L.A.R.E. Section B Exam.

[Jeffrey Trojanowski,]

I am at a loss.  Does anyone have any insight to the Section B exam through CLARB who has passed?  I know that this time, 68% of you passed.  This is my Achilles heel.  I have just failed my 6th time (2222).  All I need is this test all of the other ones were passable, but I cannot wrap my head around this one.

[Wyatt Thompson, PLA]

Hey Jeffrey. I’m sorry that this section has been so frustrating for you. Hopefully you can find some strategies here that will help. I did find the topics covered and the way questions were worded to be pretty bizarre. Thankfully I passed, but if I had to take it again, I would download the test description from CLARB and go point-by-point through that list and make sure I had studied everything on those topics from the new book list, as well as the older, longer book list. I recall several questions that were not covered at all by the books on the short list, but were mentioned on the test description and discussed in books on the old list.

I’m sure you read the 4 books on CLARB’s latest recommended reading list. I read them cover to cover and made notecards over anything I thought might remotely be important. I’m pretty certain that the test takes questions verbatim from the texts, asking you to recall lists of characteristics or items. I also read various sections from other books: Site Planning by Lynch and Hack and Time Saver Standards were ones I remember being most useful. There are study materials available at the LARE Exam Google Group, although much of section B material is old and includes questions about things you won’t be tested over.

I also purchased CLARB’s practice test. I’ve heard various opinions about the practice exams, but I found it helpful. This was my first time taking an MC exam and I thought the practice helped familiarize me with the types of questions I’d see as well as identified some blindspot topics that I’d missed studying. I don’t remember if any of those subjects were on the actual test, but I felt more confident after reviewing them.

During the test I made mental notes to myself about difficult questions or topics that seemed less familiar, on the chance I would need to retake. Maybe you did something similar and can emphasize those topics in your studying. Maybe if there is a specific category of information you’re messing up on, you could post some specific questions here, on the LARE Anthing Goes group, or at Google Groups. I’m not sure what strategies you used to study for Sections A and D, but maybe there was something you did then that you’re not doing now.

I hope others will share their insights as well, and you can get this section behind you on the next go-round. Good luck!
Wyatt

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