Is CLARB’s redline review really worth it?

[Anonymous]

Read: Andrew G on December 3, 2010 at 4:58am

[Sherry Alexander]

I asked CLARB why they couldn’t simply scan the 11 x 17 redlines and have them available for viewing at a Prometric Test Center for ONE hour. It would save a lot of driving time for those of us many hours away from the venues where we can view the hard copies. CLARB answered that they are not going to change their methods now, and there will not be any redline reviews available for the June 2012 Sections C or E. This is disturbing because as others have commented, upon reviewing redlines some candidates have appealed the failing grade and ended up receiving a passing score. I’ve heard a lot of stories positive and negative about redlines.

[John Palisin]

I didn’t view my redlines in protest to the $100 charge to see an exam that was graded per my oringinal HIGH fee. But, in retrospect I would say it’s worth it. The person(s) garding the graphic exam may have made a mistake.

[MLCC]

That is a really great suggestion Sherry. It doesn’t surprise me in the LEAST that CLARB refuses. It’s funny how they will not “change their methods” for the redlines procedure yet they had no problem changing their method for the test, which jerks candidates around and charges them higher fees. Very funny, that is.

BTW, I went to the CLARB facebook page to see what other questions/ discussions have been posted recently, and the site has been removed. I wonder why…..?

[Tosh K]

The AREs ($210×7=1470) cost about the same as the LAREs ($1526) provided you don’t register late.  And while the PE is cheaper ($200~$300), it’s an open book exam and the books you need are not even close to ours in cost when you add them up; the prep courses are in the thousands of dollars as well. 

Considering how few LA candidates there are, I don’t think it’s that bad.  The alternative is to jack up the license fees and try to have CLARB forward the costs on, which is more administration and presumably more cost.  Just be thankful some of the costs are covered with volunteer time by dedicated licensed professional on our boards, otherwise it would be more.  We just need to learn to get our clients to appreciate what it takes to get licensed and why our knowledge/skill should cost more to them…

[temp impact]

I passed A,B, C & E. I got married, and was out of the country twice within 6 months, in between exams. By the time I found out about this change it was too late for me to register for D. A week before the next Section I found out, and D Mr. Penrod told me that he would allow me to register, and that I should take my chances… 
I have all the documentation I need to prove my situation. CLARB never contacted me (in any form) about the changes. CLARB never sent anything in the mail, nor did they make phone calls. According to Mr. Penrod and Ms. Meadows “it wasn’t feasible do contact candidates through these forms of communication.” They said email was used, I was not a part of their email list. The sent twitter and facebook announcements, but I have neither, and it is not a CLARB requirement to have accounts with these websites.
Now they just offered a buy 1 get 1 free deal for the December exam for people in my situation. Meanwhile I have my first baby due in October, which means I will not have time to study. Also, my wife lost her job, so we don’t have the money to pay.
Everyone should know the games and politics that CLARB plays. For the rest of my life I will fight against this organization until they are set straight. They are thieves with political ties. Well, I have some friends in politics, and they pissed-off the wrong person. I will never let them live this down. Everyone should know the mistakes that they have made, and the situation they put me in. The refuse to hear my case. By keeping things secret until the last minute the cost candidates money and, most important, time. The people who run this program have no respect for their candidates. …And don’t fool yourselves, CLARB works with ASLA and Landscape Architecture Magazine. They own the organizations that are supposed to represent candidates and professionals. They control the media that reports to our profession. No one deserves to be treated with the same disrespect that I received. I will try my hardest to let everyone know about my story.
We need to get together to share these stories and keep these money grubbing organizations in check. So, now I have twitter and facebook. I will be setting up more accounts to discuss the situation, but for now search for tempimpact if you wish. Future developments will follow.

[Author]

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