3 Star Assessment (11th March 2012)
It is almost a year since we took the 3 star course. The assessment is quite a pain to complete because it requires a huge deal of money, time and practice.
Unlike the 1 and 2 star courses which are easy to clear, the 3 star course does set a benchmark between a casual kayaker and one who is really in to kayaking.
Having said this, the opportunity to pass it not related to just the factor of money, time and practice. Depending where you go, relation seems to be a crucial factor. If the tester dislikes you from the start, you will be posed ridiculous questions with no proper answer and marked down on it. You will be given one chance to perform and if wrong, you will fail the component, while another will have a few chances to prove they can do it.
This act of relation is especially prominent at certain centres north east of Singapore. One case, is when a testee failed and after everyone went home, he was just told verbally what he needed to do to improve, and given a pass.
Another who was not close to the testee, was asked "Given $10,000, what type of paddle would you buy?"
Thankfully for me, my test was by a really honest and fair tester. He asked questions which were important, and logical. We were asked a barrage of questions based on paddles, boats etc. We were also tested on our skills, and for those which we were unable to clear, we knew exactly why. Overall, I received a deferred pass with just the sculling draw on my left to clear.
Yeah yeah yeah.. weak on my non master hand. haha.. I'm gonna conquer this weakness. :)
Unlike the 1 and 2 star courses which are easy to clear, the 3 star course does set a benchmark between a casual kayaker and one who is really in to kayaking.
Having said this, the opportunity to pass it not related to just the factor of money, time and practice. Depending where you go, relation seems to be a crucial factor. If the tester dislikes you from the start, you will be posed ridiculous questions with no proper answer and marked down on it. You will be given one chance to perform and if wrong, you will fail the component, while another will have a few chances to prove they can do it.
This act of relation is especially prominent at certain centres north east of Singapore. One case, is when a testee failed and after everyone went home, he was just told verbally what he needed to do to improve, and given a pass.
Another who was not close to the testee, was asked "Given $10,000, what type of paddle would you buy?"
Thankfully for me, my test was by a really honest and fair tester. He asked questions which were important, and logical. We were asked a barrage of questions based on paddles, boats etc. We were also tested on our skills, and for those which we were unable to clear, we knew exactly why. Overall, I received a deferred pass with just the sculling draw on my left to clear.
Yeah yeah yeah.. weak on my non master hand. haha.. I'm gonna conquer this weakness. :)