Re-marking of CLD exam?

[Sam_Sharp]

I'm asking on behalf of a colleague who I helped prepare for the CLD exam who has just had their result and unfortunately failed by just a few % - they scored exceptionally highly on the style/documentation but scored very poorly on the functionality.

From how they described how the exam went (obviously they didn't go into the specifics of the exam), it sounded like they had covered most of the functionality but that they had made a mistake on the display/formatting on the user interface.

My understanding is that the exams are mostly marked automatically - is there a possibility that because of some formatting errors on the user interface, it would cause other functionality to be missed/requirements to be marked as failed even though 'functionally' it works?

Obviously I don't know which paper they took and I don't know what the solution looked like, but I was pretty sure they should have passed so I wonder if a simple mistake could have caused them to lose a lot of marks for functionality? Is it worth them getting in touch with the certification team to review/re-mark the solution?

[crossrulz]

I don't think the functionality is automatically marked.  That is done by two people independently who then arguediscuss the results.  I have been told you are allowed to argue the result.  If they are that close, it might just be worth emailing certification@ni.com and ask for a conference on the exam and see if you can sqeak a few more points out of them.

[MrEF · Accepted solution]

For the functional portion of exams, we do grade demonstrated functionality only.  So if a formatting error prevents the functionality from showing up on the front panel, then very little functionality will be demonstrated and the functionality score will be low.  While this may undervalue some great programming, we've chosen this approach because it provides several benefits to candidates and the people who wish to hire them, including:   

• It helps keep our grading consistent across graders and across time (avoids variation due to the type of day the grader is having). 
• Mimics the demonstration phase of a project, where a boss or client has asked to see progress. 
• Demonstrates good practice, such as planning and prioritizing tasks, working modularly and testing regularly. 

This last is probably most important at the CLD level, which is the first level that certifies the candidate can independently plan, produce and deliver mid- to large-scale VIs. 

That said, crossrulz is correct, if there are concerns about the grading they are welcome to contact us at certification@ni.com.