Has anyone here taken the CLD exam?

[MrJimSmith]

Hi folks,

I recently passed my CLAD exam with a 92% so I am now looking to take the CLD exam. I was wondering if anyone here has taken the CLD as I am curious as to what kind of application you were required to create. I have seen the test example of the traffic signal VI and I'm hoping it will be something similar. I never like to asume anything however, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask the veterans.Thanks everyone!

Jim Smith

[J.C._Flores]

Hello Jim,

I remember taking the CLD exam towards the end of 2005 just as LabVIEW 8.0 made its debut to the world.  Luckily, I was able to take the test using LabVIEW 7.1.1 back then.  I recall thinking the traffic signal example wasn't nearly as complicated as the test problem was.  I don't recall the exact question I had.  It's probably a good thing since I probably shouldn't be divulging it anyway.    I think you're right in not assuming any level of simplicity.  I'd suggest be prepared to practice all aspects of good programming practice including: 1) good overall design, 2) expandable code design (i.e. states or cases), and 3) documentation.  I'm leaving a lot of stuff out I'm sure.  I do recall getting points knocked-off my style because I had all my labview objects "too tightly cramped together" (nevermind that you can easily expand on the block diagram).

Another suggestion: take a look at how NI advises on the programming style for LabVIEW code.  Since this is what they preach, I'm sure they'll use their own standard for grading your work.

Good luck!

-J.C..

[MrJimSmith]

I've been practicing with the Security System sample test that is posted on the NI website, and it is significantly harder than the Traffic Signal one. I can get it done in four hours, but just barely and only because I've done it a dozen times now and have the design memorized. I'm a bit worried what it will be like walking into a brand new application that I haven't done before, so I'm still looking for some additional examples to practice on so I can see how close I really am to being able to take it.

Also, what kind of time saving tips do you guys have?  I already use shortcuts like <ctrl>-dragging to dupicate controls and dragging typedefs directly from the project window. I try and document the typedefs as much as possible to reduce duplicating effort. I find I have some trouble getting the cursor to be what I want and invariably end up clicking on the tools pallete to get what I need. I enabled the old-school use of the space bar to select between the wiring tool and the positioning/resizing tool and that seems to help some too. Anything else I should be doing?

-- Jim