California Supplemental Exam

hi there everyone, i was just wondering if anyone had taken the CA Supplemental Exam for the LARE since they've revamped it to a multiple choice, computer-based exam? I can't seem to find any study guides or practice exams, just wanted to know what your thoughts/experiences were. thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Katie on January 19, 2009 at 10:11am

Thank you so much for all of the great information, i really appreciate it. Congrats on passing the exam!!!

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Permalink Reply by Rod on January 23, 2009 at 2:20pm

Thanks so much Nanda, you're awsome. Congrats on passing. Kind of sounds like the LARE all over again (haha).

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Permalink Reply by Soo Wai-Kin on August 24, 2009 at 4:54pm

Thanks Nanda, great list, I can;t seem to get to the flash card link though, can it be made accessible again? thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on December 3, 2009 at 11:44pm

Hey everyone. So has anyone taken the CSE recently or have any more information to contribute to this discussion? I'm scheduled to take it in two weeks and after looking through Nanda's study guide (which is great, by the way), I'm a little less optimistic about being prepared. The study guide provided at the LATC is a joke. Compared to Nanda's sample questions, the study guide might as well be a pamphlet on buying a mobile home. It's so completely vague as to what they are specifically testing on California landscape architecture. So does anyone else have any input on this exam? Any information would be appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on December 3, 2009 at 11:49pm

Actually I just found a good website for California's bio-regions that might be helpful. If you read about each region, you can get an idea of the various characteristics then apply that to questions they may ask on the exam.

http://ceres.ca.gov/geo_area/bioregion_index.html

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly True on December 8, 2009 at 7:43am

Thank you Nanda! Mike, I'm also hoping to take the CA section at the end of the month and have been searching for study materials to no avail, other that Nanda's post. I agree that the State guide is too vague to offer any meaningful benefit. I have some old multiple choice questions from a UCLA course for the LARE that was thrown in...the questions ask mostly about plant types, what you'd use in what types of hydrozones, firescaping questions, invasive plants, soil knowledge...pretty much in line with Nanda's guide. I suspect that being familiar with the the California BMP handbook wouldn't hurt, considering the current focus on water quality.

http://www.cabmphandbooks.com/

If anyone else has taken the CA exam or found an materials, or can give any tips, I'd sure appreciate any help or ideas!

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Permalink Reply by Mike on December 10, 2009 at 12:35pm

I found some other websites that could be helpful for studying:

http://ceres.ca.gov/wetlands/ California Wetlands

http://ceres.ca.gov/wetlands/agencies.html California Agencies

http://www.conservation.ca.gov/DLRP/lca/Pages/Index.aspx Williamson Act

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Environmental_Quality_Act CEQA

http://www.calsj.org/TheQuimbyAct.htm The Quimby Act

I've been studying these documents in preparation and from what everyone has said, I believe this information has a good chance of being on the test.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on December 19, 2009 at 11:11pm

Well I took the CSE on Thursday and I passed! Thank you Nanda for all of your help! I have to say, the test was pretty much what I expected it to be: very tricky questions and a few test subjects that I just couldn't account for. Overall I would say that the CSE is just as hard as the LARE multiple choices, if not harder, because it's just so difficult to study for. But good luck to those who take it in the future!

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Permalink Reply by Soo Wai-Kin on January 8, 2010 at 1:13pm

Mike,congrats on passing, i plan to take it in the next few months, what were the test subjects that you did not account for? Did all the tips on this discussion thus far covers the rest? Any tips will be helpful, thanks..

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Permalink Reply by Angelia Woodside on December 27, 2009 at 11:19am

Have you shopped the www.ppi2pass.com website?

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly True on December 27, 2009 at 11:35am

I was only able to find LARE resources on the PPI2pass website. From what I hear, you need to just be fresh on all of the LARE multiple choice stuff, know you plants, water conservation, and bring lots of common sense. I hear that there are things you just can't study for on the exam; you've either experienced it in practice or not. I hear there are questions regarding the agencies, CEQA/CCC/USACE jurisdictions on wetland work, BMP questions...the stuff Nanda posted and what Mike added seems to be good to skim. I'll know more tomorrow after I take the exam!!!