RE: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]

2001-11-21 Thread the other jason

The basic analysis here seems to make sense. But there is an implied
assumption that doesn't. There will always be some people that take
advantage of a situation, but the majority of people do not. Our society and
economy, to say nothing of complex organizations in general, could not
possibly function as they do unless that were the case.

Boson has always suggested to me that tests should be written based on the
stated exam criteria on CCO and the subjects covered in associated cisco
curricula.

YMMV.

Jason - Boson author (bcmsn1, bscn2, bsci, quizware ccie)



Kaminski, Shawn G wrote:
 
 It's easy to see what's happening here. All of Boson's tests
 are done by
 different authors. Each author is going to try like hell to get
 their
 questions as close as possible to the questions on the actual
 exams, if not
 right from the exams. Boson doesn't care because they state
 right in their
 author contract that they are not responsible for exams that
 contain
 questions that break the NDA. The author will be held
 responsible. It's not
 like Boson's going to double-check every authored exam for NDA
 violations.
 Anyway, the closer the author comes to the actual exam
 questions, the more
 exams he'll sell when word gets around that, for example,
 Boson Test #2 is
 the one you need to get. However, Boson isn't doing anything
 different than
 any other company selling certification practice exams. It's a
 ridiculously
 huge, cut-throat, and competitive market out there for study
 materials.



Message Posted at:
http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7i=27061t=26639
--
FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html
Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]



RE: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]

2001-11-20 Thread Logan, Harold

I thought about that after I took the exam, but there was something else
I noticed when taking the boson tests. Try taking one of the more
popular CCIE prep books, or maybe even the CCIE Professional Development
books, and go through a section. (Not a chapter, but one section of a
chapter). Then, try to think of 5 questions you could ask someone that
would test their comprehension of that section. I'm willing to bet that
4 of those 5 questions you thought of will show up, worded slightly
differently, on the boson tests, and 1 or 2 of those 5 questions are in
the test bank for the written. 

Just my .02


 -Original Message-
 From: Gardner, Brent [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
 Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 11:07 AM
 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Subject: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]
 
 
 I too recently passed my written CCIE.  I would go so far to 
 say that the
 Boson tests push the limits in terms of ethical test 
 preparation.  I would
 say there were approximately five questions on the practice 
 exams that were
 right out of the Cisco test.  Most of these questions were 
 worded almost
 exactly the same as they were in the CCIE written and the 
 material they
 touched on was pretty esoteric.
 
 Brent Gardner




Message Posted at:
http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7i=26863t=26639
--
FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html
Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]



RE: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]

2001-11-20 Thread Kaminski, Shawn G

It's easy to see what's happening here. All of Boson's tests are done by
different authors. Each author is going to try like hell to get their
questions as close as possible to the questions on the actual exams, if not
right from the exams. Boson doesn't care because they state right in their
author contract that they are not responsible for exams that contain
questions that break the NDA. The author will be held responsible. It's not
like Boson's going to double-check every authored exam for NDA violations.
Anyway, the closer the author comes to the actual exam questions, the more
exams he'll sell when word gets around that, for example, Boson Test #2 is
the one you need to get. However, Boson isn't doing anything different than
any other company selling certification practice exams. It's a ridiculously
huge, cut-throat, and competitive market out there for study materials.

Shawn

-Original Message-
From: Logan, Harold [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] 
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 11:28 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]


I thought about that after I took the exam, but there was something else I
noticed when taking the boson tests. Try taking one of the more popular CCIE
prep books, or maybe even the CCIE Professional Development books, and go
through a section. (Not a chapter, but one section of a chapter). Then, try
to think of 5 questions you could ask someone that would test their
comprehension of that section. I'm willing to bet that 4 of those 5
questions you thought of will show up, worded slightly differently, on the
boson tests, and 1 or 2 of those 5 questions are in the test bank for the
written. 

Just my .02


 -Original Message-
 From: Gardner, Brent [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
 Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 11:07 AM
 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Subject: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]
 
 
 I too recently passed my written CCIE.  I would go so far to
 say that the
 Boson tests push the limits in terms of ethical test 
 preparation.  I would
 say there were approximately five questions on the practice 
 exams that were
 right out of the Cisco test.  Most of these questions were 
 worded almost
 exactly the same as they were in the CCIE written and the 
 material they
 touched on was pretty esoteric.
 
 Brent Gardner




Message Posted at:
http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7i=26882t=26639
--
FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html
Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]



RE: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]

2001-11-20 Thread Logan, Harold

Interesting observation. I don't think Cisco would even care if a
company was putting out test questions that matched the exam... after
all, if less qualified people try and fail at the lab, that's just easy
money for them anyway.

Either way, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I'm just going to
make sure I'm not easy money.

Hal


 -Original Message-
 From: Kaminski, Shawn G [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
 Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 12:46 PM
 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Subject: RE: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]
 
 
 It's easy to see what's happening here. All of Boson's tests 
 are done by
 different authors. Each author is going to try like hell to get their
 questions as close as possible to the questions on the actual 
 exams, if not
 right from the exams. Boson doesn't care because they state 
 right in their
 author contract that they are not responsible for exams that contain
 questions that break the NDA. The author will be held 
 responsible. It's not
 like Boson's going to double-check every authored exam for 
 NDA violations.
 Anyway, the closer the author comes to the actual exam 
 questions, the more
 exams he'll sell when word gets around that, for example, 
 Boson Test #2 is
 the one you need to get. However, Boson isn't doing anything 
 different than
 any other company selling certification practice exams. It's 
 a ridiculously
 huge, cut-throat, and competitive market out there for study 
 materials.
 
 Shawn
 
 -Original Message-
 From: Logan, Harold [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] 
 Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 11:28 AM
 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Subject: RE: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]
 
 
 I thought about that after I took the exam, but there was 
 something else I
 noticed when taking the boson tests. Try taking one of the 
 more popular CCIE
 prep books, or maybe even the CCIE Professional Development 
 books, and go
 through a section. (Not a chapter, but one section of a 
 chapter). Then, try
 to think of 5 questions you could ask someone that would test their
 comprehension of that section. I'm willing to bet that 4 of those 5
 questions you thought of will show up, worded slightly 
 differently, on the
 boson tests, and 1 or 2 of those 5 questions are in the test 
 bank for the
 written. 
 
 Just my .02
 
 
  -Original Message-
  From: Gardner, Brent [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
  Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 11:07 AM
  To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  Subject: Boson Tests border on Unethical [7:26639]
  
  
  I too recently passed my written CCIE.  I would go so far to
  say that the
  Boson tests push the limits in terms of ethical test 
  preparation.  I would
  say there were approximately five questions on the practice 
  exams that were
  right out of the Cisco test.  Most of these questions were 
  worded almost
  exactly the same as they were in the CCIE written and the 
  material they
  touched on was pretty esoteric.
  
  Brent Gardner




Message Posted at:
http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7i=26888t=26639
--
FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html
Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]