CQE Level I Exam

I originally posted this on my old website November 26, 2004.

One of the graduation requirements for the Construction Management program at the Milwaukee School of Engineering is to take the Level I Constructor Qualification Examination (CQE 1).  This is a test administered by the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) Constructor Certification Commission.  It is not necessary to pass the test to graduate, just to take it.  The AIC was formed in 1971, and the Constructor Certification Commission was created in 1994 to implement a written examination and organize an internationally recognized certification process.

The CQE 1 is the first of two tests administered by the Commission.  Passing the CQE 1 makes one an Associate Constructor.  There is also a CQE 2 that must be taken to become a Certified Professional Constructor.  In order to take the CQE 1, one must have received or be about to receive a Bachelor's degree in a construction program, or have an equivalent combination of knowledge and experience.  An additional seven years of experience beyond the requirements of the CQE 1 is required to take the CQE 2.

As I was scheduled to graduate from MSOE on May 22, 2004, I took the CQE 1 on Saturday, April 3, at MSOE.  There is an Application and Examination Fee that was due in February.  At the time, the fee was $100.  This is a lot of money for a college student, especially to take a test that it isn't necessary to pass to graduate.

The test is 8 hours long, and starts at 7:00 AM.  It is administered in two parts, and when I took it, you could leave after finishing the first part as long as you were back in time for the second.  I didn't need anywhere near the time allotted to finish either part of the test.

The CQE I is a 300 point test.  At least 210 points, or 70%, are needed to pass.  The bulk of the test consists of 275 multiple-choice questions, though there is also a small writing sample; in my test the writing sample was a request for information in reference to a given situation.  Both sections of the test include the test booklet, an answer sheet and a packet of supplemental material such as drawings and schedules referred to in the questions.  The back of the answer sheet has space for the writing sample.  The same answer sheet is used for both parts of the test, though I only had a writing sample in the first part.

The questions on the test fall into the following 10 subject areas.  These areas, according to the CPC handbook, are as follows:

Communication Skills: 6% of Exam

Design/Engineering Concepts & Associated Mathematics & Sciences: 9% of Exam

Management Concepts & Philosophies: 4.5% of Exam

Construction Materials & Methods: 10.5% of Exam

Estimating & Plan Reading: 15% of Exam

Budgeting/Cost Accounting, Cost Control & Project Closeout: 11% of Exam

Scheduling & Schedule Control: 17% of Exam

Safety: 8% of Exam

Construction Surveying & Project Layout: 4% of Exam

Project Administration: 15% of Exam

The above percentages are only estimates and may vary.  When I received my results, they indicated that the breakdown was actually as shown in the following chart.

The results from the exam were sent out several weeks after the exam.  The school received the results slightly earlier than I did, and sent an email to all those who took the test containing the total scores and percentile ranks without names of the MSOE students who took the test, as well as some general information and trends the information suggested, such as relative strengths and weaknesses overall.  When they arrived, my individual results were broken down into the various subject areas.  My results from the CPC 1 are illustrated by the chart below.

As you can see, I scored in the high 80s in most areas, and never lower than 75% in area.  My total score was 85%, or 256 out of 300 points.  My relative weaknesses also seemed to be weaknesses for all the MSOE student that took the test, as had been reported in the email.  This placed me in the 98th percentile; I was in the top 2% of those that took the test in that spring, nationwide.  Knowing my score, I went back to the email that had been previously sent out and found that of those from MSOE that took the test, I had the third highest score.

One other note about the CPC.  I took the test in April, and as of October, I still haven't received my Associate Constructor certificate.

For more information about the AIC's CPC Program, please see their website.