Sign Me Up, Cap’n

After taking a break from thinking about the CAE, it has re-entered my brain and now I recognize the time is right to give this sucker another shot.

Here we go again!

From Failure to…huh?

It has taken me a while to get back to this blog.  Because words can’t do me justice right now, I will instead post two pictures.

CAE Exam Results

I paid to have the test hand scored and the results were the same. While I was waiting to have the test hand-scored,

What I felt like.

 I waited to post the results – hoping they would be different once I received the official verdict.

I want to give up, but I won’t.

Instead, I have decided to be the most well-known CAE “loser” ASAE has ever seen and when I finally pass the sucker, I will know all the secrets to what works and doesn’t work for hardworking association execs who haven’t taken tests in years!

I am quietly attempting another exam…I swore I wouldn’t try again if all my work didn’t lead me to pass, but now it is my Challenge.

My Challenge.

My Challenge.

Wish me luck.

This week I am studying Domain 4: Knowledge Management.

Fabulous or Flawed? In Seven Weeks We Will Know

So after a long (too long) absence from posting to this blog, and after completing the CAE Examination on May 7, 2010, I can tell you a few things for certain:

1. CAE preparation is worth the effort for all the knowledge gained
2. Most people should use a weekly study group (or two) to keep learning focused
3. My biggest problem after this test still seemed to be deciding between two possible choices – test taking skills are important to develop before the exam!

How was the test different from the previous exam? Maybe it was just me, but the questions seemed a tad shorter. When I took the exam in December (and failed), I think that many questions took longer to read. This time, it seemed the questions were 2-3 sentences long and generally easier to comprehend.

Ironically, I took longer with this test than the first time. I paced myself by marking where I needed to be at the end of each 30 minute interval, and tracked in my test booklet the questions I was uncertain about.  I then went back and one-by-one read them carefully and tried to again answer the best I could. I narrowed the uncertain category from 40 to 32 questions with this step.

ADDIE, SPIE, LERP, …MMR…and all the other mneumonic devices I used were already burned in my brain. I didn’t need to write them down. They are embedded forever.

The PAC rules were important to know, but there was not as much about the PACs as I had remembered there being from before. In fact, I may have only run across 3 questions about PACs and maybe 3 questions about anti-trust issues.

I wish there were a way to get bonus points – like a sheet of paper I could fill up with all the knowledge I picked up that wasn’t on the test. Shouldn’t it count for something that you know the least acceptable dimensions for an office space or legal issues that affect associations like the Sarbannes-Oxley or the Sherman Act?

At any rate, I did it. I took the exam. I tried hard to pass. I studied as much as I could while still living my life. In about eight  weeks (are we at 7 now?) I will find out if it was enough. But one thing I know for sure…I know I have my flaws, but I’ve earned the right to call myself “fabulous” (at least for a little while) because I worked really hard to prove that I deserve to have “CAE” placed after my name in my signature line – whether that actually happens or not.

Random CAE Question

CAE Question: Which amount is the most a 501(c)(3) assn w/ $3M budget could spend on lobbying & qualify under the “insubstantial” rule? I guessed $150K (because assns can spend up to 5% of budget & be “insubstantial” – but answer key says I’m wrong. Help?

Fabulous Check-In

It has been quite a while since this journey began and I started studying (again) for the CAE exam.

Since my last entry, I’ve discovered some things about myself, my learning style, and about the path to being a CAE.

1. If you read every book on the suggested reading list, it won’t be enough. Preparation for this test is part reading, part experience with a base of test taking know-how. Practicing critical thinking and pacing yourself, allowing yourself the time to think through the questions before answering, these are the important things to remember before taking the exam.

2. Discussion from a study partner or group is indispensable. Indispensable.

3. Don’t forget to thank your support team. Everyone helping you to study, find time to study, or just to remember that you are doing a good job.

I’ve been meeting every Monday with my test taking partner, Sima, and trying to make my Tuesday night virtual group work for me. The Tuesday night group meets at 8 pm and I am having trouble staying online the whole time. My daughter keeps throwing tantrums and coming into the room…I’m thinking of trying to go to a Starbucks this Tuesday so I can engage more with the group better.

Do I feel ready? I’m not ready yet, but I’m beginning to recognize answers based on conversations I’ve had before which I’m taking as a good sign.

Anyone out there want to share your own experiences?

Down the CAE Rabbit Hole

Alice: But I don’t want to go among mad people.
The Cat: Oh, you can’t help that. We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.
Alice: How do you know I’m mad?
The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn’t have come here.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

By Lewis Carroll

One could argue that I am mad.

I have a full-time job. I have a two-year-old whirlwind who wears bows and dances to Lady Gaga. I have a freelancing job that I work at on the weekends. I have a husband who actually wants to spend time with me.  Why would I need the CAE?  How will I find time to study?  Why now?

After trying (and failing) for the CAE before, has this first 37 Days since deciding to try again made me Fabulous?

No.

Not yet.

But I’m getting closer.

Last night I met with one of my study partners, Sima, at a Starbucks in Springfield, Virginia, and we spent two hours taking a practice exam and talking through each one of the questions. We only made it through 52 questions before calling it a night, but I learned, once again, how valuable and necessary a study group is. Even after taking the Immersion Course, passing the test is more than attending a class and a memorization of facts. It is knowing things like UBIT, anti-trust, governance, and higher-level reasoning frontwards and backwards.  It is practicing endurance during test-taking, and learning how to force through question fatigue and dissect every question into manageable parts. In short, printing out a list of helpful mnemonics and definitions to study will only help you pass the exam if you have already done much reading and reasoning to prepare.

Last night was the first time I met Sima in person and she is incredibly smart and well-organized. We decided we would continue to meet weekly to go over possible test questions for each domain and I offered I would try to get a few of the Immersion instructors to visit our group before the test.

Regarding studying with another person (or people):

It was hard for me to allow myself to show what I didn’t know to a virtual stranger.  I have always been a more independent kind of student who tried to learn as much as I could “behind-the-scenes” so I wouldn’t have to show my areas of weakness to anyone.  Better yet, I want to always have a sprezzatura way of getting things done.  But sitting with Sima, we broke right through that almost immediately by launching into the test at her suggestion. She is a no-nonsense kind of person who is also very quick to laugh and smile.  Perfect for a study partner!  My message from this is: Get over yourself and be humble in your quest for knowledge. Your pride might hurt from exposing weaknesses, but it will hurt much worse to not pass the exam. Plus, you will never force yourself to do your studies the right way. This process is good for you as a human being.

Tonight I meet with my study group from the Immersion Course. Our first meeting is to go over our study plan – which domains we will cover each week (they’ve been assigned, but we haven’t established the order yet) – and I am excited to see how that will work.

I will also be using today to solidify my virtual study group plans, so more news will come out about that later.  I am hoping to have something available online for busy people like me who need a virtual spot to study (and I need all the studying I can get).

So, madness? Yes, maybe I am a little mad to be so crazily enmeshed in this CAE process. But it’s a good kind of madness.

We’re all mad here.

Day 2 Bugaloo

If you are going to take the CAE, you should take the Immersion Course if at all possible. In fact, after attending Day 1 of the course, I can say that taking it is a good idea even if you are not planning to sit for the CAE.

Why? Because ASAE & the Center have put together a meaty program that allows association staffers to learn how to think through scenarios that really do happen in the association world, taking financial and political impact into consideration based on laws and best practices.

I was flattered when several people who read one or all of my blogs approached me throughout the day. Also, several ASAE folks remembered me and talked to me for awhile and that really helped to make me feel special.

Here are some images from the day!

Day 2 Immersion Course

The threat of winter weather couldn’t keep me away from the second day of class.

Day 1 Immersion

I am super excited to be heading off to the CAE Immersion Course today! This is Day 1 of the class and my hopes are high. I’m probably going to try to get some interviews with people in the class so I can share with all of you what it is like to be there. I feel so fortunate that my employer is paying so I can go! Hooray for DelCor!!!

I want to bring every book with me, but I’m not until I see how thing play out today…eek! I’m so nervous!!! And excited!

Here is what I am bringing with me:
1. My Livescribe pen so I can record and take notes to review at the same time.
2. My laptop…because it’s tethered to my soul.
3. My iPhone…see reason in #2 above.
4. Metro card because Metro is the cheapest and easiest way to get to ASAE.
5. My super cool tip about a flashcard iPhone app to help my fellow students study later. (I’ll link to the info when I edit this post later…I’m typing on my iPhone at present.)

Wish me luck!!

Day 20: I’ll Be in the CAE Immersion Course!

This is Day 20 of my original 37 days to get right with the CAE and I am happy to announce that it will be around Day 34 when I am sitting in the CAE Immersion Course and learning from the experts.

That’s right! You are reading the blog of a CAE candidate who will be studying in the next CAE Immersion Course taking place February 24-26! DelCor Technology Solutions, my employer, has graciously offered me the chance to take this course and rock the CAE exam in May.

Of course, if you have been following this blog, you know how much this means to me and how big of a help this will be. Not only will it help me to focus my studies, but it will also provide me with a sense of security since I won’t constantly be questioning if I am doing enough to prepare. I am going to be such a dork in there…I wonder if anyone in the class will be as giddy to be there as I will be? Again, let this be a lesson that we are more appreciative when we have to work for things than when they are given easily. I had no idea if I’d be able to attend, but I will be there with bells on, my friends, and I am happy, happy, happy to say that!

Also, along with my study companions who have already reached out to me, I will meet other people taking the course who wish to study together…this is HUGE since everyone seems to agree that it is the collaboration with others that really helps one prepare for the exam the best! 

I have learned so much during this process and I am happy I created this blog. I have found ways to successfully study. I have made preparations to make sure I have time to study. I have purchased the reading materials I didn’t have during the last go around. I have garnered the support of the community. I have made connections with people I’d never even met before… word cannot express the gratitude I have for all of you who have read and offered up your kind words to me along the way.

But we aren’t finished yet! This sucker isn’t finished until I have the letters “CAE” after my name. Please continue to send me your tips and advice. I take every message and comment seriously and I appreciate them all!

Tonight I will raise my coffee mug to DelCor for giving me the opportunity to take this Course.

Also, I would like to send a very special thank you out to Cynthia D’Amour who is a mentor, friend, and who was willing to help me find a way to take this Course…even if she had to fund it herself! She’s amazing!