2023 Sep-Oct RETA Breeze

job. Knowing when to consult the SDS, manuals or technical specifications can save time, resources, and lives on the job. Proper use of PT tables, formulas and infor- mation about system operations are essen- tial to keeping operators, technicians and other employees safe. These skills also are part of performing well on each RETA exam. CARO is the entry-level exam based on training from Industrial Refrigeration Book 1 (IR-1) and the safety information in Indus trial Refrigeration Book 4 (IR-4). CIRO adds Industrial Refrigeration Book 2 (IR-2) and Basic Electricity Books 1 and 2 (BE-1 and BE-2). CIRO also requires two years of machine room experience and interpreta tion of operating system problems in industrial refrigeration facilities. CRST builds on CIRO by adding trouble shooting skills and knowledge from Industrial Refrigeration Book 3 (IR-3), RETA’s Ammonia Refrigeration Compliance Guidelines, and the CO2 Course Book. RETA also provides materials to help each candidate prepare to pass these tests. • A study guide for each exam can be downloaded free from the RETA website. • Each Study Guide provides references that candidates will have access to on- screen next to the questions on their test. • CARO, CIRO and CRST Practice Tests are designed to help candidates learn how to use the onscreen references for their exam before they take the full test for their credential. • Candidate performance data from January through September of 2023 show the benefits of taking these practice tests. CRST requires at least four years of experience as an CIRO operator or service technician.

judgement of CertComm, whose members average over 18 years of industrial refrigera tion experience. Incorrect answers in these exams seem plausible (or correct) to candi- dates who do not fully understand a ques- tion, do not read the question and all the answers carefully, or make common errors in using information about refrigeration system operations in system screens and references. RETA’s website also includes a Supplemen tal Answer Key to questions in the CIRO and CRST Study Guides. The Supplemental Answer Key explains how to answer ques- tions using operating system screens and ladder diagrams. The key also offers insight into the logic and process of using system screens to answer questions on RETA exams. Candidates must determine what information on the screen is relevant to the question, know what is in the PT tables and how to use them, understand when and how to use formulas that appear at the front of each Reference, and use these sources to resolve existing and potential hazards in the system. RETA has designed credentialing exams that are extremely challenging to protect the health and safety of operators, tech- nicians, and every other person in or near an industrial refrigeration facility. RETA has invested millions of dollars and thousands of hours from volunteers to create books, exams and supporting resources to help candidates qualify for credentials that help them improve safety and efficiency in refrigeration facilities throughout the U.S. and as far away as India and Australia. Operators and technicians who improve safety and efficiency can advance in their careers by protecting lives and reducing costs for their employers. Attention to these details helps operators and their employers in many ways. Overlooking

even small details can result in serious injuries and preventable hazards on the job. Gains in efficiency also can reduce energy costs significantly. Many candidates rely on an instructor and a four-day class just before taking a RETA certification exam without preparing adequately before their class. This is not enough to help most candidates succeed. A short “review class” does not provide enough time to master the complex details of industrial refrigeration systems by itself. This much material is nearly impossible to be taught in any four-day class. Even if it were possible, most candidates could not retain that much new information at a level needed to pass an exam within a few days of seeing this content for the first time. Each RETA Study Guide also explains how to navigate the references that appear onscreen next to questions on each test. Many candidates struggle during a test because they are unsure how to use these references. RETA puts these in the Study Guide for each test and makes them part of the Practice Test experience. The more familiar a candidate is with the references for the test and how to use them, the more confident they will be in knowing when and how to use the information in the screens and references during the full exam. RETA has designed books, study guides and practice tests to help candidates earn RETA credentials that help them succeed throughout their careers. That is an essential part of RETA’s commitment to help refrigeration operators and techni cians meet RETA’s mission to improve safety and efficiency throughout the industry.

Dr. Ron Rodgers RETA Accreditation Manager and Psychometrician

All questions on RETA certification examinations include one BEST answer and three incorrect answers based on the

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