling? What category does the exam mostly consist of?

 

[treeman82]

It's all multiple choice, covers all the topics in the study guide... some more so than others.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

The breakdown, by percentage, of each category on the test, is given in the application package, or at least it was when I took it. The questions, all multiple choice, are mostly terrible because they are poorly worded. In some cases, it is obvious that the person composing a specific question did not understand the material he/she was assigned to compose questions about. To add insult to injury, ISA has a strict, "we don't give you any answers" policy, so you never know the actual answers to things you missed. Instead of a learning experience, as every test should be, ISA's tests are of the "Gotcha, Sucker!" variety. Having taken, and passed, three different ISA exams, I can tell you that test writing is not ISA's strong suit. Be prepared to be frustrated.

I am qualified to judge ISA's tests, FWIW. I taught high school Biology and college (AP) Biology along with Chemistry, and my tests were used by other teachers because they were fair and well-written.

 

[sgreanbeans]

That is good to know, I too am getting ready to take the test, Im also gonna do the Aerial test too, Is that just paper test, or is there prac ap as well

 

[jefflovstrom]

Read the question carefully, it will repeat in a different way further in the test. They word and re-word to throw you off. Example, look for the words, "Shall, will, you will find the same question asked in a different way further in the test.
Jeff

 

[jefflovstrom]

On aerial rescue, first make sure you yell out "call 911" and get above the dummy and dont let your slack out too much.
Jeff

 

[treeseer]

I am qualified to judge ISA's tests, FWIW. .

Then maybe you'll apply to help the industry by joining the Cert committee!

 

[Sunrise Guy]

Then maybe you'll apply to help the industry by joining the Cert committee!

I am NOT on good terms with Vannice, the ISA head honcho involved with testing. I have tried to get satisfaction when it comes to the study guides and test questions, and dealing with him is like dealing with a politician: He "listens" to what you have to say and then gives you answers that have very little to do with the subject at hand. You get out of a session with him thinking the cosmic, "Huh?" No, ISA and I are not going to happen on any committee level.

 

[mckeetree]

Let me say this about the CA exam. I have a few more credentials than CA although I am not much on listing them in a column in a forum and I have taken a test or two in my day. There are difficult test and there are tricky test and there are difficult tricky test. The ISA CA exam is not at all difficult but it is a tricky, unusually worded and hard to follow exam. It is almost like someone who had English as a second language put the thing together.

 

[treeseer]

...I have tried to get satisfaction...

coming in with that kind of agenda will definitely get the door shown to you, forthwith.

Next time try being helpful, if you want to help. If you want to say you are above them all without doing anything, stick to internet chat, where anything goes. :monkey:

Showing beats telling.

Walking beats talking.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

Let me say this about the CA exam. I have a few more credentials than CA although I am not much on listing them in a column in a forum and I have taken a test or two in my day. There are difficult test and there are tricky test and there are difficult tricky test. The ISA CA exam is not at all difficult but it is a tricky, unusually worded and hard to follow exam. It is almost like someone who had English as a second language put the thing together.

Very well put. You read an ISA exam question and think, "Huh?" You read it three more times and think, "Huh? Huh? Huh?" I usually have a "WTF?" column on my scratch paper when I take a given test. I enter the numbers of the questions there that I need to go back to and make an educated guess on after I finish the test. With ISA exams, I gave up doing that and instead put the question numbers of those questions I knew I had correct since most of a given ISA exam is "WTF?"

 

[MonkeyMan_812]

Yeah that doesnt surprise me one bit. I have been reading the study guide and there have been a few times that I have wondered who in the :censored: wrote this? Then I saw it was Sharon Lilly. She might know about trees but she sure doesnt know about being an author. Some of the sections arent to bad but some are very confusing.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

coming in with that kind of agenda will definitely get the door shown to you, forthwith.

Next time try being helpful, if you want to help. If you want to say you are above them all without doing anything, stick to internet chat, where anything goes. :monkey:

Showing beats telling.

Walking beats talking.

Say what?

You're the guy who totally misunderstood my letter in TCIA Magazine to the point where you thought I was the guy who was being put down instead of (the pretty obvious) vice versa. You apparently are misunderstanding me here, too.

What kind of agenda are you referring to, now? I have tried to work with ISA in a polite, even-handed way. I have never been treated badly, only been subjected to double-talk and politician-speak, as mentioned.

I simply stated my qualifications, here, as they apply to judging the (poor) quality of ISA's tests and quizzes. I tried to point out errors in study guides, and exam questions, in the past, in a helpful way, and got nowhere with DV.

ISA has a very cozy place in the whole certification scheme of things, right now. Anyone who is not in their inner circle is discouraged from participating, when it comes to test and standard writing. That may be about to change, in a big way.

If you get the UAA (Utility Arborist Association) Magazine, check out this month's issue. We are being warned that the FAC-003-2 revision is now removing personnel qualifications (such as those administered and overseen by ISA). ISA has much to lose ($$$$) if that happens, obviously. While the preceeding has more to do with various utility certifications, it may grow to encompass other aspects of arboriculture.

Again, ISA would have much to lose, if they slip from the top spot as this all-knowing, all-powerful certifying body. If they want to make sure that their membership views them as being true representatives for our profession, they would be well-advised to be more inclusive in their treatment of us all. A big step, towards that end, would be to open the whole testing program to more input from its members, and intelligent, to-the-issue answers from the ruling elite when questions are asked about specific tests and the questions on them.

 

[treeseer]

re the guide's readability, i agree, but understand there are many reviewers for each chapter, and they all have somewhat differing ideas. left on her own, the author writes pretty well, really.

writing questions that test on tree smarts and not word smarts is not at all easy. but i have not seen the test since 1992 so have nothing informed to say about that.

sunrise you wrote that you were out to "get satisfaction" and maybe that sounded more antagonistic than it actually was. sorry you have run into a bureaucratic brick wall; i have too, in that dept.

 

[RedlineIt]

Very well put. You read an ISA exam question and think, "Huh?" You read it three more times and think, "Huh? Huh? Huh?" I usually have a "WTF?" column on my scratch paper when I take a given test. I enter the numbers of the questions there that I need to go back to and make an educated guess on after I finish the test. With ISA exams, I gave up doing that and instead put the question numbers of those questions I knew I had correct since most of a given ISA exam is "WTF?"

I do exactly the same thing, have scratch sheet for questions that I don't know the answer to, so I can go back in an orderly fashion.

After I ran through the exam, I checked my scratch sheet, did a quick calculation, I had already passed, depending on my domain performance.

I went and did my ID section, then sat back down with my scratch sheet just to boost my score. Most of those were just answers I did not know off the top of my head and had to cogitate for a moment or two. No parsing problems.

I'm no ISA shill, they've got their problems, but WTF moments on the exam?

I had none.

Now, I grew up reading everything from Tom Lehrer to Asimov, Poe to Gzowski. Maybe that has something to do with it.

But poorly worded questions, written by someone with no idea what they're talking about? You'd have to show me one.

RedlineIt

 

[Sunrise Guy]

re the guide's readability, i agree, but understand there are many reviewers for each chapter, and they all have somewhat differing ideas. left on her own, the author writes pretty well, really.

writing questions that test on tree smarts and not word smarts is not at all easy. but i have not seen the test since 1992 so have nothing informed to say about that.

sunrise you wrote that you were out to "get satisfaction" and maybe that sounded more antagonistic than it actually was. sorry you have run into a bureaucratic brick wall; i have too, in that dept.

OK, no problem. Sorry if I came on a bit strong. It is frustrating when ISA stonewalls in matters relating to their testing program.

 

[ChiHD]

.

Showing beats telling.

Walking beats talking.

:agree2:

Great advice to live by.

 

[mckeetree]

I do exactly the same thing, have scratch sheet for questions that I don't know the answer to, so I can go back in an orderly fashion.

After I ran through the exam, I checked my scratch sheet, did a quick calculation, I had already passed, depending on my domain performance.

I went and did my ID section, then sat back down with my scratch sheet just to boost my score. Most of those were just answers I did not know off the top of my head and had to cogitate for a moment or two. No parsing problems.

I'm no ISA shill, they've got their problems, but WTF moments on the exam?

I had none.

Now, I grew up reading everything from Tom Lehrer to Asimov, Poe to Gzowski. Maybe that has something to do with it.

But poorly worded questions, written by someone with no idea what they're talking about? You'd have to show me one.

RedlineIt

Maybe you just have an unusual mind that matched the curios wording of the test. An isolated case with a one of a kind thought process.

 

[treeseer]

Maybe you just have an unusual mind that matched the curios wording of the test. An isolated case with a one of a kind thought process.

Systematic test-taking is not unique. It's taught in 4th grade, and should be mastered in middle school.

That, and it sounds like he studied...:biggrinbounce2:

 

[jefflovstrom]

Stop worrying and take it and tell us how you did.
Jeff