What really is the highest advanced test...?????

driversdomainuk · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 88

Hi

I am an ADI and have passed IAM and RoADAR at Gold grade.

I am aware that there is the DIAmond test which allowing 6 minors is the same as ADI Pt2. Now, apart from RoADAR, which I know is higher status than IAM and harder, there leaves two:

DIAmond Special Test
Cardington Special Test

Both of the above require no more than 2 minor faults and follow the DSA style of driving. But which is the hardest? as far as I understand, they are both the same..? However, the Cardington is for ADIs only whilst the DIAmond special is for anyone not spec. ADIs.

Any help would be great - Maybe RoADAR need to do a Platinum to keep up!

Cheers
Rob
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nuster100 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Yeovil, Somerset

The HPC awards I think are about the highest you can get.

Jay
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jont · Joined: 07 Jul 2006 Posts: 750 Location: Bristol

driversdomainuk · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 88

I think you are totally right joint. I am an ADI and so am looking it from a commercial perspective and so HPC is not worth doing, where as other more establised ones like DIAmond and DSA Cardington will have more clout in the fleet market anyhow.
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driversdomainuk · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 88

Horse · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 495 Location: Darkest Berkshoire

ScoobyChris · Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 1033 Location: Andover, Hants

The standards for each of the HPC awards are documented here:

http://www.hpc.org.uk/standards/index.html

Chris

ROG · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 955 Location: LEICESTER

7db · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 1691 Location: London

martine · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1267 Location: Bristol, UK

martine · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1267 Location: Bristol, UK

IAM Special Assessment?
ROSPA Diploma?

(I have to agree HPC entry is probably the most 'testing' (2 day 1-2-1 assessment) but as you say, it's not widely recognised).
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Horse · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 495 Location: Darkest Berkshoire

ROG · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 955 Location: LEICESTER

driversdomainuk · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 88

JamesAllport · Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 199 Location: Cambridge

There's a sense in which it's all a load of old cobblers anyway, 'cos you're only as good as the worst bit of your last drive. Very Happy

I don't know how the IAM or RoADAR examiners' standards are set and maintained. As it happens, The HPC gatekeepers and higher awards assessors have just spent some time driving together to agree and discuss the standard they are looking for and agree it with the Club's driving standards committee as part of an ongoing review of what the competencies in our standards document "look like" in practice. That's not a one off exercise, it has happened from time to time since the Club took control of its own standards.

Part of the problem is that, as Horse's extracts from the various guidelines show, there comes a point where the answer to the question "How will you know when the candidate reaches standard x?" is "I'll know it when I see it."

There's a musical parallel here which I'll happily borrow from one of the HPC assessors: I think Glenn Gould plays Bach better than Jonathan Papp. But they are both absolutely first rank artists and professional pianists of international standing. Describing why I think Glenn is better than Jonathan in a competency based framework would be [understatement] jolly hard [/understatement]

James
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