AICP exam 2008

[ktaylor]

Anyone take the May exam yet? recommendations or tips?

Stinks that we won't get our results right away....

Thanks!

[nrschmid]

I'm not taking it until November. I thought you find out the results at the end of testing session, since it is all done electronically.

[Suburb Repairman]

I'm taking mine June 2, but I know somebody that is taking it earlier. I'll ask him for info.

I thought we were still getting immediate results?

[ktaylor]

unfortunately, not this time... we'll have to wait 8 to 12 weeks for the results

[Suburb Repairman]

Originally posted by ktaylor

unfortunately, not this time... we'll have to wait 8 to 12 weeks for the results

Good to see APA has advanced so far... every other profession has no problem, yet APA remains/has gone back in the dark ages. I thought the whole point of the computer-based test was immediate results and less red tape.

Of course, they were two weeks late just processing my application, despite me turning it in early, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[Planning Fool]

I'm taking it on June 2nd as well....are you serious about not getting immediate results? That's ridiculous!

[nrschmid]

How are you able to take it on 6/2? I thought it was only offered in May and November. The AICP website still says they will post the immediate results at the testing center (unless APA is too lazy to update their own website).

[Planning Fool]

There were major delays in sending out the authorization to test notices to those who applied for the May exam window, so the APA extended the exam window until June 2nd.

[nrschmid]

After going to the AICP website, it looks like the deadline for the November exam is 7/10, which is 8 days short of my 3 year anniversary with my current job (grrrrrrrrrrrr). I'm going to try to see if I can get my employer to say I started 2 weeks prior (I actually did a half-day at my current job before going on a pre-scheduled vacation before I started my first full day).

I thought you could register up to a couple of months prior to the exam (at least to hear back if your application was accepted or denied).

My landscape architecture friends don't have as much BS with the LARE registration (although taking the exam sections are a completely different story).

[ktaylor]

Originally posted by Suburb Repairman

Good to see APA has advanced so far... every other profession has no problem, yet APA remains/has gone back in the dark ages.
.

I hate to disappoint you, but you are quite wrong here.

The FE and the PE (engineering exams) both take at least 12 weeks to get their results. They're way behind the times still using scantron forms.

Here's the info

Exam Window: The May 2008 testing window is May 5–June 2, 2008.

Scores: The May 2008 exam has been updated. Because it is the inauguration of this exam version, unofficial scores will not be displayed onscreen or issued at the exam site. Official score reports will not be issued until August. APA staff will not be able to provide any score results until official score reports are issued, so please do not call or e-mail individual requests. APA staff will release official scores early if they become available before August.

Originally posted by nrschmid

After going to the AICP website, it looks like the deadline for the November exam is 7/10, which is 8 days short of my 3 year anniversary with my current job (grrrrrrrrrrrr). I'm going to try to see if I can get my employer to say I started 2 weeks prior (I actually did a half-day at my current job before going on a pre-scheduled vacation before I started my first full day).

I thought you could register up to a couple of months prior to the exam (at least to hear back if your application was accepted or denied).
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you should put your application in by the due date which is well before November. Technically, i think you have to have your experience completed before the application is due, but don't quote me on that.. i'm not absolutely positive.

[nrschmid]

I'm going to find out if they need to have it postmarked by 7/10 or if thats the last day they can receive it. Since it takes up to 6 weeks to determine elligibility, I think the 7/10 deadlines makes sense, to give enough people time to study for the exam. Is the May 2008 exam the first electronic exam? It sounds like they haven't found a way to publish the results immediately, which is why it will take 8-12 weeks? to hear the results. I hope they fix that problem by the time the November or May 2009 exams roll around.

[CDT]

Architectural licensing exams also take several weeks to get back.

AICP totally redid the test this year, and added a new subject area, so they need to take the extra time to calibrate the test scores. That is the reason for the delay this time.

[nrschmid]

Put in a call to AICP:

They only take into account the month, not the date, you started working to determine professional planning experience.

They also hope to have the electronic scoring in place by the November 2008 exam so you should be able to get the results immediately.

[Aaron Briggs]

I think the reason for the delay in releasing official results may be because after everyone has taken the test, they make final decisions about which questions count.

For example, if 99% of test takers get a question wrong, they may conclude that it was worded in a misleading way.

[ktaylor]

Originally posted by Aaron Briggs

I think the reason for the delay in releasing official results may be because after everyone has taken the test, they make final decisions about which questions count.

For example, if 99% of test takers get a question wrong, they may conclude that it was worded in a misleading way.

that wouldn't really be fair to those who are taking novembers (and on) exams. not all exams are going to be critiqued like this.

btw, has anyone else taken the exam and want to give some input on what to expect this go around?

[Suburb Repairman]

Originally posted by Aaron Briggs

I think the reason for the delay in releasing official results may be because after everyone has taken the test, they make final decisions about which questions count.

For example, if 99% of test takers get a question wrong, they may conclude that it was worded in a misleading way.

My wife had to deal with something like this for her RHIA exam. They had changed all of the questions and the breakdown, so they needed to establish a new baseline for passing. Of course, it took them four weeks, not 8-12.

By the way, has anyone else noticed that if you fail the May exam, the length of time it takes them to notify you of the results is well after the deadline for the November exam?

[Badgerboy]

I have am new to site, I visited it a lot but taking the AICP test I wanted to share my thoughts. I just took the test several hours ago.

I think there were more Transportation Planning topics than Planning History or Case Law combined. Only a couple of stats questions as well. It was not what I expected for the most part, it dealt in a lot of scenarios of the best way to build consenus, to mediate, facilitate or best ways to present information. I thought the available answers were very subjective as well. I invested in Planetizen and I thought it maybe assisted me with 25 percent of what was on the test.

I even had a question that did not have all of the information and had to file a complaint with the Prometric representative.

I also thought I was going to get a preliminary score at the test site, but none was available and the sheet I was given said results would be available at the end of August.

Best wishes and good luck to everyone

[Suburb Repairman]

My thoughts, post exam:

The "Big Test of Planning Trivia" does not include as much mindless trivia as it apparently used to. Only about 4 or 5 questions required you to actually know a court case name, and they were the pretty common ones (Euclid, Nolan, Dolan, etc.). No stupid questions about which city is experiencing the fastest growth, regionalistic questions (i.e. something that you would only care about if in the midwest, etc.).

Most of the history questions were big stuff that if you paid attention in planning school, you should get. There were a few more obscure questions about New Deal agencies that I wasn't expecting.

I noticed 7 or 8 questions dealing specifically with rural planning/farming. Odd.

Several questions related to consensus building and public participation. A prep course on conflict resolution and public participation would be worthwhile.

Only two questions on ethics out of 170. I don't think this reflects well on the profession. Of course, I also think the modifications done to the ethics code a few years back substantially weakened the the Code of Ethics.

For some strange reason, there seemed to be several transportation related questions, probably about a dozen.

Capital Improvements Planning seemed to get a lot of attention.

Heavy emphasis on the planning process, but applied to circumstances. Lots of questions along the lines of here is situation X; what should be your approach to developing a policy/program/consensus, etc.

Lot's of talk about New Urbanism.

Brush up on economic development if you don't use that part of your brain fairly frequently.

As before, many of the questions involve combination answers.

The exam is covered with typographical errors. Seriously APA, go hire yourselves an editor. It undermines the professionalism of the organization.

Like the poster above, I had a question that had combination answers. However, those answers were not listed. I had no idea what options I, II, III, and IV were. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!!! This makes me call into question the quality control of every single test question. If they can't do this right, then I wonder whether the answer code sheet for all questions is accurate.

I used the Chapter Presidents Council Prep Manual and the Green Bible. I'm confident I'm correct on about 85% of my answers. Of course, I have to wait until August while the asshats at AICP figure out which way is up.

[Planning Fool]

Originally posted by Suburb Repairman

Heavy emphasis on the planning process, but applied to circumstances. Lots of questions along the lines of here is situation X; what should be your approach to developing a policy/program/consensus, etc.

That's the truth. I just took the exam earlier today and there were A LOT fewer questions on Planning Law and Planning History than I expected. I'm not sure on how I feel about how I did...because I don't know if I chose the appropriate AICP answers on some of those situational questions.

There was one question that made absolutely no sense at all.....info seemed to be missing from the question.

[NotMinnesota]

I took the test yesterday and have to concur with the other "reviews". It was more like a personality profile than a fact based professional certification exam. When I was finished, I expected it to tell me that I was "INFP" or something like that. I had maybe 10 questions about history, theory, law, stats etc and 3 on ethics (of course out of 170).

My biggest complaint about this format is that I'm not sure how to have effectively studied for so many scenario driven "What should Johnny Planner do?" questions. Maybe I just don't know and the rest of you do, but I found most to all of the materials that I reviewed to be little to no help when it actually came time to take the test. I was told I'd have my results by the end of August! Oh well...

[dandy_warhol]

if you fail the exam to you have to repay? or reapply?



btw, i'm not eligible until next May.

[nrschmid]

Originally posted by dandy_warhol

if you fail the exam to you have to repay? or reapply?



btw, i'm not eligible until next May.

There are two separate fees: an application fee and a test fee, which you pay together prior to taking the exam for the first time. Once you are approved, you are approved. You will need to re-pay only the test fee each time you re-take the test.

If AICP denies your application, they will give you a written explanation. You have up to 3 days to fax a written appeal. However, I am not sure if they would refund your application fee if your application is still a no-go. I wouldn't be surprised if you had to repay both fees the next time you plan on applying for the exam.

[Greenescapist]

I took the test yesterday as well and thought that, overall, it was fair. I think I had about 30 questions that had to do with charettes. Public participation, overall, was the response to so many questions. I studied the court cases a lot, but got all the easy ones- Euclid, Dolan, Berman v. Parker. There were a few things I had never heard of- Power Towns was one. The calculations I had to do were so easy. I hope I passed and feel like I probably did. If I failed, I wouldn't know how to study any differently. We'll see in August.

[Suburb Repairman]

Originally posted by Greenescapist

I took the test yesterday as well and thought that, overall, it was fair. I think I had about 30 questions that had to do with charettes. Public participation, overall, was the response to so many questions. I studied the court cases a lot, but got all the easy ones- Euclid, Dolan, Berman v. Parker. There were a few things I had never heard of- Power Towns was one. The calculations I had to do were so easy. I hope I passed and feel like I probably did. If I failed, I wouldn't know how to study any differently. We'll see in August.

The "power towns" threw me as well. That is not a phrase I've heard in the planning vernacular, at least in Central Texas. I've got a sneaking suspicion that they used a regional phrase.

My takeaway: ethics, law & history are no longer important to our profession, at least as far as APA is concerned.

[Greenescapist]

Originally posted by Suburb Repairman

.

My takeaway: ethics, law & history are no longer important to our profession, at least as far as APA is concerned.

Everyone said ethics would be a key part of that test and I think I had maybe 3 questions on the code. There were a lot of history ones, though. I'm glad I studied that planning pathways timeline.

I guess a Power Town is like a lifestyle shopping center? I Googled it and I am still not very clear.