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Scuba Forum / General / September 2006SSI Open Water Certification Test
While I was down in Florida visiting I took a couple open water dives to be sure I would like diving before I went through the cost/time of becoming certified. While doing some research one of the persons I spoke with told me the Certification test is Open Book. I did not however verify that it was SSI but I'm almost positive that was the school they used. Is this true? I only wonder as it would seem to me that would not be the most beneficial to producing "quality" divers. I can see many having the mentality of why learn it when you can just look it up come test time. brentmandy@gmail.com > While I was down in Florida visiting I took a couple open water dives > to be sure I would like diving before I went through the cost/time of > becoming certified. > While doing some research one of the persons I spoke with told me the > Certification test is Open Book. I did not however verify that it was > SSI but I'm almost positive that was the school they used. > Is this true? I only wonder as it would seem to me that would not be > the most beneficial to producing "quality" divers. I can see many > having the mentality of why learn it when you can just look it up come > test time. I've heard such things. While I'm not entirely in favor of open book certification tests, the important thing for most of what you will learn is that you know there's a reason to look. You don't have to remember everything, all the time. The few academic subjects that will kill you if your forget them, like not holding your breath while you ascend, are not the kind of things you're likely to forget in the first place. Physical diving skills are a different matter. You may have to perform any of them, on any given dive. It is important that you master them to the point where they are no longer require significant efforts. Unfortunately, few courses, require students to achieve that level of mastery during the entry level course. It's up to the student, now certified diver, to practice on his or her own. Lee > I've heard such things. While I'm not entirely in favor of open book > certification tests, the important thing for most of what you will learn is [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Lee Oh I couldn't agree more. Which was one of the main reasons why I was researching SSI because I know (from what I've read anyways) that they require the dive logs to show real world experience to move on to some of the other tests vs. just paying for a book and a test and never putting anything to practice. I for one LIKE that fact a lot. I was just bothered by the open book part a bit. I see your point though in that a lot of doesn't need to neccessarily be memorized fully, but know where to reference it. Good point!! Thanks, Brent I just finished the PADI closed water and it was not open book. However I don not have a problem with open book tests. I think more people need to be educated in how to find the answers instead of memorizing the answers. I once wrote an electrical exam for a job interview and was able to get 97% becuase it was open book. I was the highest mark, the next closest was 30+% apparently they couldn't use the book or index to find what they needed. P.S. Didn't get offered the job becuase they figured I'd be to bored. The mark was to high. I wrote two more tests with other companies after this with similar results. >> I've heard such things. While I'm not entirely in favor of open book >> certification tests, the important thing for most of what you will learn [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > Thanks, > Brent >> I've heard such things. While I'm not entirely in favor of open book >> certification tests, the important thing for most of what you will learn is [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >of the other tests vs. just paying for a book and a test and never >putting anything to practice. I for one LIKE that fact a lot. PADI does require demonstration of basic skills for each of the 5 specialties for AOW. As far as having experience, that shows during the open water "experiences". The divers who have been in the water are much more comfortable with their basic diving skills and pickup the advanced stuff easier. >I was just bothered by the open book part a bit. I see your point >though in that a lot of doesn't need to neccessarily be memorized >fully, but know where to reference it. Good point!! A real life open book test can be a real bitch. My engineering basics class was all open book, given that that's the way it is in the real world. Not that they were easy. I also had a take home final once. We could work as teams, but all members had to turn in one test and take the same grade. I worked alone and got an A, I wasn't going to let some shirker take a free ride (which is on the radio right now :-) Open book tests typically require you to know a certain basic amount of information as well as the ability to quickly find the esoteric data. You can't go search through a text to find every answer and expect to finish on time. >Thanks, >Brent  Signaturedillon If you can't figure out how to unmunge my address, email me and I'll explain it. > You can't go search through a text to find every answer and > expect to finish on time. You probably can if it's a computerized book. Lee > > You can't go search through a text to find every answer and > > expect to finish on time. > > You probably can if it's a computerized book. > > Lee Not the ones I publish! >> You can't go search through a text to find every answer and >> expect to finish on time. > >You probably can if it's a computerized book. Sorry, the first time I went to college the computers weighed a couple of tons and we fed them lots of punched cards. >Lee > Signaturedillon If you can't figure out how to unmunge my address, email me and I'll explain it. > >> You can't go search through a text to find every answer and > >> expect to finish on time. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > If you can't figure out how to unmunge my > address, email me and I'll explain it. Me too !!!!! We had several monsters IBM370 in the lab. I still have a small Fortran (or Pascal ) program in 40 or 50 punch cards. I had to write the numbers with pencil to have them in order :- ))) >> >> You can't go search through a text to find every answer and >> >> expect to finish on time. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Me too !!!!! We had several monsters IBM370 in the lab. 360/20, 360/135, Amdahal 470-V6. Also Novas and Super Novas and a PDP8 As a grad student, I played with a DEC 10 and a VAX 11/780 running VMS 1.3. >I still have a small Fortran (or Pascal ) program in 40 or 50 punch >cards. I had to write the numbers with pencil to have them in order :- >))) Go out to columns 73-80 and punch a sequence number. Then just run them through the sorter when you drop the box. I still have Adventure on a Fortran deck and a mag tape and a COBOL program card. Signaturedillon If you can't figure out how to unmunge my address, email me and I'll explain it. > While I was down in Florida visiting I took a couple open water dives > to be sure I would like diving before I went through the cost/time of [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > having the mentality of why learn it when you can just look it up come > test time. Once you've gone through the course, you shouldn't need the book for the test. If your instructor is even half competent, you should be perfectly able to pass the test without the crutch. My instructor teaches SSI and I don't recall the test being open book, but that was 4 years ago and I could be mis-remembering the facts. NAUI allows instructors to administer "open book" tests. A. Einstein said "never memorize anything that you can look up". > NAUI allows instructors to administer "open book" tests. > > A. Einstein said "never memorize anything that you can look up". I do follow Einstein's methodology. I used to be a professor and my approach was always understanding better than memorizing. You do not forget what you understand. But there are just a few numbers to memorize for the PADI OW close book test. PADI OW class has exercises, quizzes and test close books and all these are submitted to PADI (for what ?) but the questions are pretty basic- you really don't need the book, just the understanding, the tables and scratch paper. > test. PADI OW class has exercises, quizzes and test close books and all > these are submitted to PADI (for what ?) but the questions are pretty > basic- you really don't need the book, just the understanding, the > tables and scratch paper. PADI Exams, quizzes and homework are not submitted to PADI, they are retained by the shop or instructor. Jay http://www.divewithjay.com >> PADI OW class has exercises, quizzes and test close books and all >> these are submitted to PADI (for what ?) but the questions are pretty >> basic- you really don't need the book, just the understanding, the >> tables and scratch paper. Question number 1. What is your name? Question number 2. What credit card will you be paying with? Question number 3. What is the credit card number? Question number 4. What is the credit card expiration date? Question number 5. What is the three digit check code? Question number 6. Scuba divers most often dive in: A. Dumpsters. B. Muffs C. Water D. All of the above. Congratulations. You're now a certified scuba diver. Don't go over 60 feet. Do go by the cashier on your way out. Lee Just a follow up..... Had my written test. 50 question. It was NOT open book. The questions were really obvious if you paid attention. Scored 100%. Open water tests this weekend....can't wait! Thanks again to all that replied, didn't mean to stir up anything :) -Brent > Just a follow up..... > > Had my written test. 50 question. It was NOT open book. The questions > were really obvious if you paid attention. Scored 100%. I hate to say I told you so, but... >Just a follow up..... > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Thanks again to all that replied, didn't mean to stir up anything :) Fire ant mound, meet foot. Just don't stand around once you do it. >-Brent Signaturedillon If you can't figure out how to unmunge my address, email me and I'll explain it. > >Just a follow up..... > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Fire ant mound, meet foot. Just don't stand around once you do it. Remind Magilla. Or is it that he was reminding us? > Is this true? Not for SSI. > I only wonder as it would seem to me that would not be > the most beneficial to producing "quality" divers. I can see many > having the mentality of why learn it when you can just look it up come > test time. I would suggest you work on becoming the best diver *you* can be, and leave the question about the validity of standards to the people who specialize in that field. Vandit > I would suggest you work on becoming the best diver *you* can be, and > leave the question about the validity of standards to the people who > specialize in that field. > > Vandit I agree, it was simply a question... :) > > I would suggest you work on becoming the best diver *you* can be, and > > leave the question about the validity of standards to the people who > > specialize in that field. > I agree, it was simply a question... :) Ok, sorry for biting your head off then. I guess I am a bit tetchy about people moaning doom and gloom about the state of diving standards. Lee is allowed to do that - he's been diving since dinosaurs roamed the earth and at his age, is allowed to be naturally grouchy anyway :), but I think I may have read a little too much Scubaboard and have had it with people with a handful of dives pontificating about "falling standards"". Generally, a lot of the specific info in the exam is nice to know but not critical - for example, do you really need to know whether your head loses hear 20 times or 25 times faster than the body (hell, I always forget that myself), or is it simply enough to know that your head loses heat a lot faster than the rest of your body? Heck, you imperial guys even get reamed with the basic pressure/density calculations. 33 feet, 14.7psi - y'all actually CHOOSE to work with those numbers? You've got to be kidding me! I reckon you could manage diving even if you didnt know how many meters of water translate into how many bar (although one would have to be pretty f'ing dumb to forget 10m = 1 bar), as long as you knew that deeper = more pressure = less volume. All the critical stuff - procedures, policies, etc. - get drilled into you during poolwork and the practical diving. So even if the exam was indeed open book, it isnt the end of the world. Diving is ultimately a practical sport. Vandit [snip] > Scubaboard and have had it with people with a handful of dives > pontificating about "falling standards"". [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > always forget that myself), or is it simply enough to know that your > head loses heat a lot faster than the rest of your body? [snip] Well said, it is the principles that matter, not the particulars. >[snip] >> Scubaboard and have had it with people with a handful of dives [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Well said, it is the principles that matter, not the particulars. The only number I worry about is 1 atm/33 feet (10 m). And 500 psi is a good idea, not a hard and fast rule. Signaturedillon If you can't figure out how to unmunge my address, email me and I'll explain it. > Ok, sorry for biting your head off then. I guess I am a bit tetchy > about people moaning doom and gloom about the state of diving [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > Vandit No worries!! I can appreciate anyone with a passion for something which you obviously do and I think that's awesome. Thank you to all that replied!! -Brent |
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