Has anyone here ever taken it? If so, any info is greatly appreciated. Some of us are thinking about it, but would like to have a clue before going ahead. I actually paid $15 for the PSA study guide for the Group Instruction test, only to find that it is full of questions with NO answers! Boy did I feel ripped off .

__________________

Thanks for starting this thread. The study guide's only $15? I thought it was $30.

I need to get started on BA now that it looks like my life is quieting down somewhat. I've been a PSA member for some time, and it's the next step.

I'd be interested in knowing the test structure: is it open book, essay, multiple GUESS?

__________________

The price may have been reduced since I bought it at an annual conference.

__________________

Usually you buy the answer booklet separate from the study guide!!

Alicia - How long ago did you buy the PSA test booklet and answer sheet? It's not separate on their order form.

__________________

The Washington State Exam comes with a study guide and answer booklet and they are priced separately. Probably because the study guide gets answers written in it and can't be reused like the answer booklet can.

I think perhaps you're talking about 2 different things?

There is no answer booklet. You better believe I asked about it right then and there. I think you must have the PSA exams confused with something else. They are not statewide, but national.

__________________

I just got an answer from a friend. I had forgotten that she had taken the test several years ago. It is multiple choice, and there may have been a bit of writing about nutrition, but since she also took the Sports Med exam, I think that is what she was recalling.

Funny thing - she told me that the only question she missed was about how many edges there are. IMO, the answer depends on exactly how the question is phrased. If the question is "how many edges does a blade have?", then, of course the answer is 2. But, if the question is "how many edges are there?" then the answer is 8. She said she put "8", but they marked it wrong, saying that there are "16" . That is definitely 8 more than I have ever heard of. I think they made a mistake.

__________________

I took it a couple of years ago. It isn't really very difficult, if you pretty much memorize the study guide. It's multiple choice, and doesn't really require too much application of knowledge - just spit back what you read. There were some pretty strange questions, though, as I recall - for instance, you need to know what "PSA" stands for. There were a couple of questions where you had to choose the proper tracing for a move, and I don't remember the study guide having pictures of tracings anywhere. They show you a bunch of examples and ask which is the correct tracing for a 3-turn, for instance. I think the other one was a toe loop, but I'm not sure. Good luck!

I'm taking this exam at the end of the month, so I started collecting bits and pieces of information from everywhere. Figured I'd post it here to help out anyone else studying for the BA.

But, if it's multiple guess (LOL), how does one draw on the exam paper? (Oh, wait, Clarice has answered that already (above.)

Anyone know if it includes level-specific questions such as "What's required for ISI Freestyle 2" or "What elements are on Basic 5?"

__________________

Here's what I found last night:

Quote:

For the sports science exams, all the answers come straight from the book or common sense.

Quote:

For the basic accreditation exam, I was prepared for what came from the study guide, but surprised to see technical questions, too.Luckily, I didn't have too much difficulty, but it was not expected. Diagrams, terms, way back to VERY basic stuff that so many of us may take for granted.

Diagrams and terms, huh? It would be nice if the study guide just had a summary of the types of questions to expect. That would have caught me off-guard if someone hadn't told me about it in advance.

__________________

I don't have anything useful to add to this thread, just wanted to let you know that I am watching it with a lot of interest, so if you find out something more, do post!

__________________
--renatele

I guess it's just because of the rinks I work at, but very few people have gone the PSA route in this area. The general consensus is that, if you were a decent skater who took the freestyle/MITF/figures tests, you don't need the PSA. (Yes, many of the directors who WERE skaters do assume that if you can skate, you can teach. I personally think that the two are independent skills, but when they come together, it's great for the students.)

We're planning to relocate soon and most of the skating directors I talked to while researching areas require at minimum the BA exam.

So, I have no one to really guide me through the test, so I'm just studying everyday and trolling the 'net looking for tips.

Why the interest Renata? Do you plan to take the PSA tests in the future?

__________________

Here's my homework for the weekend:

Draw and label the following: 3turn, rocker, counter, and bracket.
(A forward and backward outside will suffice; give yourself bonus points for doing the insides as well.)

Include the direction of travel, the edge labels, and the correct upper body position.

Answer the following:

What do you look for in a student who touches down on the second half of a LFO three-turn?

__________________

Yes. Longer reply in PM

__________________
--renatele

I've read in another thread that you took the test on Friday. How did it go? Do you mind sharing any info?

__________________
--renatele

The very first question was, as Clarice said, "What does PSA stand for?" Interestingly, the PSA logo and "Professional Skaters Association" was at the top of the answer sheet! I figured if you got that one wrong, they just threw away the whole thing. The edge question was on there, but as I suspected, my friend had it all garbled up. They wanted to know how many basic edges there are, and neither 4 nor 8 were choices. The study guide had several mistakes in it, and one of them was spectacular: "Alcohol is bad for your heart because it contains so much cholesterol." Who writes these things, anyway??? Again, like Clarice said, if you read the study guide, and make a point of memorizing any stats and terms you are not already familiar with, you should be OK. Mind you, we don't get the results for four to six weeks.

__________________

Study guide - do you mean the "Ratings Guide to Sample Questions: Group" one?

4-6 weeks wait sounds like a real torture Doesn't sound like it was too difficult though, so I'm sure you did fine.

I find PSA's site very frustrating to find any info on anything; it just confuses me.




Edited to add: ah, the info packet that PSA sent me says that "a study guide is included in the fee when applying to take the (BA) exam".

__________________
--renatele

That's correct: when we signed up online for the BA exam, they emailed each of us a pdf attachment containing the study guide.

Be aware that the BA EXAM study guide doesn't contain any tracings. I knew this and studied all of the turns using my ISI manuals. However, the PSA sometimes uses what they call "proper" tracings, which are different from the ISI manual illustrations. (DBNY: Is "proper" the term they used on the test?)

For example, a three turn in the ISI manual is drawn as a half-circle, a "point" and then the other half-circle. The PSA "proper" tracing is drawn as a half-circle, a space, and then the other half-circle. The explanation is that the turn occurs during the gap when blade contact is transferred from one edge to the other.

I wonder if the higher-level tests' study guides include these "proper" tracings. It would have been helpful to have them when studying for these questions.

As to their website - the information's all there about the ratings, but there are some "easter eggs" in odd places that explain things better from my viewpoint. For example: LINK I will say that the membership package mailing explaining the system is excellent.

__________________

That's good to know, thanks for bringing it up. While I do know about that "gap" in 3s, I'm definitely more used to seeing "usual" tracing diagrams.

How much time do they give for the BA exam (I might have seen this mentioned somewhere... don't remember)? Did you feel rushed?

__________________
--renatele

There were 100 multiple choice questions and we had an hour. I finished in plenty of time and went back to 3 questions that I had waited on. Then I spot checked my answers to make sure I hadn't gotten the answer sheet out of step with the test book. Still had about 20 minutes left. BTW, I'm pretty sure that they got one of the questions wrong, but I don't argue on the answer sheet. Given the poor quality of the study guide, I wasn't surprised.

__________________

I passed! Now I get the joy of taking Oral Ratings.

__________________

many CONGRATS!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!