I
gave my ASQ CSSGB exam yesterday on 1st Dec’12. The exam I had
planned for almost a year. After getting mentally prepared I registered myself
for the exam on 24th Sep’12. So I had almost 2 months for preparation.
My earlier knowledge of the topics, related experience and some internet
research related to exam helped me in utilizing the 2 months effectively. However, these 2 months could have been utilized more effectively, had i studied earlier more consistently to avoid the last week marathon study. Surely the lessons learned
during this endeavor will help me in future.
In
this article, I would like to summarize my whole journey of preparation for
CSSGB exam.
To
start with, I would like to list the books I used for exam preparation. These
are the only resources I relied upon, in addition to gaining understanding of some topics
with the help of internet which are difficult to grasp through the book
content.
- The
Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook – ASQ Publication
- CSSGB
Primer and Solution Text – QCI Publication
If
you are planning to give CSSGB exam, must buy these two books and I am sure
this is enough to get through ASQ CSSGB exam.
The
exam is based upon the BoK (Book of Knowledge) published by ASQ which gives list of topics and the knowledge level
required. Before starting, go through the BoK and evaluate your level of
understanding of topics. If more than 80 % of the Bok looks new to you than
it’s time that you should give at least 5-6 months’ time prior to exam for
studying these topics. This scenario is very much expected from the people who
do not have prior experience in lean and six sigma. But if you feel yourself
comfortable with the topics then in my opinion 2 months of study is enough for
the preparation.
I
started my preparation with complete reading of CSSGB handbook. It took me
almost 3 weeks to read the book completely because the book content is not that
much simple. Sometimes I used to read the same topic 4-5 times to understand it
completely. However, because this was my first attempt so I didn’t wanted to
leave any topic of Bok untouched. While reading, do not restrict yourself to content of
the book only, if you find it difficult to understand any particular topic from book, take help of internet or any other resources to have complete
understanding.
After
finishing the handbook, I started reading the QCI primer. The primer is written in very
simple language and the topics are covered in a very effective manner to ensure your complete understanding of fundamentals. I used to read the section of primer followed by solving
the blue page questions given in the end of each section and
understanding the reason/logic behind the answer with the help of solution text.
Most
of the sections of primer are easy to understand except the statistical part
which needs some effort incase you are new to statistics. Do not panic in statistical part, make your concepts clear, CSSGB does not demand expertise in statistics. Making notes which will help you in last couple of days before exam.
Then
after completing the Primer and solution texts,I've read the CSSGB
handbook once again. This time I completed the book in almost 1 week. Confidence
started building in me because now I had the knowledge of most of the topics. In
the last week before the exam I completed my Primer and solution texts once
again.
The
day before the exam concentrate more on the topics that are difficult (in my
case it was the statistical part). I read the solution text completely and made
notes from the explanations given in the solution text.
Remember you are not allowed to carry any MCQ’s booklet or solution text with you in the exam.
Since
it is an open book exam, make sure to carry all the reference material
and notes. Remember to carry enough pen, pencils, calculator, exam center detail etc. Reach the exam center
at least 45 Min in advance. Do not panic and relax.
Exam Day
Exam
was very easy compared to what I anticipated. 4 Hr time is more than enough to
complete 100 questions. Although the result not yet declared but I am hoping
for a good outcome as I gave it my best effort all the way till the day of exam.
If
you need any help related to exam preparation or for study material, do not hesitate to write me on er.zaid.2004@gmail.com
I have passed the exam successfully.
