Not to rub it in anyone's face, but I passed. Even though I passed, I still feel strongly that this test was not fair and I still will continue beating a dead horse here, because maybe among us will be some future test writers of Captains exams. Having a chance to review the test yesterday, I stand by my original comment that this test was far from straight forward or easy. Without giving away questions, since there are still test takers outstanding, a few things I noticed that the test writers included on their "ground ball" exam:
* Removing or adding a word before a statement from the patrol guide to make it correct/incorrect (I EDITED THIS SO THAT OUTSTANDING TEST TAKERS CAN'T GET AND ANSWER FOR THIS - IF YOU REALLY WANT SPECIFICS, PM ME)
* Including Bureau Chief duties on an exam (pulled from an additional data statement)
* the use of "and/or" to make choices incorrect/correct
* Pulling procedures that really are of no consequence to the day in and day out operation of a command. And from those procedures, minutia.
This is just some of the things I noticed. I didn't go over the test with a fine tooth comb. While I doubt Bratton's first order of business is to read the Rising Star Message Boards, hopefully the OpEd printed in the Chief will make its way to his desk and it is time to fix the process. There has to be a better way than handing people over 10,000 pages of information and saying "read this". I'm not saying I am the one to be able to fix it, but hopefully they bring in competent people that can. Just my 2¢.
Good luck to all. It's not over until the final answer key comes out.
-- Edited by arimaas on Thursday 19th of December 2013 10:29:49 AM
richpd2 said
Dec 19, 2013
Well said brother.. couldn't agree more
Scantron said
Dec 19, 2013
Dead on Ari.
What are they trying to test? What is the point of these exams? Seriously, what is the point: who can memorize the most inane minutiae? It seems like some of the passers on here are pretty sharp and I hope they will be good executives, but I don't think this exam is in any way a good predictor of that. I have felt this way about all three exams that I have taken.
i passed the first two, but not this one and I don't think I have it in me to try and memorize 10,000 pages in the hopes that I might remember 70 nonsense tidbits that are picked in an arbitrary and capricious manner.
Shame on everyone involved in this process, I hope six people sign up for the next exam.
J Man said
Dec 19, 2013
you can tell there is a major disconnect when a person can walk off the street and guess the same score as a lieutenant who studied for 6 months deplorable
J Man said
Dec 19, 2013
Misfud involved in 2012 and test was fair and air tight...rumor has it the same buffoon from the 2011 Lt test had a hand in this one
hollar said
Dec 19, 2013
They can all suck my LT BAR
J Man said
Dec 19, 2013
hollar wrote:
They can all suck my LT BAR
lol
PatrolGuideismyBible said
Dec 19, 2013
Well put Ari and congrats. As for me, I failed by a pretty wide margin, I was nowhere near as close as Gamblor's key had me to passing. Not blaming Gamblor for the hard work he put in to make a master answer key, just pointing out that a master answer key comprised of mostly people that already passed two exams and studied for this exam being unreliable just shows you how messed up this exam really was.
No one in my command passed and I know that we have 5 Lt's that took it! Now as for the exam writers, did anyone involved in this exam ever take an exam this difficult? Perhaps exam writers should ask themselves this before they come up with an exam thats loaded with gotcha cheap shot questions over and over. I could complain that much of the material tested was irrelevant, but this is true for many exams. It had relevant stuff too, its just there weren't enough gimmie questions that if you studied you should get those. It just seemed like the test was loaded with way too many cheap shots.
Looking at the exam again at the protest session, I think some questions can be fought. Not enough to get me to pass though. I know no one is saying they should just give the rank away, but really if you put as much work in as I did, which may not be s much as others on here, but enough that you feel confident you can pass, you should at least come close. I failed by double digits!
I hope these exam writers rot in hell for their pettiness and maliciousness. Also could da job and DCAS just get it right? Why does it seem sooooo many of these exams are a shytshow???
TheFinest911 said
Dec 19, 2013
Discretionary Promoted Captains could be the new trend in the future if no one takes these Captains Exams. That and them unloading even more Captain duties to the rank of LT.
J Man said
Dec 19, 2013
It will be an appointed position eventually. As long as "they" continue to employee buffoon captains to write exams that couldn't pass the review of the average eigth gradet
TheFinest911 said
Dec 19, 2013
LoL JMan...
hollar said
Dec 20, 2013
I'm at a 61... I know is a reach... But how realistic you think I can make this mofo list?!?!!
J Man said
Dec 20, 2013
I think, and many men smarter than me agree, this test was so poorly written that it makes the 2011 Lt test look good. There were 19 or 20 throw outs on that one. I have seen and discussed no less than 25 protests, at least 15 are solid. I'd say you have a chance depending on what you got wrong.
J Man said
Dec 20, 2013
The more I read and analyze, the more I realize that the closer you read these questions the worse off you were. Catching the test writers mistakes would normaly be a good thing, if the mistakes were put in the exam purposley. Most of the tricks I caught weren't tricks. Just blatant mistakes.
Not to rub it in anyone's face, but I passed. Even though I passed, I still feel strongly that this test was not fair and I still will continue beating a dead horse here, because maybe among us will be some future test writers of Captains exams. Having a chance to review the test yesterday, I stand by my original comment that this test was far from straight forward or easy. Without giving away questions, since there are still test takers outstanding, a few things I noticed that the test writers included on their "ground ball" exam:
* Removing or adding a word before a statement from the patrol guide to make it correct/incorrect (I EDITED THIS SO THAT OUTSTANDING TEST TAKERS CAN'T GET AND ANSWER FOR THIS - IF YOU REALLY WANT SPECIFICS, PM ME)
* Including Bureau Chief duties on an exam (pulled from an additional data statement)
* the use of "and/or" to make choices incorrect/correct
* Pulling procedures that really are of no consequence to the day in and day out operation of a command. And from those procedures, minutia.
This is just some of the things I noticed. I didn't go over the test with a fine tooth comb. While I doubt Bratton's first order of business is to read the Rising Star Message Boards, hopefully the OpEd printed in the Chief will make its way to his desk and it is time to fix the process. There has to be a better way than handing people over 10,000 pages of information and saying "read this". I'm not saying I am the one to be able to fix it, but hopefully they bring in competent people that can. Just my 2¢.
Good luck to all. It's not over until the final answer key comes out.
-- Edited by arimaas on Thursday 19th of December 2013 10:29:49 AM
Dead on Ari.
What are they trying to test? What is the point of these exams? Seriously, what is the point: who can memorize the most inane minutiae? It seems like some of the passers on here are pretty sharp and I hope they will be good executives, but I don't think this exam is in any way a good predictor of that. I have felt this way about all three exams that I have taken.
i passed the first two, but not this one and I don't think I have it in me to try and memorize 10,000 pages in the hopes that I might remember 70 nonsense tidbits that are picked in an arbitrary and capricious manner.
Shame on everyone involved in this process, I hope six people sign up for the next exam.
lol
No one in my command passed and I know that we have 5 Lt's that took it! Now as for the exam writers, did anyone involved in this exam ever take an exam this difficult? Perhaps exam writers should ask themselves this before they come up with an exam thats loaded with gotcha cheap shot questions over and over. I could complain that much of the material tested was irrelevant, but this is true for many exams. It had relevant stuff too, its just there weren't enough gimmie questions that if you studied you should get those. It just seemed like the test was loaded with way too many cheap shots.
Looking at the exam again at the protest session, I think some questions can be fought. Not enough to get me to pass though. I know no one is saying they should just give the rank away, but really if you put as much work in as I did, which may not be s much as others on here, but enough that you feel confident you can pass, you should at least come close. I failed by double digits!
I hope these exam writers rot in hell for their pettiness and maliciousness. Also could da job and DCAS just get it right? Why does it seem sooooo many of these exams are a shytshow???