code-chick.net

BPA update

ok, here’s the (probably long) update.

first off, waking up @5am on a saturday really sucks!

anyway, it was probably 2 hours up to northwood (univ). and on the way up ron (one of the 2 advisors) handed out a list of who was doing what. turns out he entered me into a FOURTH event (that i didn’t even know about) w/o me knowing… so i was kinda worried about that one!

basically the format of the day was this. you went into one of 2 classrooms, depending on what tests you needed to take. once you were done with one, if you had more, you handed that one in and got the next one right away. we had 3 hours (i think) in the morning for tests, and then the afternoon if you didn’t have judged events (or you could take the tests AROUND your judged event schedule).

my events:

first test - keyboarding production. wasn’t soooo bad (i typed up the 4 “jobs” - papers - in probably 20 minutes, and then spent about 20 or so formatting them according to the bpa “style manual” which was like 50 pages long) but i know i messed up a few things total, and unfortunately in this one, messing up three things in one “job” (paper) means you get no points.

second test - administrative support concepts. pretty easy. this was just a multiple choice written test. and when i got done, i thought i did well, so i was happy. nothing too “outta the ordinary” on this one.

third test - computer network technology (my “extra” event). another scan-tron multiple choice test. i can’t even describe this one - maybe “impossible” fits? it was sooooo hard…. i think i knew 10 of the 85 questions. i basically guessed @ most of the rest, and didn’t end up finishing it cause i just gave up. but i answered like 77 of them.

then we had lunch break, and while 2 of my teammates were taking their Cisco test (that they didn’t have time in the morning), i was down in the room that we were supposed to work on the network design (team) event in, doing homework… lol

fourth event - network design team. it was an experience, to say the least! we learned a LOT of things that we NEED TO FIX for nationals… lol. but we quickly realized that 90 minutes is just not enough time!

then we had dinner/awards (which actually was moved up about an hour, and shortened from 3 hours to about 1 1/2 due to weather on the east side of the state, and the fact that there was one or two teams from the east side of MI there)…

how i did:

keyboarding production - they hadn’t finished scoring this one by the time the awards ceremony rolled around.

administrative support concepts - 2nd place!!!

computer network technology - 3rd place (this was the “impossible” test)!!!!!!

network design team - 1st place!!!!! (lmao)

so yeah. i guess i did OK. now i only wish i would have finished the computer network technology test…. lol

oh, and in those 3 events i’ve qualified for nationals. so DALLAS, HERE I COME!!!