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CSWP Test very off base in my opinion 11

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TitaniumLeg

TitaniumLeg

Industrial
Jan 23, 2007
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I took the CSWP test and I was disappointed in the overall format. I have never used the default SW hotkeys so why would I know what hotkeys do what (multiple choice). Can you use the flex and deform commands on the same part? No idea, never used either one. Never got to the assembly or drawing parts because I spent a bunch of time on a SW provided model to fix and the model was corrupted, even the instructor could not fix it. I got the actual modeling parts perfect and the assy and drawing sections would not have been an issue if there would have been time to do them. Seems to me that the test should be two different tests. One directed toward someone who primarily does industrial design (consumer products) and one directed towards mechanical design (building machines). I have been using SW for over 3 years on a daily basis and can usually do whatever needs to be done without issues. I am a mechanical designer and will probably never change fields to building telephones and toilets. In fact, I think it would be a better description of your skills to be able to be certified in different fields of SW expertise (sheetmetal, molds/dies, weldments, mechanical design, industrial design, etc.) I believe that there are many people out there that have a very focused line of work and those people should be able to be certified for those fields. Some things do cross over, like assembly modeling and drawings. Those are things that would be common to all tests. The way it stands now is someone who has no idea how to make a weldment could easily pass the test if they know other aspects of SW.

Did I fail - Yep, I sure did ($300 bucks down the drain). Honestly I not complaining because I failed but now that I have taken it, I do not believe that it is a good meausre of someones SW actual skills. It's just too broad. Maybe there could also be a CSWPM (Certified Solidworks Professional Master) for those people who work with all the aspects and functionality of SW.

Comments welcome....
 
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MadMango makes a great point

"I agree (to a point) that it would be nice to have more specific certifications available that were geared towards specific industries. The downside is that these specific certifications would do nothing but place limits on you as a perspective employee."
 
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Tick,

I think if you go through your VAR I think that's possible, but in all honesty I don't know for sure, because that's not my field here. If you contact your Sales Manager they can tell you for sure.

But if you do it on your own your not locked into it such a deal as far as I know. I know when I took mine, if I had failed it would have been $500 down the drain. You are required to get an 80% to pass. I managed to get by with a 90 I think and was the 2nd one to leave early form the 8 hours we are given to take the test.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
faq731-376
 
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Tick,
If you can, then I got screwed...sort of. I had to take the test twice to pass and had to pay both times. Granted, my second time I paid only a portion of the full price, but I did have to pay. Thankfully, I passed the second time even though I don't use all of the functionality in SW. As someone stated (Scott?), I'm just familiar with it. If you focus strictly on one aspect of SW, I think you're doing yourself a disservice. The more you know, the more valuable you become.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP2.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M
 
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Guess I feel compelled to "chime in" on this one. I haven't sat for the CSWP and probably never will, but I have sat for the PE (Professional Engineers) exam. I must say that it is, in fact, discipline specific. I took the mechanical engineers version. So, what did I have to know?

Fluid mechanics, heat transfer, dynamics, materials, machinery...a few other categories many of which I hadn't used in my career up to that point and some of which I STILL haven't used, but as a consultant, I better be prepared to use them if necessary.

How would you break out the exam so that it is still universally useful? Part modelers need to know assemblies. Sheet metal probably needs to know weldments. At best, I see two exams, so what's the point? If I'm SW, I don't make an exam that targets a specific industry...it's too expensive to build more than a few tests...especially considering the limited number of people that take it each year.

The CSWP is for the "best of the best" when it comes to using SW. SW doesn't care if that means they can't perform in a specific environment...their business is software!

[insert remaining rant here]
 
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Flores, I agree.
"Professional" just means you get paid for what you do.
I do hope to someday get my CSWU (user), if my company will pay for it.

Chris
SolidWorks 06 5.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 02-10-07)
 
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Well, I guess this subject generated much more interest and heat for that matter than I expected. I do appreciate everyones opinion and I do mean everyone. I will be taking the test again later this year after some more studying on the areas that I was unfamiliar with and see how the next time plays out.

Thanks again for all of the input....:)

Side note for "TheTick"
Do you happen to play Battlefield 2142 online? There was someone on there the other night with the name "TheTick69"
 
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Titanium good luck to you on the test.

To answer somebody's question about paying for the exam again. I know with my VAR they offer a one day prep course for something like $800 and this includes the test fee. If you take the prep couse and fail, you do not have to pay to retake the test again for something like a year.
This is part of their quarantee that you will pass the test by taking their course.

Now I am sure that they teach strictly for the test so your odds off passing are pretty good and I think you take the test the next day.

Nobody ever answered my questions if the weldments and routing were on the test. Titanium, maybe you can help me out on that one.

Zuccus
 
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For what it's worth, I took the CSWP test in New Orleans a couple weeks ago and unfortunately, I didn't pass either. I actually just missed it by a few points and I was very bummed. [sadeyes]

But from my experience, I have been involved with SolidWorks for about 4 years and my main duty where I work is to write the standards for using it and to teach people how to apply it. So basically I'm pretty much required to know the answer when asked a question about the software.

Taking the test was not the main forcus for me. I knew there were many areas that I did not know in SolidWorks so I worked my buns off for 3 months straight, putting in many hours to study the things I knew I didn't know. And to be perfectly honest, that was the best thing I could possibly have done. I've learned so much about the software in that short amount of time and I can honestly say that even though I didn't pass, I can still bring something back with me and help the people who I care about helping.

It was all a personal goal for me. At least I know that I had the passion and ability to study as hard as I did and retain what I learned to get myself to a level of knowledge that I wasn't even sure I could have. Passing was very important to me too but learning from this test was even more important and hopefully many others who take this test would see it that way as well, I agree...it was a huge learning experience. But everyone has their own goals so to each their own.

In all honesty, good luck with your retake. I will also be retaking it as soon as I can!
 
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ZUCCUS - I do not recall any questions related to weldments or routing.

SMCADMAN - Sorry I do not know my K/D ratio at the moment. My handle is Body-Bagger and am currently a Sgt. Silver
 
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I did the CSWP Exam. The first thing I did was talk to my VAR to see what I was in for. I got some very useful information from them on what to expect. Another thing that I found useful was the CSWP Prep Exam from i.get.it. With some research, studying and practice I was able to pass the Exam my first time. I feel that my VAR are a good source for information when it comes to Exam.

Cheers,

Ralph Wright, CSWP
SolidWorks 2005, SP5.0
Intel Pentium D, 3.2Ghz
2.0Gb RAM
nVidia Quadro Fx 1300 Card
Microsoft Windows XP Pro

 
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TitaniumLeg I feel compelled to give you a star
star.gif
for taking all these constructive opinions. Stick around you may learn a thing or two from the smart guys here....I know I have. [smile]

Best Regards,

Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SWx 2007 SP 2.0 & Pro/E 2001
Dell Precision 370
P4 3.6 GHz, 1GB RAM
XP Pro SP2.0
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400
o
_`\(,_
(_)/ (_)

(In reference to David Beckham) "He can't kick with his left foot, he can't tackle, he can't head the ball and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that, he'
 
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Heckler,

On a totally off-subject post ... what is your little figure supposed to be? And is your Beckham post supposed to cut off in mid-sentence?

Patricia Lougheed

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.
 
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