Sample Exam Solutions for Review

[kosist90]

Hello Bill,

thanks a lot!

I've downconverted VIs to LV2014, hopefully now you can also review the solution.

Sincerely, kosist90

[billko]

---

@dhendrix11 wrote:

One thing I'd like to add, although using a LV project is good programming practice, it is definitely not required for the CLD exam.  I did my CLD exam 3 weeks ago without using a project and passed easily.  There were no points taken off for not having a project.  Although it takes only a minute or two to create the project, it's a minute or two out of a timed test you're spending on an item that doesn't affect your score.  As long as you follow the folder hierarchy that's given to you just like in the examples, I believe you should be fine.

@billko wrote:

---

@shree_bala wrote:

Hi folks,

In less than a month, i am taking CLD exam. I did the car wash sample exam and it will be great helpful if you guys give me some review points and tips.

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,

Shree

---

I can't see your code because your version of LV is newer than mine, but I have to stress something very important here - this project MUST be in a LabVIEW project!  The problem with the examples are that this information is not included anywhere.   Get used to using one... NOW.

---

---

That's interesting.  They give you a ready-made project with auto-populating folders.  I wonder if, even if you didn't use the project, it auto-populated anyway?  Of course, it's just pure speculation because I've just looked through all the documentation I have on the CLD test, and nowhere does it talk about LabVIEW projects.  Not even in the prep pdf file, which really goes in-depth about stuff.

edit:

What I mean, in case it wasn't clear, was that you could definitely have a good argument!

[billko]

---

@kosist90 wrote:

Hello Bill,

thanks a lot!

I've downconverted VIs to LV2014, hopefully now you can also review the solution.

Sincerely, kosist90

---

Hey, thanks - I can review this now!  However, you've given such a detailed accounting of the practice exam that I really have nothing to add!

I'll just stress that straightening wires and providing a bit more documentation net you some easy points - low-hanging fruit, as it were.

[dhendrix11]

Maybe the CLA give a project file, but my CLD test did not have a project file, just a folder hierarchy like the sample exams.  

[dhendrix11]

---

I'll just stress that straightening wires and providing a bit more documentation net you some easy points - low-hanging fruit, as it were.

---

I agree with this.  I'm pretty OCD about straitening wires as best I can, but I still got docked some amount of points for bent wires.  Documentation should be the easiest to get the full score. 

[shree_bala]

Hi dhendrix11,

I saw your post saying that you recently took CLD exam and passed with a great score.

Congratulations!!!

Within a month i am going to take CLD, could you give me some tips? How about the exam whether it is more complex than sample exams?

Have a nice day!!!

Thanks & Regards,

Shree

[billko]

---

@dhendrix11 wrote:

Maybe the CLA give a project file, but my CLD test did not have a project file, just a folder hierarchy like the sample exams.  

---

That's very interesting.  I took mine three years ago and I could've sworn it came with a ready-made project.  I wonder if I'm just not recalling things correctly?

[dhendrix11]

Sure.  I thought the exam was marginally more complex than the sample exams, but it was very close.  I did use all of the time during the actual exam vs. completing early in most of the samples, probably since there was a tendency to double and triple check things.  If you're comfortable with the sample exams, you should be fine for the test.    Based on your program, I'd say just go through the other exams, cleaning up the items that kosist90 mentioned, and you should do fine.  

Practice reminding yourself that the program doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to meet the requirements.  There are definitely parts of the exam that, if I was writing it in a real work environment, I would have implemented a more elegant solution, but elegance tends to take more time.  Just figure there will be parts that you wouldn't normally be satisfied with that are ok for the test.  

As is mentioned often, documentation points are easy to get.  I'd pick a strategy for doing the documentation and practice that in the sample exams.  For example, I generally documented the code and SubVIs as I went, but did all the front panel tip strips and the like later on in one comprehensive action.  Any strategy can work, just decide how you want to do it so it's familiar in the test.  By the time you make it to the 4th sample exam, the whole process will likely feel routine.

I do wish I could review my exam program against the comments because some of the point deductions didn't make sense to me.  I suspect it's impossible not to get points deducted for "unnecessary" wire bends or wires overlapping.  I was pretty confident my program met the full functionality, but that's where 60% of my deductions were.  I thought the biggest difference in the exam vs the samples is that the exam had more functional permutations to check, so maybe writing down a testing matrix would have helped me track things more easily.  At the same time, since that's not something I practiced, it might have also slowed me down and gotten me too far off track.  

Hope that helps!

@shree_bala wrote:

Hi dhendrix11,

I saw your post saying that you recently took CLD exam and passed with a great score.

Congratulations!!!

Within a month i am going to take CLD, could you give me some tips? How about the exam whether it is more complex than sample exams?

Have a nice day!!!

Thanks & Regards,

Shree

[shree_bala]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for the comments and review for car wash sample exam.

Today i did the ATM machine. But i took extra 45 minutes to finish it completely. I have attached my solution, please review it.

I also saved in LV 2014 version.

Question:

When i use a reference to update/enable the FP control, should i need to close it?

Thanks & Regards,

Shree

[kosist90]

Hello shree_bala,

let me, please, write you couple comments regarding your solution:

1. You don't need to close FP controls' references. As for me, it's incorrect. You can check this one tutorial.
2. Again - it's not required to close "This VI" references.
3. For Main VI: it doesn't make sense to put everything inside Case Structure, with Error Cluster constant input. It's obvious, that you'll not have there error as input. So, this part you could skip, I guess...
4. For subVIs - try to put controls on the top-level of the block diagram. So, controls will not be inside structures (like you have control "Accounts data" inside of the Case Structure in CLD_CSV_Write.vi).
5. Some wires are bended.
6. Some small note: in CLD_check_User_Input.vi, you have passed error wire though the For Loop, and following case structure. In case, if you don't have there functions, which use error inputs/outputs, then just pass error wire outside thouse stuctures.
7. Quite interesting way to reinit string control to empty value 😃 I'd use just writing of empty string, not ReinitToDefault; but I can't tell, whether it's good or not so good...
8. CLD_Initialize.vi - better not to modify Error clusters names, it can confuse a bit. Also, a lot of bended wires there...
9. Regarding implementation itself - I'd use FGV with messages, and typedef enum selector of message text. Then, you can avoid using messages constants on the block diagram of the main application, but to keep everything inside one FGV.
10. Naming of subVIs - prefix "CLD_" better to change to "ATM_", b/c names should relate to application itself, as for me... Then also, subVIs icon text can contain ATM instead of CLD.
11. You don't have labels for wires inside of the While Loop in the main VI - maybe, it'd be better to add them.
12. I'd maybe add simple error handling for subVIs, which read/write from user accounts files. What will happen, if file will not exist?

Sincerely, kosist90