Training for the ALOA CRL exam

[djslacker]

Hello, I searched and I couldn't find much down this road so I'll just ask the question.

For those of you who have any level of ALOA certification, did you find the PRP Resource Guide helpful in your studies or was a book like Bill Phillips's: The Complete Book Of Locks And Locksmithing more helpful? I figure that the Resource Guide should be more helpful being that the people who are offering the test are offering the guide.

[zrichards]

I know I'm responding to a post from 3 years ago, but this thread came up in a google search, so maybe this response will help someone out...

I actually just got my CRL from ALOA. I took the PRP in August at the ALOA convention. In order to study for it, I felt as though I was pretty lost. However, one must realize that locksmiths are the ones writing the examination, so questions come from a limited number of sources.

The first book I would definitely recommend would be both of Bill Phillips's books. In fact, some questions I encountered in the mandatory categories as well as in the electives I took were taken almost ver batim from those books. The second set of books I would recommend are the LSS books (Locks, Safes and Security). These act as references to specific brands of locks, etc. All of these books can be purchased at amazon.com.

I also found classes offered by ALOA to be extremely valuable. I took many PRP electives immediately after the classes and passed every one of them. When you have ALOA certified instructors teaching you, chances are, they love what they're doing and really want you to learn as well. I've been very happy with my "classroom" style learning experiences from ALOA.

The last thing I found to be helpful is simply field experience. Many questions on the PRP cannot easily be studied for, but come from experience. I've been in the industry less than a year, and this is where my downfall was.

If you can gain as much experience with a wide variety of locks and hardware as possible as well as use those books mentioned above, you should have no problem with the PRP.

[LocksmithArmy]

I know I'm responding to a post from 3 years ago, but this thread came up in a google search, so maybe this response will help someone out...

I actually just got my CRL from ALOA. I took the PRP in August at the ALOA convention. In order to study for it, I felt as though I was pretty lost. However, one must realize that locksmiths are the ones writing the examination, so questions come from a limited number of sources.

The first book I would definitely recommend would be both of Bill Phillips's books. In fact, some questions I encountered in the mandatory categories as well as in the electives I took were taken almost ver batim from those books. The second set of books I would recommend are the LSS books (Locks, Safes and Security). These act as references to specific brands of locks, etc. All of these books can be purchased at amazon.com.

I also found classes offered by ALOA to be extremely valuable. I took many PRP electives immediately after the classes and passed every one of them. When you have ALOA certified instructors teaching you, chances are, they love what they're doing and really want you to learn as well. I've been very happy with my "classroom" style learning experiences from ALOA.

The last thing I found to be helpful is simply field experience. Many questions on the PRP cannot easily be studied for, but come from experience. I've been in the industry less than a year, and this is where my downfall was.

If you can gain as much experience with a wide variety of locks and hardware as possible as well as use those books mentioned above, you should have no problem with the PRP.

wow, good timing, I was just looking into ALOA certification and was wondering this muself...

but you know bill phillips has many many books not just 2... so which 2 are you reffering to?

thanks

[sfi72]

I know I'm responding to a post from 3 years ago, but this thread came up in a google search, so maybe this response will help someone out...
.

Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:14 pm

Not quite 3 years...

[LocksmithArmy]

also,

you did not mention the PRP Resource Guide, did you read this?

[zrichards]

Yes... Oops. I was looking at the wrong date when I said 3 years

The two Bill Phillips books I was referring to are:

The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing
and
Locksmithing

The two books are very similar in content, but they each have somewhat different content.

As for the PRP Resource guide, I have a newer one which isn't too informative. If you can find someone with an older one, it will have practice questions for each category. The new one has random practice questions that aren't labeled too well.

One thing I forgot that is extremely helpful about the PRP Resource Guide is the Locksmith Glossary that is included with it. The mandatory categories are HUGE for definitions. Not only are definitions important, ALOA's definitions are the ones they ask about.

[LocksmithArmy]

so its worth the 30 bucks... thanks alot