ASQ's CQE (Certified Quality Engineer) Test Questions Pattern

B

bostonstudent

Hi,

I did not take this year's CQE exam in June but planning to take it in December. Well, couple of my friends took it and they said the test had very less statistical application questions and more of a theoretical based questions and lot of questions regarding reliability... and they said overall the test was very EASY !

Well, now my question to you is:

Should I be expecting lot of statistical application problems in December test ( since it wasn't there in this the last test) - is there any kind of pattern that ASQ follows every year ?

or it could be as random as it could be ?

People who took CQE couple of times might be able to help me... and any other feedback regarding the test is welcome...I am just starting to prepare for the test..so any suggestions will be very helpful.

As always thanks a lot for your help !
 

BradM

Leader
Admin
Re: CQE Questions Pattern

If your friends stated that test was very easy, they should go ahead and apply for MENSA while they are at it.:D

I'm not saying it's super hard, and those who put in the appropriated preparation can pass the exam. I would not say it's easy, though, to suggest that one would not need a lot of preparation to pass.

Personally, I have found the CQE primer to be of assistance in preparing for the exam.

There will be some statistics, and depending on your experience/ knowledge of statistics will dictate your comfort level. Steve P. or Tim F. (two stats gurus here on the Cove) could probably go in and ace the stats portion while in a drunken stupor. While others may have to put in double-time studying just to squeak by on the stats portion. It just depends on you.
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Leader
Admin
Re: CQE Questions Pattern

What experience I have with this process (I was invited to the round table of about 12 exam people for CQI a few years ago--invited from industry) is that there is no pattern.

Questions are (were at that time) statistically analyzed for how people answered them. Questions that were answered correctly or not at very high rates were thrown out or reworked. Questions that appeared in past exams were identified for phasing out or rework.

These activities are the closest thing to a pattern that I saw. Actually I was impressed with the overall cycle of making those tests. I thought the process was pretty comprehensive.

In the past the CQE was manufacturing oriented. If there is a move away from heavy statistics it would be based on changing nature of work among CQEs in the industry, and also the fact that quality is branching out to so many industries.
 

Govind

Super Moderator
Leader
Super Moderator
Hi,

I did not take this year's CQE exam in June but planning to take it in December. Well, couple of my friends took it and they said the test had very less statistical application questions and more of a theoretical based questions and lot of questions regarding reliability... and they said overall the test was very EASY !

Well, now my question to you is:

Should I be expecting lot of statistical application problems in December test ( since it wasn't there in this the last test) - is there any kind of pattern that ASQ follows every year ?

or it could be as random as it could be ?

People who took CQE couple of times might be able to help me... and any other feedback regarding the test is welcome...I am just starting to prepare for the test..so any suggestions will be very helpful.

As always thanks a lot for your help !

CRE is the only exam that explicitly says in the BOK web page “NOTE: Approximately 20% of the CRE exam will require candidates to perform mathematical functions”. There are no prescribed number mathematical/ statistical questions for other exams.

When I did my CQE I specifically counted the number of mathematical questions. There were only 22 questions out of total 160 (~14%). I am sure this will vary between June exam, December exams and special administrations.

I am in favour of adding more mathematical/ statistical questions for Exams like CQE, CSSBB, CSSGB, CQT, and CCT. However as is CQE pass rate (43~45%) is the second lowest of all 14 ASQ Certifications. There can be approximately 5 questions on Reliability based on BOK proportion. I am not sure how there can be lot of questions. My suggestion is to be prepared for 15% to 20% of mathematical/statistical questions for CQE.

Regards,
Govind.
 
B

branham91

I took the CQE this past Saturday June 2. I passed the test and it was my first time taking it. I majored in Quality from EKU so I had a good stats background (10 years ago). Not to brag but i didn't study or prepare for the test. The only reference material I used was the CQE primer. I looked at Pydek's book Quality Engineering Handbook and it is a joke and a useless book and I can't believe people try and use it. To pass the test you should know how to quickly reference the primer. There was a lot of Reliabilty on the test. MTBF and Probability. FMEAs Process Flow Charts. Know how to get the std by using Rbar over d2 and calculate Z scores. The affinity diagram was beat to death. I would however recommend some 6 sigma material because there was a few questions on it. It helps having real world quality experience more than anything.
 

BradM

Leader
Admin
Hello there! Welcome to the Cove!


I took the CQE this past Saturday June 2. I passed the test and it was my first time taking it. I majored in Quality from EKU so I had a good stats background (10 years ago). Not to brag but i didn't study or prepare for the test.

Congratulations!! I don't take it as bragging, but adding to the thread. It does make a huge difference having the proper background to take the test.

To pass the test you should know how to quickly reference the primer.

That to me is one of the key points. It' not going in and knowing everything, or having a portable Library of Congress. It's about having the appropriate reference material, and knowing how to find things.


It helps having real world quality experience more than anything.

NOTHING ever replaces real world experience?

If you don't mind, there are some threads in the forums on quality degrees and the like. Please share your experience of your degree, and offer any suggestions!

Again, Welcome!:agree1:
 
D

Dan Armstrong

I also took and passed the CQE exam on June 2. The references I took were Pyzdek, Juran, and my advanced statistics textbook from college (old!). I found that Pyzdek covered most of the items that I didn't already know, the textbook was good for the statistics questions, and Juran was nearly useless.

A reference's usefulness seems to be a matter of individual taste. Find one you like and get to know it.

I found that the most useful piece of knowledge for me was knowing HOW to take a standardized test. Face it, we work with the subject matter daily, so we should know it inside and out. A lot of people hurt themselves by stressing over TAKING the test.
 
J

jewelsm

I completely agree with branham91. He hit it on the head about the reliability and affinity chart questions.
I took it June 2nd and passed, first time. I have been in a quality function type job since 1996. Real world knowledge is important.
But unlike branham91, I studied at a steady jog for three months.
We do not get our scores if we pass so it is hard to say how close I came.
I used the ASQ online course material, CQE primer, Engineering handbook and a cliff notes statistical reference as my material.
I did reference each one at some point during the test.
Good luck!
 
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