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You have made a major decision to become certified. It is not only recognition by your peers but should also be recognized by your employer. The question is: "How do I get ready for the examination?" You have been working as a cost engineer but like many of your peers, particularly those working for a large company, you have become specialized. You have obtained information for the exam. A list of exam topics indicates that you must know more than what your present job entails. If the material is not new, it may have been covered in your college courses, but it has been some time since you studied that material. The idea of certification is that you must be knowledgeable in all aspects of cost engineering. What should you do now? You should take the outline and designate those items that you know well. This material will require only a cursory review probably a short time before the exam. The remainder of the material ought to be divided in two: the material that has been covered in your college class or in a continuing education course and a second category of new material. At this point, it is important to take stock of how best you learn or relearn new skills, ideas, etc. Some of us learn easily on an individual basis with a text and sample problems. Others learn best through a formal education program or short course. For this group the skills seminar offered each year at the annual meeting and during the month of January, ought to be investigated. A third group learns best in a small group where there is a lot of give-and-take and an opportunity to ask and answer questions. This introspection and evaluation period when you decide how best you learn is very important. This can save you time and, probably, money because you can then plan your study campaign. At this point, you should consult the "Required Skills and Knowledge of a Cost Engineer." Although not divided in exactly the same way as the outline for the exam, the material is all there. This information can help you focus on what must be learned. There are literally hundreds of specialized seminars available to cover the various parts of the
examination. If your employer will support this effort or you are willing to personally pay for the seminar, you can get some concentrated learning. The local university or college may have a course in a particular subject that you need. The two-day AACE skills seminar (referred to earlier) does not cover all the subjects; there is not time in a two-day seminar, but it will help you with some subjects and will also help you to plan for further study in areas in which you feel weak. A number of the local sections have arranged tutoring sessions for those members interested in certifying. The tutors are CCCs, CCE or someone expert in a particular area. Others have arranged study sessions with all candidates together with an instructor. Some sections have formal courses for those preparing for the exam. You need to investigate your local area and your section to find the mechanism that is best for you. If there is much material in your "new" category, this ought to be attacked first. This allows for some absorption time before you take the exam. Obviously, you ought to set a date for taking the exam as soon as you have put the material in the three categories of "new, relearn, and know." Don't say that you will take the exam when you have finished studying; that won't get the job done. Set a date and plan your studying accordingly. A PERT, CPM, or precedence diagram serves a very useful purpose as part of your planning. As we all know the diagram may be modified but you won't be prepared unless you set a goal.
AACE INTERNATIONAL RECOMMENDED PRACTICE NO. 11R-88 REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE OF A COST ENGINEER
Prepared by the AACE Education Board; January 1999
SECTION 1 -- SUPPORTING SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE Engineering Economics Terminology Computers Statistics and Probability Optimization Productivity Management Human Relations-Behavioral Science Organizational Structures Measurements SECTION II -- COST ESTIMATING Estimating Basics Contractor's Costs Owners Costs SECTION III -- COST CONTROL Work Breakdown Structure and Code of Accounts Earned Value (also Achieved and Accomplished Value) Key Cost Control Techniques SECTION IV -- PLANNING AND SCHEDULING Planning Basics Scheduling Basics Schedule Control SECTION V -- CONTRACT MANAGEMENT Contracting Arrangement Contract Administration SECTION VI -- ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND BUSINESS PLANNING Budgeting and Cash Flow Value Engineering
Recognizing that there are many fields of interest within the profession -- Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing, Process, Mining, Utilities, Transportation, Aerospace, Environmental and Government - you can expect questions in any of these settings. However, as a practical matter, no one is expected to be conversant in all areas and the exam is designed to take this into account through its multiple option format and extensive use of questions of general applicability. Part I of the exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. Parts II, III and IV consist of two sections each. The first section has five compound questions which contain 7 multiple-choice questions each. You will choose to answer only TWO of these compound questions, resulting in answering only 14 multiple-choice questions for the first section of each part. The second section of each part consists of 20 multiple choice questions of which all must be answered. (Sample questions attached) Preparation Guidance
To assist in your preparation for the exam, you should study the list of the Required Skills and Knowledge of a Cost Engineer since it outlines much of what you need to know. You also have a number of other options. There are training workshops: In conjunction with the AACE Annual Meeting, a Foundations for Enhancing Competency in Cost Engineering seminar is held. This is one of several continuing education courses available at extra cost in conjunction with the annual meeting. This seminar is also offered in January each year at a different location. At most annual meetings there is a Skills and Knowledge track within the Technical Program on basic or advanced subjects in Cost Engineering. A typical track consists of 12-17 one-hour blocks of instruction. Attendance at any or all of these sessions is open to any meeting registrant. Specific subjects are listed on the Technical Program and described in its accompanying book of abstracts issued before each annual meeting. A number of local sections of AACE sponsor formal workshops on Cost Engineering, some specifically intended to assist candidates in exam preparation. If your section does not have such a workshop, start the ball rolling. Even if no formal workshop is available, consider a "bootstrap" style workshop wherein you and other candidates meet regularly to teach each other. Then there are written reference materials. The following two publications are most recommended - all are available from AACE. AACE International Certification Study Guide, 2nd edition. and Skills and Knowledge of Cost Engineering, 4th edition. The following publications are also recommended: Jelen's Cost and Optimization Engineering, 3rd edition and Project Management: A Reference for Professionals, written by R. Kimmons and J. Lowree There are many other publications on the market that can prove helpful also. You can find many of these by visiting AACE's website bookstore. The Professional Paper The professional paper, a pass/fail component submitted as half of the examination, must be of a quality suitable for presentation at an AACE annual, regional or section meeting; or acceptable for publication in Cost Engineering magazine. You may be able to submit a recently published article for which you were the primary author also. Now for specific guidance: A common mistake among inexperienced writers is to choose too broad a subject area. A paper of 2500 words minimum is not that long. So, chose a narrow topic area and give it good coverage. If the paper involves a subject requiring employer review and approval, make certain your bosses know you intend to write on the subject and get their blessing up front so you won't waste time. Unless you are an experienced writer, you will need to allow considerable time to develop your subject into a polished document - a good rule-of-thumb is to make a rough estimate of the time you think you will need and multiply by three. Think about your paper when you're playing golf, traveling or otherwise have time just to think. You'll be surprised how ideas suddenly come to you. But, make certain you have some means to jot those ideas down before you forget them. You should expect to go through several drafts before the final one. If you or your typist have access to a modern word processor, this process will be greatly simplified. After you complete each draft, set it aside for a couple days, then come back and review it to see if it makes sense and further refine it. Keep a copy of the latest draft in your briefcase so you can review it when traveling or at other opportune times. Of course, it is always helpful to get an outside opinion or two on the paper both for content and presentation. Most guide books on writing will tell you to outline your subject and then expand from the outline. This is fine, but often leads to "writer's block" since the writer feels compelled to write the abstract, introduction, main body, etc. in sequence and can't find the words to get started. some authors, having faced this situation, have found that the best way to get going is to start the paper anywhere you feel comfortable, usually somewhere in the main body, and work from there. Initially, you don't even need to document your thoughts in any logical sequence - just write them down as they come to you. With modern word processors you can readily organize, add, delete, and move text around to provide orderly coverage. Using this approach, you will probably find that your paper evolves to be somewhat different than originally planned. This leads to the last bit of advice - wait until the main body is complete before writing your introduction and abstract. Had you written them first, they probably would no longer fit the paper anyway. The paper can be given to proctors at the time of the examination or can be mailed directly to AACE Headquarters before the exam date. Failure to submit a paper on time can result in failing the examination.