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#2
07-20-2011, 05:28 PM
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I haven't heard of one, but here's the short version in bullets
- Appeals is not your opportunity to retake the exam. You cannot change answers but can clarify ambiguous answers if those answers were correct but not totally clear. So don't waste time by reworking any problems or questions. Use your time for review and clarification. - It is an opportunity to justify answers marked wrong which you believe to be correct. In order to be successful, support your answers with specific references to laws or commonly accepted texts on survey procedure. - It is your opportunity to determine where your weak areas are so that you can either devote extra effort to those areas if you will be taking the exam again; or to devote more effort if they are areas which will be included in your practice; or if they are areas which will not form part of your practice and you are otherwise successful in your appeal, you will know the areas outside of your competence so that you can avoid them in your practice until such time that you do become competent in them. - Do not demean the graders. Some of the appeals team may have also been on the grading team. All have been on grading teams in the past. It's difficult to give an examinee any creedence when their justification is that they got the question wrong because "the grader was an idiot". You may laugh, but that seems to have been some examinees' appeals strategy in the past. - Take your time. You have 8 hours. Use it to become familiar with the topics you clearly missed so that you can focus future studying. Also use it to research the support for your answers in order to provide strong backup for answers marked wrong that you believe to be correct. - Make sure that the support you use is in context. Sometimes a sentence or two pulled out of a reference may appear to support your position, but when read in full context, the passage is shown to describe an exception which is valid only under specific circumstances. Ensure that your application works with the facts given in the problem. - Don't argue an answer based only upon your understandings and experience. Back up ALL arguments with appropriate reference to law or text. A few years back, one examinee got a question wrong because he didn't fully understand what may or may not be a valid monument. In his appeal, he pretty much called the grading team idiots because they used a particular object as a valid monument and he insisted that it clearly wasn't. If that person had checked the appropriate reference rather than answering and arguing on his own misguided understanding, he would have found a section specifically addressing the matter, might have got the question right, and might have learned something in the process. Given the attitude, that person may have just failed the exam again. - Check each and every answer marked wrong. On very rare occasion, the graders just blow it. Each problem of each exam is initially graded independently by two LSs of that problem's grading team. In case of disagreement, a 3rd may look at it. Every once in a while, the first 2 to look at it each make the same fat-finger mistake and each inadvertently mark an answer wrong that each would call correct if given a second look. The process is set up to minimize such occurrences, but they do happen. - If you know the areas where you lost points, take the time between now and the appeals date to go through the applicable reference material, and if you haven't already, highlight pertinent sections and mark them with those little plastic Post-it tags so that you don't waste time trying to find something you remember reading in one of those chapters somewhere. - Get plenty of rest the night before. And lastly, although it may seem like a stretch of logic to you now, barely missing the cutscore may actually be a stroke of luck as compared to barely making it over. By failing the exam but being close enough to qualify to appeal, you have the opportunity to see the areas in which you were weak, which are the areas that deserve greater attention whether your appeal is succesful or not. Those who passed, whether they got nearly all available points (known as the "clearly competent") or met or just barely cleared the cut score (the "only just competent" on the day of the exam), don't get any information indicating where they did well or where they did poorly. Many pass the exam, but if the truth were given to them, they'd find that they may be completely incompetent in the subject matter of one or possibly two of the problems, or that they barely got just over half the points across the board. Going through appeals has the potential to enable you or guide you to become a significantly better surveyor than one who barely passed and decides to now stop studying. Whether successful or not, make the best of the opportunity. With the focus that an appeals review can give as to areas of future study, if not successful this year, you should be able to pass with very little difficulty next time. Good luck.
__________________
Evan Page, PLS Last edited by E_Page : 07-20-2011 at 05:45 PM. 
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#3
07-21-2011, 07:21 AM
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Evan,
Thanks for the excellent advice! I have seven points to make up and would very much like to do exactly that; However, your last point is well taken. I am looking forward to appeal/review process both for insight into the exam process as well as my own weakness in certain areas. I was not able to complete the exam so I won't be able to take a complete measure of my skills in all of the subject matter that was covered. Speaking again to your last point, It certainly would shed a different light on examinees to require a complete exam in whatever time it takes, say a six hour session, rather than a 4 hour sprint. That is a another discussion and I'm sure this forum is packed with threads on that issue. Thanks again for taking some time and your for words of wisdom!
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#4
07-21-2011, 09:59 AM
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LS Appeal Strategy Mini-Seminar (San Diego) Wed, August 3rd
Mark your calendars for Wed, August 3rd in San Diego (Place to be determined, dependant upon how many appeal candidates confirm).
Date: Wed, August 3rd Time: 5 pm (Estimated 3-4 hours long) Place: (T.B.D.) San Diego Cost: Free to current paid CLSA Members. Become a member today. I have scheduled this Appeal strategy session for your opportunity to potentially pass on Appeal. For those of you who are 1 point short, or 20+ points short, this mini-seminar is a great chance for you to hear various ideas and methods used in the past to allow the best possible chance for you to pass on Appeal. We have had this appeal session for the last 2 years here in San Diego, and have had great success in the appeal results. This is "Free" to current paid CLSA Members, so if not a member....then please sign up today at your local chapter. Contact your local chapter for further information. San Diego Chapter Online Application; http://www.sd-surveyors.org/Application/index.php For those of you considering appealing, DO NOT WAIT. As soon as you receive the appeal envelope, immediately send your payment and form to the address provided, to assure you are signed up for the upcoming appeal session in August. Pay the fee with no hesitation. Its well worth your time to view the test and how its graded. Please contact me today for confirmation of attendance, or if you have any questions about the Strategic Mini-Seminar being held in San Diego. Sincerely, Justin S. Pallamary, PLS ls.seminars@gmail.com justinpallamary@earthlink.net ALSO - Please note that Sacramento Chapter will also be holding an Appeal Seminar too, so please stay tuned for the date and time for their Seminar. Last edited by mi_amor : 07-21-2011 at 10:26 AM.
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#6
07-23-2011, 03:48 PM
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Sacramento area LS Appeal and Exam Strategy seminar 6:00 PM, 8/3/11. Round Table Pizza, 3005 Freeport Blvd # A, Sacramento, CA 95818. Provided as a benefit to our future Land Surveyors from the Sacramento CLSA Chapter - Show up and participate, and you might get some pizza also...
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#8
07-27-2011, 10:51 AM
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San Diego Appeal Seminar Date/Time/Place Confirmed
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Nasland Engineering 4740 Ruffner Street San Diego, Ca. 5 pm till 8:30 +/- I strongly urge you to attend this seminar, no matter how many points you need, you will benefit greatly. Please contact Justin S. Pallamary for information and confirmation. justinpallamary@earthlink.net ls.seminars@gmail.com 858-717-6112
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