CLD Exam Tips..

Hi folks,
At first, My CLD exam is on 9.1.13. I done all 4 practice exams with a 4 hour time limit and hope did well as from review, repeated all the exams and completed with 3 hrs to 3.5 hrs.
So , What should i do next ? I want to learn something more. Please guys give me some advice am nervous.

Sounds like you've done the prep work and you're ready for the real thing.
My advice is to get a good night's sleep before the exam. Plan your route in and make sure to arrive at the examination place early.
Bring some water with you, and maybe a snack. And make sure to use the bathroom before you start.
As you write the exam, run your code often. Don't just push the expected buttons either, try pushing the wrong ones and see what happens.
Pace yourself. If you've only got 5 minutes left, don't try to cram more functionality in. Remember, everything you add, you have to TEST. Your application might run perfectly right up until you added that last feature. But they don't score you on how well your application used to run.
If you have time, save your project and close LabVIEW completely. Then re-open and make sure things are still good. This is what your proctor is going to see.
Good luck!
Patrick Allen

Similar Messages

Car wash CLD exam solution?

Hello,
Like a lot of people I'm trying to prepare for the CLD exam. I'd like feedback on my solution - particularly where the exam graders are likely to take points off. So first I'd like an overal "grade" for what I'm posting here (labview 9).
This took me about 6 hours to do - too long. Part of that was deciding on the overall structure, and getting hung up on how to implement the "universal all stop" button.
Are there too many wire bends? For me it can be a very time consuming
process to re-arrange everything to reduce the number of bends.
The description/tips and icon things also sucked up too much time.
Some specific things that I'm not sure about are:
Is it ok to use property nodes for the "stop" button and "main power-wash" switches? This solution works, but is it undesireable for some reason? I had difficulty comming up with an alternative structure that allowed the stop button to activate in the middle of any part of the cycle. I had worked on using an event structure to do this, but got frustrated and went with the property node.
Does anyone have any sense if using a queue to sequence the cycle is considered any better than using a numerically sequenced case structure? If I only have 4 hours, using a queue structure seems to be a little more labor intensive... (propagating error, initializing and releasing queue...). I can see the advantage of using a queue (flexibility), but functionally a regular sequence would also work. To phrase this better: are points awarded for using more flexible programming structures?
The timing sequences are rather primitive polling loops. Does anyone think that I'd get docked for that lameness? Is there a better way to do that? I thought about using timing VI's and event structures, but the added complexity didn't seem worth it. Well, ok, that and I couldn't implement it because there's still some things I really don't get with more sophisticated event structures.
Attachments:
car_wash.zip ‏50 KB

Here are a few more suggestions after reviewing your code.
Clean up your wires. There are unnecessary bends all over the place as well as wires that run back on themselves (Out of position property node).
Definitely get reid of all the property nodes. You really aren't using data flow with property nodes all over the place.
As mentioned earlier, everything including the subVIs eed to be documented.
Verify your functionality. This application doesn't meet the requirements. The out of position LED is not light properly for one. As mentioned your stop is not a graceful shutdown of the application.
Use a project for your application.
Consider placing your timing control in a subVI. You effectively have multiple copies of this functionality in your code.
Don't use the Wait VI for timing control.
As mentioned this really isn't a producer/consumer architecture. Take a look at the examples for how this normally looks.
All constants should be labeled.
Resize the front panel. Front panels should be size appropriately and shouldn't be a huge window with a few controls and indicators on it.
Resize the block diagram to fit on a single screen and avoid the need to scroll to see everything.
Make sure to align the controls and indicators are aligned on the front panel.
Mark Yedinak
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot

Will I lose points on the CLD Exam if I use a Launcher vi in addition to the provided Front Panel?

Hi!
In this thread: https://decibel.ni.com/content/message/50512#50512, MattP directed me to this Certification Board.
If I use the Actor Framework in a CLD exam, will I lose points for launching the Front Panel? For two specific examples of what I mean, please refer to the solutions submitted here:
ATM: http://forums.ni.com/t5/Certification/Sample-Exam-Solutions-for-Review/m-p/2380868#M728
Boiler: http://forums.ni.com/t5/Certification/Sample-Exam-Solutions-for-Review/m-p/2385580#M738
Thanks!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi,
You will not loose points for using the launcher, and not documenting the message classes. The folder structure is also fine.
Do document the other VI's, actors,and SubVI's. Remember be brief with documentation.
Mark Ramsdale
Project Manager and CLD
Customer Certification and Training at National Instruments

Design practices from the CLD Exam Prep Guide

    I have a question about design practices as stated in the CLD Exam Prep Guide found at   http://ftp.ni.com/evaluation/certification/cld/cld_exam_prep_guide_english.pdf
   Please refer to statements
2.e.1. Set the value or attributes of a control, statically using the property dialog box of an object, or dynamically using Property Nodes.
2.e.2. Initialize or set control values at application, load, start, and stop.
4.a.4. Use local variables to update controls.
   Because the words initialize and set and update all mean to change the value and two different methods are suggested to do so, I first saw this as contradictory. Assuming there is no contradiction, it should be very clear when, where, and why each method is used.
   From section 2.e I understand this to mean you should change (set) a control value at application, load, start, and stop by using Property Nodes. Thus, application, load, start, and stop shall be clearly identified within your block diagram to avoid misunderstanding.
   From section 4.a I understand this to mean you should change (update - as you might do repeatedly within a while loop) a control value by using local variables everywhere else in your block diagram. If I understand this correctly, there is no contradiction. Otherwise....
Please advise! Scott Pierskalla
Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer

spiersk wrote:
    I have a question about design practices as stated in the CLD Exam Prep Guide found at   http://ftp.ni.com/evaluation/certification/cld/cld_exam_prep_guide_english.pdf
   Please refer to statements
2.e.1. Set the value or attributes of a control, statically using the property dialog box of an object, or dynamically using Property Nodes.
2.e.2. Initialize or set control values at application, load, start, and stop.
4.a.4. Use local variables to update controls.
   Because the words initialize and set and update all mean to change the value and two different methods are suggested to do so, I first saw this as contradictory. Assuming there is no contradiction, it should be very clear when, where, and why each method is used.
   From section 2.e I understand this to mean you should change (set) a control value at application, load, start, and stop by using Property Nodes. Thus, application, load, start, and stop shall be clearly identified within your block diagram to avoid misunderstanding.
   From section 4.a I understand this to mean you should change (update - as you might do repeatedly within a while loop) a control value by using local variables everywhere else in your block diagram. If I understand this correctly, there is no contradiction. Otherwise....
Please advise! Scott Pierskalla
Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer
Scott,
Thank you for drawing my attention to this thread. I understand your confussion but, there is no contradiction. I will attempt to clairify the statements.
Section 2 addresses design of the GUI or, how to set up the user experience. Several questions any developer needs to ask are:
Is the data represented correctly? (what data type is needed?)
How will the user change this data? (Enum / Ring / Combo box pull-down, maybe the increment / decrement buttons, Perhaps direct text entry from the keyboard? If so do we wish to update value while typing or end text entry with "Enter"?)
How can I make it "Pretty?" (What colors are approachable, how can I present logical groupings of the data the user needs....?)
Section 2 is all about the user. Your application will be used by users and, they need to interact with your product. Design the interface correctly and they will never notice, design it poorly and they will wish to break you nose because the software just does not "FEEL" right.
Section 4 addresses Programing practices.
Avoid Localitis
Avoid sequenceitis
don't ABUSE Globals
use common design patterns
Basically "Write Software" not "Functional spaghetti code"
Writting "Good Software" in LabVIEW is one of the things that CAN BE DONE with LabVIEW. Unfortunatly, because LabVIEW is often approached by people with no understanding of Software Engineering principals, many LabVIEW applications fall into the "Functional Code" bucket and are poor "Software".
The CLD exam will require you to domenstrate that you can apply software engineering principals in the LabVIEW IDE.
Good Luck- Sling some wires!
Jeff

Boiler Controller Mock CLD Exam

I have my CLD exams soon.
I would appreciate it if someone can sort psuedo-mark my exam and give me any feedback.

Front panel set to full screen and does not have an icon
While this is not applicable at all to the exam you should include a copy of the requirements document in the project for people on the forums for easy reference. I did the ATM and Car Wash samples so I was familiar with them. I did not do the boiler sample.
Only one of three subvis is documented. Do the documentation and icon FIRST when creating a subvi.
No time to look much further at this at the moment.
Attached image is self explanitory
=====================
LabVIEW 2012

LabView Sprinkler Sample CLD exam feedback wanted

Starting to get ready for an upcoming LabView CLD exam, feedaback appreciated!
Attachments:
Sprinkler_LV2012.zip ‏86 KB

Hi there,
generally: very good effort!
As Blokk said: you need to work in a project (makes life so much easier anyway). Try to reduce the amount of property nodes where possible. This has to be a trade off: if you realise during the exam that it would get ridiculously complicated to reduce the locations of where the indicators are written to to one then don't do it. Better to keep the code neat and tidy as it is and accept the deduction rather than tearing apart the code and getting loads more deductions for wire spagetti.
Good pratice is also to use standardised icons: header indicates functional module (e.g. File IO, Time, Ctrl, etc), while the bottom bit indicates what it exactly does.
Biggest problem is error handling: there is none! If an error occurs nothing happens but even worse the error gets never cleared and gets passed around (shift registers) stopping all modules from executing as nearly all modules have standard error in/out functionality and will simply be skipped. Fortunately it doesn't completely hang up the software as even if an error occurs the event structure will still be reacting to the stop button and the state machine will shut it down.
I would do the shut down of the state machine slightly different rather than comparing the state to Exit. I would wire a boolean out of each case: false in Init and run as well as true in Exit. I would then "or" the boolean with the error wire and wire it to the loop stop terminal. Outside of the state machine you will then need to place a simple error handler vi.
Your subVIs should also be implemented with standard error in/out functionality by putting all controls and indicators outside of an error case structure which only executes the code when no error is coming in.
Just a few minor points which might be worth about 4-5 pts (guesstimate)
good luck with the exam
BR Mathis
edit: agree with Blokk: make the timer a FGV!
edit 2: Error handling is actually a major problem and would potentially hang up the software. When you press start with an incoming error the "check water pressure sensor.vi" would return the default of zero from the variant to data which is smaller then 50 ... not stopping the loop. This would be avoided by wrapping an error case structure around everything (all controls and indicators need to be outside the case structure). In the case of an error everything would be skipped and you will need to return default values.

1Z0-051 exam tips

Hi everybody
My name is Jon Toshmatov and I am preparing for 1Z0-051 exam and I would like to ask you a few questions.
First, a little my background, I work for IBM in mainframe storage team and prior to IBM I have a few years of DBA experience.
Within 3 months I want to pass the 1Z0-051 exam and next 3 months 1Z0-052 exam and obtain OCA certification within total 6 months. Is this doable?
I am using this book "OCA Oracle Database 11g SQL Fundamentals I Exam Guide: Exam 1Z0-051 (Osborne ORACLE Press Series) " and Oracle manuals from Oracle website. Any other textbooks you would recommend?
Please share some tips and hints with me so I can build my preparation strategy.
appreciate your help
sincerely,
Jon Toshmatov
www.toshmatov.us
Dubuque, Iowa

htoshmatov wrote:
Hi everybody
My name is Jon Toshmatov and I am preparing for 1Z0-051 exam and I would like to ask you a few questions.
First, a little my background, I work for IBM in mainframe storage team and prior to IBM I have a few years of DBA experience.
Within 3 months I want to pass the 1Z0-051 exam and next 3 months 1Z0-052 exam and obtain OCA certification within total 6 months. Is this doable?
I am using this book "OCA Oracle Database 11g SQL Fundamentals I Exam Guide: Exam 1Z0-051 (Osborne ORACLE Press Series) " and Oracle manuals from Oracle website. Any other textbooks you would recommend?
Please share some tips and hints with me so I can build my preparation strategy.
appreciate your help
sincerely,
Jon Toshmatov
Dubuque, IowaSee:
http://blogs.oracle.com/certification/2010/07/0264.html
http://blogs.oracle.com/certification/2009/05/the_route_you_choose.html
http://blogs.oracle.com/certification/2008/10/question_of_the_day_how_to_pre.html
Preparation time depends on the individual and how much time they have. Do not be surprised if your preparation time for 1z0-051is shorter than that for 1z0-052. Also be aware if you want to move to DBA OCP you need mandatory training at some point

CLD Exam You-Tube Demo

Another cross-post from the Minneapolis LabVIEW User's Group. This evening's main presentor was Tom Brass of St. Bernard Engineering. Tom is a CLA and one of the fastest LabVIEW coders I know.
Tom has taken the time to actually work a CLD practice exam on camera and post the salient points on you tube here. Thanks again Tom! for showing a great solution and methodology for the ATM example.
As an aside, I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Brass for the first time while a group of LabVIEW developers were sitting proctored exams. Tom recievied his CLA from his efforts that day and left the room after 3 hours. I was sitting my CLD and had drawn the ATM exam before it was retired to an example. I failed that exam but re-tested a few months later to earn my CLD.
I recommend the presentation with all due respect to Mr. Brass.
Jeff

This is a couple weeks old, but you wouldn't happen to have a copy of the actual code he produced for the solution?
http://linkd.in/mikele

9i SQL Fundamentals Exam tips? (1Z0-007)

I'm scheduled to take the exam in 14 days.
I have been focusing on Transcender practice exams.
I set up a 10g instance with the test hr schema that oracle provides so I can follow along with Oracles' Intro to 9i SQL book using SQL developer.
I don't know what else to do. I am consistently getting 100% on the practice exam, but I fear this is only because I've already memorized the material. I am certain in a test scenario it will be far more difficult.
My biggest issue is with joins, memorizing all the rules (i.e. no group functions in where clauses, etc) and functions. I hope oracle does expect exam takers memorize all functions and all possible arguments.
Do you guys have any tips for the exam? Something that will help retain the material? I thought my memorize + practice approach was good but I feel as if I still can't build a solid complicated query for many given scenarios. When given a list to choose from it makes it easier but I want to be able to write this stuff on my own, I just don't want to pass the exam and not have the ability to write complicated queries. It defeats the purpose.

Javier wrote:
I'm scheduled to take the exam in 14 days.
I have been focusing on Transcender practice exams.
I set up a 10g instance with the test hr schema that oracle provides so I can follow along with Oracles' Intro to 9i SQL book using SQL developer.
I don't know what else to do. I am consistently getting 100% on the practice exam, but I fear this is only because I've already memorized the material. I am certain in a test scenario it will be far more difficult.
My biggest issue is with joins, memorizing all the rules (i.e. no group functions in where clauses, etc) and functions. I hope oracle does expect exam takers memorize all functions and all possible arguments.
Do you guys have any tips for the exam? Something that will help retain the material? I thought my memorize + practice approach was good but I feel as if I still can't build a solid complicated query for many given scenarios. When given a list to choose from it makes it easier but I want to be able to write this stuff on my own, I just don't want to pass the exam and not have the ability to write complicated queries. It defeats the purpose.1) Try making your own flash cards
2) Use 10g or 11g not 9i. The newer syntax/functtionality thats available lets bigdelboy get out of situations easily that would previously stretched his underwear simultanously round his neck, wrists and ankles while still failing to successfully acheive the primary purpose. And I hate complicated queries when i look at them 2 weeks later. Practice helps. Having a real world examples tha somebody else tests thoroughly helps.

OCA 10g IZO-042 , Practicing exam, tips to get good score

I am practicing questions given at the end of each chapter in Oracle Database 10g OCP Certification All-in-One Exam Guide book, but hardly 50-60% are getting correct...wondering for tips to score higher....

01) In addition to any available book in the market for OCA/OCP preparation, I would strongly advice and suggest using Oracle Student Guides/Oracle ILT Materials for your OCA/OCP preparation.
02) Most of the theoretical and logical questions in the real exam are asked from these guides/materials concepts or chapters.
03) These student guides are more simplified and very easy to understand, and have very précised and handy information.
04) The information or concepts of Oracle Student Guides/Oracle ILT Materials have been abstracted, prepared, and developed using the bunch of Oracle Documentations.
05) For writing Oracle Certification Exams, it's very hard to prepare the whole repository of Oracle Documentations. That's why; Oracle University prepared the précised and concise Student Guides/ITL Materials.
06) After finishing thoroughly reading these guides, as many times as you can, till you get the concepts from this materials, the next step is preparing the practice exams, before you take up the real exam.
07) In my opinion and my experience in writing OCP Exams, the practice exams of Self Test Software and Transcender are highly recommended for preparing the OCA/OCP/OCE Exams.
08) This will give you the similar look and feel, and the pattern of the real exam, and helps you manage in real exam.
09) All most of all the practice questions from these test engines (Self Test Software and Transcender) are developed and derived from Oracle Student Guides/Oracle ILT Materials Concepts.
10) Never mug up the practice exam questions and answers, instead try understanding the question and the answer, if needed for any syntax or command sort of questions, do the paper work i.e write the question, syntax or command, and answers in the paper to remember and understand.
11) Concisely what I would suggest is, read the Oracle Student Guides/ILT Materials meticulously as much as you can and do more practice the questions of the test engines (Self Test Software and Transcender) for your Oracle Certification Exam Preparation.
Above points are extracted from my blog.
http://sabdarsyed.blogspot.com/2008/08/books-guides-and-materials-used-for-my.html
Regards,
Sabdar Syed.

Sample CLD exam for review

Good afternoon all...
I took the CLD this morning, and I must say that was the hardest exam I have ever taken. It was much much harder than any of the practice exams. I think I completed about 60% of the application before I ran out of time. I had everything documented, and it was clean code. I only hope I garner enough points to pass....
Please review my CLD practice exam and provide feedback.
Thanks,
Steven
Steven Howell
Certified LabVIEW Developer
Certified Professional Instructor
LabVIEW Consultant
Arcus Technology Services, LLC.
[email protected]
Attachments:
Boiler.zip ‏103 KB

Ok maybe I only saved the main VI and not the whole project....lets try this again...sorry about that.
Steven Howell
Certified LabVIEW Developer
Certified Professional Instructor
LabVIEW Consultant
Arcus Technology Services, LLC.
[email protected]
Attachments:
Boiler.zip ‏79 KB

ATM CLD Exam Solution: Feedback Welcome

Attached is my solution for the ATM Exam. It took about 6 hours to complete, but I think I could get it down to 4 (I took a significant detour).
I'd love to hear from fellow test takers or graders out there on the choice of architecture and readability.
Thanks,
Tom
Attachments:
CLD Sample Exam - ATM Machine - Tom.zip ‏295 KB

Here are a few more suggestions after reviewing your code.
Clean up your wires. There are unnecessary bends all over the place as well as wires that run back on themselves (Out of position property node).
Definitely get reid of all the property nodes. You really aren't using data flow with property nodes all over the place.
As mentioned earlier, everything including the subVIs eed to be documented.
Verify your functionality. This application doesn't meet the requirements. The out of position LED is not light properly for one. As mentioned your stop is not a graceful shutdown of the application.
Use a project for your application.
Consider placing your timing control in a subVI. You effectively have multiple copies of this functionality in your code.
Don't use the Wait VI for timing control.
As mentioned this really isn't a producer/consumer architecture. Take a look at the examples for how this normally looks.
All constants should be labeled.
Resize the front panel. Front panels should be size appropriately and shouldn't be a huge window with a few controls and indicators on it.
Resize the block diagram to fit on a single screen and avoid the need to scroll to see everything.
Make sure to align the controls and indicators are aligned on the front panel.
Mark Yedinak
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot

CLD exam security system example

I have a question concerning the front panel Zone Status Indicators.
Would using a cluster of Color Boxes instead of a cluster or array of boolean indicators be acceptable?
Acceptable meaning - not take any points off for the exam because of using Color Boxes. On the instructions for the exam it states "front panel similar to the graphics provided" .so I am assuming it would be ok.
Brian

I am about to take the exam myself. I don't think that your solution has to exactly match NI's solution. There are many ways to solve the problems. I would think that anything that is functional would not have points taken off. But I would follow the front panel given as closely as possible so as to not disturb the person grading the exam. As for color boxes, they indicate just as well as a boolean indicator, so I would not think they would dock you any points.
- tbob
Inventor of the WORM Global

Security system CLD exam review

This is similar to solution online
Please let me know if you have any general comments on the solution or any other comments to my questions below
1. I have created a project. Was it necessary or does it matter.
2. I put data in a Data folder. Does I need to create a separate folder?
3. It asked for test file. I used a .csv file instead of .txt. Is it ok to do that?
4. I used only one case for alarm, bypass and tamper switch instead of using 3 cases for solution online.
Code is in LabVIEW 8.6
Thanks
Attachments:
Security system.zip ‏67 KB

Overall this is a pretty elegent solution. There are a few things that you will want to improve though.
1. This one jumped out at me immediately. Be very aware of extra and unnecessary bends in your wires. Try to line things up better and avoid all the extra bends.
2. I would use better names for your subVIs. Use names that are descriptive yet meaningful. Logic.vi is not very meaningful or descriptive.
3. I would not modify or change the requirements of the test. If they specify a text file then use a text file. Part of the exam is to determine if you can follow requirements. Changing them is not receommended.
4. Avoid objects overlapping each other. For example look at the labels in your Initialize state.
5. Avoid using "Use default if unwired" for your tunnels on structures.
6. Make sure to add descriptions for all of your controls and indicators including the ones in your subVIs.
Mark Yedinak
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot

Security System CLD Exam Problem Solution? Insane?

I just started working on the CLD example problems. I've been using Labview for about 10 years - so everything I do is old-school.
I'm posting this solution for the Security System example. There are arrays of switches to represent the alarm, bypass, and tamper
signals - and then a loop to go through each "zone" to logically determine the state (normal, alarm, bypass or tamper). To make the
"zone status" indicator an easily scalable indicator I have the "zone" loop change the color of a boolean LED indicator. Then I take a
picture of it and display an array of pix.
Question: This works fine, good response - but would it pass? Is there a better way? I attached the diagram...
Solved!
Go to Solution.
Attachments:
security system.png ‏43 KB

I don't like the detour over an array of images and property nodes. Seems indirect and inefficient. Is that a requirement or your idea?
Also I assume that the FOR loop executes quickly, so you should probably do the timestamping once before the loop.
The "wait for FP activity is really "old school" and not very good. You typically get extra triggers, which is expensive since you write to the file every time. I would strongly suggest an event structure instead.
The small FOR loop can be replaced by "search array". Much cleaner!
It might be better and more efficient to open/create the file once before the loop, write using lowlevel functions during the loop, and close after the while loop has finished.
LabVIEW Champion . Do more with less code and in less time .

CLD Exam Tips..

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