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PRACTICAL-ly Software Presents
==============================
TECHNICIAN CLASS MANAGER
==============================
Version 2.3 - For Windows
A Tool for Preparing for, and Testing on, the
TECHNICIAN CLASS
FCC EXAMINATION
Copyright ■ 1992, 1993
by William R. Wharton, Jr.
All Rights Reserved
FOR IBM/COMPATIBLE COMPUTERS
PRACTICAL-ly Software
20553 Lowfield Drive
Germantown, MD 20874
Technical Support: (301) 972-3954 6-10 p.m. EST
FAX: (301) 916-9298
BBS: (301) 916-9298 24 hours
300/1200/2400/9600/19200 bps
FEATURES:
- Simple, intuitive system for preparing for the Technician Class
FCC License
- Perfect tool for Volunteer Examiners for creating tests
- Manages entire Technician Class question pool, including
graphics
- Begin reviewing at any question
- Review questions sequentially or randomly
- Shuffle answers for each question if desired (except questions
with graphics)
- Take a test on either Element 2 or 3A from randomly chosen
questions (within the guidelines of the FCC testing criteria)
- Full set of options for customizing tests, including a Test
Design Screen
- Print complete Element 2 or 3A tests, along with answer sheets
and score key
- Save tests to disk for later use
- Study assist screen tells you what areas you need to study after
taking a test
- Pop-up on-screen calculator
- Automatically "remove" a question from the "question card deck"
when answered correctly, if desired
- Manually remove any question from the "deck" at any time
- Reinsert into the "deck" any previously removed question
- Start review all over by putting all "cards" back into the deck
- Show answers always or only after an attempt at the answer has
been made
- Saves option settings, deck, and last question number to disk to
"pick up where you left off"
i
- Print any part of the question pool
- On-screen cross-reference to the book, New No-Code Technician
Class FCC License Preparation, by Gordon West, available at
Radio Shack
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. WHAT IS TECH MANAGER?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
3. GETTING STARTED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.1 Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.2. Installing TECH MANAGER To Your Hard Drive . . . . . . 2
3.3. Setting up the Windows Application:. . . . . . . . . . 3
3.4. About Controlling TECH MANAGER . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.4.1. Keyboard Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.4.2. Mouse Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4. THE TITLE SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5. THE MAIN MENU SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.1. Review Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.2. Testing Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.3. Default Option Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.4. Print from Question Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.5. Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6. TESTING MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6.1. Loading a test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6.1.1. Generate Element 2 or 3A Test . . . . . . . . . . 7
6.1.2. Test Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6.1.2.1. Opening Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.1.2.2. Test Editor Operation. . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.1.3. Load Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6.2. Test Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6.2.1. Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6.2.2. Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6.2.3. Save. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7. DEFAULT OPTION MENU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
7.1. Pull Cards From Deck When Answered Correctly . . . . . 12
7.2. Display Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
7.3. Relationship Between Modifying the Deck and Displaying
Answers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
7.4. Randomize Answers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
7.5. Randomize Test Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
7.6. Put One Question Back In Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
7.7. Remove A Question From Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.8. Put All Questions Back In Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
7.9. Done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8. PRINT FROM QUESTION POOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
iii
9. QUESTION REVIEW SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.1. Displayed Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.1.1. Question Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.1.2. Card Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.1.3. Cards in Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9.1.4. Pull Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9.1.5. Question Block. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9.1.6. Answer Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9.1.7. Correct Answer Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.2. Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.2.1. Answer Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.2.2. Next and Back Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.2.2.1. Next Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.2.2.2. Back Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
9.2.2.3. More on the Next/Back Buttons. . . . . . . 21
9.2.3. Random/Sequence Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.2.4. Calculator Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
9.2.5. Reference Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
9.2.6. Options Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
9.2.7. Main Menu Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
10. EXAMINATION SCREEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
10.1. Displayed Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
10.1.1. Question Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
10.1.2. Question Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
10.1.3. Score So Far . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
10.1.4. Question Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
10.1.5. Answer Blocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
10.1.6. Correct Answer Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
10.2. Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
10.2.1. Answer Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
10.2.2. Next Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
10.2.3. Back Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
10.2.4. Calculator Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
10.2.5. Main Menu Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
10.3. TEST RESULTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
11. FILES ON TECH MANAGER DISTRIBUTION DISKS. . . . . . . . . 27
12. FILES THAT TECH MANAGER CREATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
13. WHAT DO YOU GET BY REGISTERING? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
14. HOW TO REGISTER!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
15. TROUBLESHOOTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
16. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
iv
TECH MANAGER
(Version 2.3 for Windows)
A Tool for Preparing for the New Technician Class Examination
1. WHAT IS TECH MANAGER?
TECH MANAGER is TWO things. 1) It's the most versatile tool ever
written to assist the learning process for anyone preparing for the
Technician Class FCC Examination. And 2), it also provides to the
Volunteer Examiner a completely configurable way to generate tests
to administer to examinees for the Technician Class FCC license.
This program provides a user-friendly Windows environment to manage
the question pool from which tests on Element 2 and Element 3A are
taken. TECH MANAGER also provides page reference to the book, New
No-Code Technician Class FCC License Preparation, available at
Radio Shack, for detailed question explanations.
IMPORTANT!!
TECH MANAGER is distributed in shareware form. This means that you
are able to look at the program and see how it functions, but the
FULL FUNCTIONALITY OF THE PROGRAM WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE TO YOU
UNTIL YOU REGISTER YOUR COPY. Your unregistered copy will allow you
to browse around through the program and see for yourself exactly
what the program can do before you register it. If you decide that
you like TECH MANAGER (and you will!), register by following the
directions in Section 14, and PRACTICAL-ly Software will provide
you with a registration number that will completely unlock your
copy of the program.
2. INTRODUCTION
The question pool which is effective from July 1, 1993 to June 30,
1997, consists of 645 questions, and TECH MANAGER manages these
questions as if they were 645 cards, each containing one question.
A deck of question cards really describes how TECH MANAGER handles
the questions and that terminology will be used frequently in this
manual.
TECH MANAGER lets you go through the deck of question cards in
almost any way you could want. When you look at a question, you
have the option of seeing the answer when you see the question, or
seeing the answer after you have attempted to answer the question.
When you determine that you know a question sufficiently that you
need not see it again, you can remove that question card from the
Page 1
deck, either automatically when you correctly answer the question,
or manually at any time. Thus, as you become more and more
comfortable with the questions, the size of the question deck
decreases, letting you concentrate only on the questions with which
you still are not comfortable. When you have worked your way
completely through the question deck in this way, you will have a
complete mastery of the Technician Class question pool.
At any time, TECH MANAGER allows you to take a test on Element 2 or
Element 3A, just as you will see when you actually test for your
Technician Class License. As you progress through the test, your
score is constantly shown as you answer each question. When you
consistently make high scores on TECH MANAGER, you can be assured
of a high score on your actual Technician Class License
examination!
3. GETTING STARTED
3.1 Hardware Requirements
- Hard drive with about 1.7 megabytes of free disk space
available
- DOS 3.3 or higher
- Microsoft Windows 3.0 or 3.1
- EGA or VGA display monitor (color desirable, but not required)
3.2. Installing TECH MANAGER To Your Hard Drive
TECH MANAGER is a Windows application program that is compatible
with Windows 3.0 and 3.1. The installation process is done at the
DOS prompt. The installation steps for each are listed below.
1. Make a subdirectory on your hard disk where you want to put
the program. (For example, at C:\ type MD TECHMGR2 to create
a subdirectory called TECHMGR2 in your root directory.)
2. Change to the directory which you just created by typing CD
TECHMGR2 (or whatever name you chose to use).
3. Copy all the TECH MANAGER files into the new subdirectory on
your hard disk.
4. Now run Windows.
Page 2
3.3. Setting up the Windows Application:
TECH MANAGER is now installed on your hard disk, and now you need
to set up the program in Windows. This section explains how to do
that.
1. From the Windows Program Manager, select NEW from the FILE
menu.
2. Select PROGRAM ITEM.
3. On the Description line, type the name you want to give the
TECH MANAGER program on your Windows Desktop (e.g. TECH
MANAGER).
4. If you are running Windows 3.0, on the Command line, type
C:\TECHMGR2\TECHMGR2.EXE. If you have Windows 3.1, you only
need to type TECHMGR2.
5. If you have Windows 3.1, for Working Directory, type
drive:\TECHMGR2, where drive is the drive on which you
installed the program.
6. Now click on OK and your installation is complete. The TECH
MANAGER icon will show up on your windows desktop and is ready
for you to use!
NOTE ABOUT PRINTING: All of the functions in TECH MANAGER that
involve printing do so through your computer's Windows Printer
Setup. All print functions do so in a Courier 10 cpi font
which is a standard font. If you have any problems printing,
make sure your printer is correctly configured in Windows.
3.4. About Controlling TECH MANAGER
TECH MANAGER is designed to be used primarily with a mouse, but
to a large extent, it can be controlled by the keyboard, too.
However, some screens in the program need more than just a
keyboard entry, and a mouse is required.
3.4.1. Keyboard Control
TECH MANAGER is controlled by using the "control buttons" on
each screen, that is, graphic buttons which are shown on the
screen. In this documentation, these buttons will be shown as
[BUTTON]. Most of the buttons have a letter underlined in the
caption on the button. This indicates the letter on the
keyboard which will activate the button. To use the keyboard
Page 3
"HOT" keys, press the ALT button at the same time as the
underlined letter. One of the buttons on the screen will
usually be highlighted by a shadow around part of it. If you
press ENTER, the highlighted button will be "pressed". If you
want to highlight a different control button, TAB will switch
to the next control. SHIFT TAB will switch to the previous
control button.
Not all control buttons have an underlined character. These
buttons can be "pressed" only by clicking the left mouse button
when the mouse pointer is on the button or by tabbing to them
and then pressing ENTER.
3.4.2. Mouse Control
Using a mouse is the easiest way to use TECH MANAGER. All you
have to do is point to the control button that you want to
press and click. Most buttons that are TECH MANAGER specific
only require one mouse click, but buttons that are more Windows
specific, such as when loading and saving files require a
double-click. As a rule, just assume one click is required; if
that doesn't work, use two.
TECH MANAGER is very intuitive; you can run the program
successfully with what you know now. However, to take full
advantage of the many features that TECH MANAGER has built in, come
back and finish reading about the details of the program. You'll
find that TECH MANAGER probably does what you want it to do, and if
it does, register your copy to fully enable all the features of
your copy of TECH MANAGER.
4. THE TITLE SCREEN
The Title Screen is the first thing that you will see in TECH
MANAGER. When you see this screen, TECH MANAGER is loading all the
data that it needs to begin. This data includes most of the option
settings TECH MANAGER found when it terminated. (This allows you
to pick up where you left off when you come back to TECH MANAGER
after leaving the program. For more information on this, refer to
the section on the Main Menu, section 5.) Loading the data is
almost instantaneous, but the actual speed depends on your
computer.
The Registration Block will initially say that it is registered to
UNREGISTERED and a button underneath is labeled [Enter Registration
Number]. This indicates that your copy of TECH MANAGER is still an
unregistered shareware version. When you register your copy,
PRACTICAL-ly Software will provide you with a registration number.
Page 4
To register your shareware copy, press the [Enter Registration
Number] button. You will then have to enter your name EXACTLY as
you were provided with your registration number, along with the
registration number itself. Once you have the data entered
correctly, press the [Enter] button. If you have done everything
correctly, your name will now show in the Registered To: box. If
there's a problem, enter the data again, making sure that you enter
upper case and lower case and all spaces and punctuation EXACTLY
like is shown with your registration. If you still have trouble,
call the PRACTICAL-ly Software Technical Support number.
Once you are ready to either look at TECH MANAGER in unregistered
mode, or if you're ready to fully use your registered copy, press
or click [Start] to begin the program.
5. THE MAIN MENU SCREEN
The Main Menu lets you select which activity you want to do,
whether it's reviewing the questions, accessing the test menu,
changing the default options, or printing from the question pool.
The default options can either be changed now or while you are
reviewing questions. However, the option screen is not available
while you are taking a test. (More on that in the Taking a Test
section.) The menu items available to you on the Main Menu Screen
are now described in detail.
5.1. Review Questions and Answers
When you select this option, a window and two buttons pop up onto
the screen to allow you to enter which question card you want to
start with. The cards are numbered from 1 to 645. If you are
running the program for the first time, the number will be 1. If
you are not running TECH MANAGER for the first time, the
highlighted number in the box is the number of the last question
you looked at when you last quit the program.
To start with a different question than the one shown in the
block, simply type the number of the question card and select
[Begin], or simply press ENTER.
If you decide that you don't want to review questions yet, select
[Cancel], and choose another option.
NOTE: If you are using an unregistered shareware copy of TECH
MANAGER, you will only be able to look at one question at a
time on the Question Review Screen. You will not be able to
go forward or backward while you are at the review screen.
However, you can look at each question in the question pool by
Page 5
coming back to the main menu, which will automatically
increment the question number, and then go back to the review
screen.
You will probably be especially interested in looking at the
graphic questions. Take a look at questions 253-260. You can
find the other 22 graphic questions if you try!
5.2. Testing Menu
This menu contains options you might want to either take a test
on the computer or to print a test. You can even save tests to
disk for later use! The details of the Testing Menu are discussed
in detail in section 6.
5.3. Default Option Menu
The default option screen will allow you to customize the way you
review the questions. This screen is also available to you at
any time when you are reviewing the questions. However it is not
available during testing. A detailed explanation of the Default
Option Menu is found in section 7.
5.4. Print from Question Pool
Select this menu item if you want to access any or all of the
question pool to print. Unfortunately, you are restricted from
actually printing from the unregistered version, but you can see
how easy this function is to use. The details of how to use the
Print from Question Pool option are discussed in detail in
section 8.
5.5. Quit
Selecting Quit will take you out of TECH MANAGER and put you back
into Windows. This might take a few seconds, because TECH
MANAGER has some housekeeping to do. There are several files
that TECH MANAGER saves to disk so that when you restart the
program later, you can pick up where you left off. The files
that are saved are listed in section 12, Files That TECH MANAGER
Creates.
6. TESTING MENU
The testing menu is laid out to represent a logical sequence of
events. In other words, when you make a selection, the testing
menu screen will guide you to the next input that you need to make,
Page 6
if that is the case. The first menu block involves either the
automatic generation or manual creation or the loading from disk of
a test. The center block indicates if there is a test in memory,
and if so, what the name of the test is (which also indicates how
the test was generated), along with whether the test is Element 2
or 3A. The third block lets you select what you want to do with
the test in memory: practice it, print it, or save it to disk.
Each of these options will be explained in detail now.
6.1. Loading a test
This block of options lets you tell the program how you want to
load a test into memory.
6.1.1. Generate Element 2 or 3A Test
When you select an option to generate either the Element 2 or
3A test from the Main Menu, TECH MANAGER generates the test you
select from the appropriate set of questions. TECH MANAGER
doesn't just randomly pick the questions out of the entire
pool, but randomly chooses one question for each subelement.
For instance, one question must come from the first 11
questions, that is one question must come from subelement N1A.
TECH MANAGER will randomly pick one of those 11 questions to
ask if you are taking an Element 2 test.
TECH MANAGER selects the questions for your test: 30 for
Element 2 or 25 for Element 3A. Later, you will have the
option for the questions to be shuffled so they won't be in
order, and you can also opt to have the answers jumbled so you
won't get used to D being the answer to a particular question
each time, for instance.
If you let the computer generate an Element 2 or 3A test for
you, the Test Name block will indicate the name "NEW" and the
test identification will be displayed under the name: either
Element 2 or Element 3A. Now you're ready to select Practice,
Print, or Save. See section 6.2 for a discussion of those
options.
6.1.2. Test Editor
The test editor is a utility to allow you to either create a
test from scratch, or to modify an already existing test. This
screen allows you to have total control over the questions in
a test. The [Test Editor] button is placed in the test
generator block on the Testing Menu because it is not necessary
Page 7
to have created a test before you enter the test editor. The
test editor can create a test from scratch, or it can modify a
test that the computer has already generated. If you already
have a test in memory (a tests' name is displayed in the Test
Name block), then the test editor will display the questions
which make up the test already in memory, and you can change
the question selections if you wish.
6.1.2.1. Opening Screen
When you first select the testing menu, you will be presented
with a screen that prompts you to select either Element 2 or
Element 3A to begin the session. This is done by clicking on
the menu bar at the top of the screen. The box below the
prompt tells you whether there is a test in memory. If there
isn't, the message will say No element in memory or it will
tell you that there is an Element 2 or Element 3A in memory.
You can open an Element 2 session with an Element 3A test in
memory if you want, and vice-versa, but before your session
begins, you will be warned that you are about to clear the
test which you have already in memory. If that's OK with you,
then click on [OK], otherwise, click [Cancel].
6.1.2.2. Test Editor Operation
If you open an editing session for the same Element that you
have in memory, the test editor will initially display the
questions for the test in memory. If there is no test in
memory, no question selections will be highlighted; you will
need to select each question manually.
The screen consists of ten columns (subelements), and in each
column are listed the question codes for each subelement. To
select a particular question in a subelement, just click on
the code number. You can only select one question for each
subelement. If a test is already in memory, the question
codes will be highlighted in each subelement. If you want to
select a different question, just select the one you want.
The buttons at the top of the screen will shift the columns to
the left or the right either by one column or by ten columns.
The single arrows shift by one, the double arrows shift by
ten.
Remember there are 30 questions in an Element 2 test, and 25
questions in an Element 3A test.
Page 8
Once you have set up the test to your satisfaction, press the
[Make Test] button at the bottom of the screen. (This
function is available to registered users.) The questions
which are currently selected in the test editor become the
questions for the test in memory. Now when you return to the
Testing Menu, the Status Block will show a Test Name of
"MANUAL", since the test was manually created. No changes
which you make in the Test Editor become effective until the
[Make Test] button is pressed.
If you press [Make Test] without a question selected for each
subelement, the program will tell you that the list of
questions is incomplete. Complete the selection process for
all subelements, and then click [Make Test].
The [Clear All Questions] button is self explanatory.
6.1.3. Load Test
If any tests have been saved to disk, they can be reloaded into
memory by selecting the [Load Test from Disk] option. All
tests are saved with the filename extension ".tst". See section
6.2.3 for more details. The box on the upper-left of the
window will indicate the filename that you select to retrieve.
If the test you wish to retrieve is located in another
directory or on a different drive, then select the correct path
using the subdirectory and drive selection boxes. Once the
filename has been selected, either press ENTER or click [OK] to
load the test. When the test is loaded, the filename will be
displayed in the File Name box along with the appropriate test
element designation underneath.
It should be noted that when a test is saved, any
randomization of the question and answer order is not saved.
If you want to have the questions and/or answers randomized,
you will have to do that just prior to either practicing the
test or printing the test. The randomization procedure is
reaccomplished each time a test is practiced or printed.
Three sample test files should be in your default program
subdirectory for illustration purposes, TEST1.TST, TEST2.TST
and MYFILE.TST. However, you will not be able to load these
sample tests with the unregistered version of the program.
Once registered, this function will be fully enabled.
6.2. Test Actions
Once a test is loaded into memory, you can either practice taking
Page 9
the test, print the test, or save the test to disk for later. If
you try to select one of these options before a test is loaded
(no test name visible), the program will remind you to load a
test first.
6.2.1. Practice
This is where you actually get to see how well you know the
material. When this button is selected, a pop-up screen will
show you how the program defaults are currently set as far as
randomizing test questions and test answers. You have the
chance at this screen to change the settings for the test that
you are about to practice. Changing these options here will
NOT change the DEFAULT SETTINGS as you have set them on the
default option screen (see section 7), but it does provide a
temporary override of the default options.
When the testing options are set, press [Continue] to practice
the test. You can also press [Cancel] to abort the procedure.
A detailed explanation of the actual practice test is in
Section 10, the EXAMINATION SCREEN.
6.2.2. Print
If you want the test to be more realistic, print out the test
and take it on paper. Also if you're a Volunteer Examiner,
then you want to be able to generate tests to administer. This
function will print out the test for you. The test which will
be printed out, of course, is the one in memory.. the test
whose name is currently showing in the Test Name window. You
have complete control over which questions are on the test,
too, as discussed in section 6.1.2.
Just as occurs when you select the option to practice a test,
a pop-up screen will show your default randomization options,
and you have the chance to change these options before
printing. Make sure that your printer is ready to print before
going on. When ready to print, select [Continue].
The first printed page is a cover sheet for the test, with
spaces for the examinee's name, the names of the Volunteer
Examiners and the date. The following pages will list the
questions and answers, presented as you selected with the
randomization options. The last page is the answer sheet for
the test along with a scoring key.
Notice that at the top of each page, an ID number is printed in
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the upper right-hand corner. This number is a randomly
generated ID for the purpose of keeping the test questions and
answer sheets together in a test. If you print out several
tests, you shouldn't run the risk of mixing up the answer
sheets. The odds of getting two different tests with the same
ID number are low, but not non-existent.
6.2.3. Save
If there's a test in memory that you want to save to take again
or to save for someone else to use later, for instance, select
the [Save Test] option. A pop-up window will provide you with
a save screen.
The upper-left box shows if you have selected a filename.
Until you select a filename, this block will say "*.tst". The
extension for all test files is ".tst". Furthermore, ".tst" is
the only extension that is allowed. If you enter a filename
with no extension, the program will add it for you. If you add
the ".tst" extension, the program recognizes a correct
extension. If you append an extension other than ".tst" the
program will change the extension to ".tst". Underneath the
filename block, all test files in the current subdirectory will
be displayed. If you want to save the test with a filename
that already exists, you can simply click on the filename
itself. A message box will ask you to verify that you want to
overwrite the existing file. If you want to save the test
under a new filename, simply type that filename in the box.
Once a filename is entered, the test can be saved either by
pressing ENTER or by clicking on the [OK] button.
If you want to save the test in a different subdirectory or on
a different drive, you can change the path by selecting the
desired subdirectory and drive. The drive and subdirectory
that the test will be saved to will be highlighted in their
respective boxes.
When a test is saved, no question or answer randomization data
is saved. However, when a test is reloaded, you can again have
the questions and answers randomized prior to practicing or
printing.
The Save action will not be performed if your copy of the
program is unregistered. Once registered, this function will
be completely enabled.
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7. DEFAULT OPTION MENU
The Default Option Menu is available from the Main Menu and from
the Question Review Screen. It is not available while practicing
a test, however. This menu displays, and allows you to change, the
default main options for the program. It also provides three
functions for managing the "cards" in your "deck".
NOTE: This screen lets you set the DEFAULT options for the
program. But each time you either practice a test or print a
test, a window will pop up and offer you the chance to deviate
from the defaults temporarily. Deviating from the defaults
when practicing or printing a test will not change the
DEFAULTS, though.
The Option Screen is controlled by pressing/clicking the control
and radio buttons with the mouse or the hot keys or by tabbing to
the control and then pressing ENTER. If you don't have a mouse,
you will need to use the TAB key to move around the Option Screen.
The radio buttons cannot be tabbed to; however, you can TAB to the
control button beside each radio button.
The radio buttons will indicate which option in each group is
selected. Only one option can be selected at a time. When one is
selected, the other option is deselected.
The options that you select will govern the operation of TECH
MANAGER while you're reviewing questions, but may be temporarily
overridden if you take one of the tests.
These options will also be saved to a file on your disk called
"DEFAULTS.DAT" when you exit the program. TECH MANAGER will load
this file whenever the program is run, allowing you to pick up
where you left off; you will find your options the same as when you
left the program.
7.1. Pull Cards From Deck When Answered Correctly
If you select [Yes], when you answer a question correctly, that
card will be removed from the deck, and you will not be asked
that question again. If you answer a question incorrectly, that
card will stay in the deck so that you can go over it again.
This allows you to concentrate on the questions that you still
haven't learned. As you answer questions correctly, the deck
will begin to thin out. This is a good strategy to prevent
wasting time on reviewing questions that you have already
learned.
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NOTE: You can always put a question back into the deck. When
you pull a card from the deck, it isn't lost, it's just
flagged that you've answered it correctly and have chosen not
to leave it in the deck for now. The function to reinsert a
card into the deck is on the Option Screen, and is explained
in section 7.6.
If you select [No], answering a question correctly will not pull
the card from the deck. You can review the questions by either
having the answers displayed all the time or by attempting to
correctly answer the questions before the answer is shown, but
the question card deck will not be altered in any way while [No]
is selected.
This option block is tied to the DISPLAY ANSWERS option block,
described next. The relationship between the two option blocks
is described in section 7.3.
7.2. Display Answers
The answer to a question can be shown at the time that the
question is first displayed, or it can be hidden until you
attempt to answer the question.
If you select [Always], the answer to a question will be visible
to you when the question first pops onto the screen. This is
good when you are first going through the questions to learn
them.
Selecting [After Attempt] will hide the answer to each question
until after you have pressed one of the answer buttons.
7.3. Relationship Between Modifying the Deck and Displaying
Answers
If you have selected the option to pull a question from the deck
when you answer it correctly, it makes sense that the answer
shouldn't be shown until after you try to answer.
So, if you select the option to Display Answers [Always], the
option to modify the deck will automatically change over to [No].
Likewise, if you select the option to modify the deck [Yes], the
option to display answers will change to [After Attempt].
7.4. Randomize Answers
When you practice taking a test or when you print a test, you
have the option of randomizing the answers. Before you practice
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or print a test you are also given an opportunity to temporarily
override this default.
If you select [No] for this option, the answers that you see on
the review screen will always be in the same A, B, C, D order.
By selecting [Yes], as each question comes up on the screen
(except questions with graphics), the answers will randomly be
shuffled so that you won't necessarily get used to seeing the
answer in the same place every time. This is how the FCC
examination will be; they don't have to always list the answers
in the same order.
Don't worry, TECH MANAGER still knows which answer is the correct
one, no matter how they have been rearranged.
NOTE: There are 30 questions between the Element 2 and 3A
question pools that have graphics associated with them. TECH
MANAGER has these graphics in bitmap (*.BMP) files, and it
loads them whenever a graphic question is accessed. Due to
screen space allocation, the four multiple choice answers for
these questions are a part of the graphic itself. Therefore,
the answers for the questions with graphics cannot be
shuffled, even if the option to do so is selected.
7.5. Randomize Test Questions
This option is very similar to the Randomize Answers option, and
it adds another level of reality to the testing environment.
Don't expect to get the questions in the same order as they occur
by subelement when you take your FCC exam. By selecting the
option to randomize the test questions, you set the default
condition to randomize the questions when you either practice a
test or print a test. As was discussed in the last section, you
are given the opportunity before practicing or printing a test to
temporarily override the defaults without changing the defaults.
7.6. Put One Question Back In Deck
If a question has been pulled from the deck and you decide that
you want to put it back into the deck until you learn it better,
it's very easy to do. Press the [Put One Question Back In Deck]
button.
Once you press this command button, a smaller window will pop up
and allow you to enter the question (card) number that you want
to put back into the deck. The number that TECH MANAGER puts
into the box automatically is the number of the next question
with respect to the last question you looked at. Thus, if you
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were on question 50 and you selected this option, the number in
the box would be 51. If this isn't the number you want to
replace in the deck, simply type the number of the question that
you do want.
TECH MANAGER looks at the card that you have selected. If that
card is already in the deck, then no action will take place. You
will simply be returned to the option screen. If the card really
has been pulled from the deck, TECH MANAGER will put the card
back and when you return to the question screen, you will find
that the card you're seeing is the one that you just put back
into the deck.
If you have entered the option screen directly from the main menu
after starting TECH MANAGER, the number shown in the window when
you select this option will be the number following the last
question that you looked at when you last terminated the program.
(TECH MANAGER saves the last question to a data file when it
terminates.)
7.7. Remove A Question From Deck
When you are reviewing questions, you can select the option to
have the program automatically remove cards from the deck when
you answer a question correctly (discussed previously). Aside
from this automatic function, however, any time you decide that
you would like to pull a particular question from the deck, TECH
MANAGER makes this easy to do by pressing the [Remove a Question
From Deck] button.
When this option is selected, a smaller window pops up so that
you can enter the question number that you would like to pull
from the deck. By default, the number that appears in the window
is the number of the question you last looked at. This even
includes if you have just started the program. (The last
question you looked at was saved to disk when you exited the
program and automatically loaded by TECH MANAGER when you
restarted the program.) If you are starting TECH MANAGER for the
first time, and you have never looked at any questions, the
number seen in the box will be 1.
If you have entered the Option Menu from the Question Review
Screen, when you return to the Question Review Screen, the
question which will be displayed will be the one following the
question you just pulled.
If you tell TECH MANAGER to pull a question from the deck which
has already been pulled, TECH MANAGER will simply return you to
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the Option Screen without taking any action.
7.8. Put All Questions Back In Deck
If you decide to start all over again, you can use the [Put All
Questions Back In Deck] button. When you select this function,
a WARNING window will ask you if you're REAL sure you want to do
this. If you have pulled, for instance, 500 questions from the
deck, whether it was done automatically by answering them
correctly, or by pulling them manually, or both, you have
narrowed the deck down to only 145 questions left to study. If
you select [Yes] from the warning screen, all 500 of those pulled
cards will go back into the deck, and you will be starting from
scratch!
7.9. Done
When you have selected the options you want to use, select
[Done]. If you entered the Option Screen from the Main Menu, you
will be returned to the Main Menu. If you entered the Option
Screen from the Question Review Screen, then that is the screen
you will be returned to.
8. PRINT FROM QUESTION POOL
The situation may arise where you just want to print out questions
from the question pool. This option lets you print out questions,
with or without the answers. The screen is simple and easy to use.
First of all, the question pool identifies questions by their
codes, such as N1A01. However, TECH MANAGER manages the questions
by assigning them numbers, 1 through 645. To make it easy to
relate the question codes with the TECH MANAGER numbers, you can
print out a cross reference sheet for either Element 2 or Element
3A. Click on the [Print Cross-Reference Sheets] on the Menu Bar.
Then select either Element 2 or 3A.
Once you decide which questions you want to print out, fill in the
appropriate areas with the TECH MANAGER numbers. You can enter
only 5 ranges of numbers to print out at a time, but it only takes
1 range to specify question 1-645 and print out the entire pool!
If you only specify 1 number to print and you don't enter anything
in the second box, the second box will automatically be set to the
same question number as box 1. The same is true if you only enter
a number in the second box.
If you enter a number in the second entry box which is smaller than
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the first entry box, the program will indicate an error and ask you
to correct the entries.
When you have selected the questions to print, you may opt to have
the answers printed, too. The answers will be printed right after
each question and it's 4 answers.
Now select [Print], and the questions will be printed out. If you
need to print more, you can press the [Clear Entries] button and
all numeric entries will be cleared.
NOTE: The unregistered shareware copy will not allow you to
print. Once you register your copy, this function and all others
will be totally enabled.
9. QUESTION REVIEW SCREEN
This is the screen where you will probably spend most of your time.
The Question Review Screen is very versatile in the way that you
can use it to learn the questions, especially coupled with the
Option Screen which was discussed in the last section.
The Question Review Screen can be controlled by using the "hot"
keys shown on the command buttons, by tabbing to the button and
pressing ENTER, or by using a mouse.
The features of this screen are discussed in detail in the
following sections.
9.1. Displayed Information
The information which is displayed at the top of the Question
Review Screen is discussed in the following sections.
9.1.1. Question Code
Every question is assigned a code by the FCC Question Pool
Committee. As each question is reviewed, the code assigned to
each question is shown in this box.
9.1.2. Card Number
The "card deck" has 645 cards in it, and TECH MANAGER numbers
these cards 1 through 645. The card number for the question
displayed is shown in the box. The card number will probably
give you a better idea of where you are in the deck than the
Question Code will.
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9.1.3. Cards in Deck
This number will be 645 when you run TECH MANAGER for the first
time. It indicates how many cards are left in the deck. As
you learn the questions, you can choose to pull cards from the
deck, so that you only have questions remaining that you still
need to work on. As cards are pulled from the deck, the number
will decrease from 645, showing you how many questions you
still have to work on. To find out how to pull cards from the
deck, either automatically or manually, refer to the Option
Screen, sections 7.1 and 7.7.
9.1.4. Pull Cards
One of TECH MANAGER's more attractive features is that if you
answer a question correctly, it will automatically remove that
question from the deck.. if you have that option selected, of
course. Section 7.1 describes how to turn this option on and
off. The Pull Cards window on the Question Review Screen
indicates whether or not the option to modify the deck when a
question has been answered correctly is selected or not.
You can also change the Pull Cards option from the Question
Review Screen by pressing [Options], accessing the Option
Screen (section 9.2.6).
9.1.5. Question Block
The first large block below the top information line is the
Question Block. It is here that the questions will always be
displayed.
9.1.6. Answer Blocks
Typically there are four answer blocks displayed below the
question block, and the answers shown in the blocks are labeled
A, B, C, and D. These blocks are for display of the possible
answers. To select an answer, you must use the Answer Buttons
described in section 9.2.1.
In the cases where the questions have graphics associated with
them such as block diagrams or schematic diagram components,
one large answer box will replace the four smaller answer
boxes, and the graphic will be displayed in the box, along with
the four possible answers.
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9.1.7. Correct Answer Block
Whether or not the Correct Answer Block is displayed when the
question is first displayed depends on how you have selected
your options (section 6.2.1).
If you have selected the option to Display Answers [Always],
the Correct Answer Block will be visible at all times. The
Answer buttons will also be disabled in this case.
On the other hand, if you have opted to have the answers
displayed only after you attempt to answer the question, then
the Answer Block will not be visible when the question is first
displayed and the Answer buttons will be enabled. If you press
any one of the Answer Buttons, the Answer block will pop up and
show the correct answer, and a message of YES! or SORRY. will
pop up over the answer buttons to indicate if your selected
answer was the correct one or not.
9.2. Controls
9.2.1. Answer Buttons
The answer buttons are used to select an answer to the
displayed questions, however, they are not always enabled. You
can tell if the buttons are enabled by the color of the caption
print on the buttons.
If you have selected the option to display the correct answer
all the time (section 7.2), the answer buttons will be
disabled. You can see in this case that the "A", "B", "C", and
"D" on the buttons are not black, but are dimmed, and the
correct answer block is visible, showing the answer to the
displayed question.
If you have selected the option to display answers only after
you attempt to answer the question (section 7.2), the answer
buttons will be enabled and the "A", "B", "C", and "D" on the
buttons will be black. Since you are going to try to answer
the question, the answer block will not be visible until after
you select one of the answer buttons.
9.2.2. Next and Back Buttons
9.2.2.1. Next Button
When you were at the Main Menu, you chose which question you
wanted to begin with in your review. The [Next] button lets
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you move on from the displayed question to the next question
even if you don't want to try to answer the question
displayed.
If you have pulled cards from the deck, then the card that
TECH MANAGER will retrieve next will be the next card in the
deck. For example, if you are currently looking at question
50 and you have already pulled questions 51 and 52, when you
select [Next], question 53 will be displayed.
The [Next] button can also function differently. As long as
the [Back] button is displayed beside the [Next] button,
pressing [Next] will move sequentially through the deck as
just described. However, if you don't want to review the
questions in order, you can review them randomly (see section
9.2.3). In random mode, the [Back] button will not be shown
on the screen, and the [Next] button will be the only control
for moving to a different question. In this case, pressing
[Next] will have TECH MANAGER pick a card randomly from those
cards still in the deck. You can see, by watching the Card
Number Block at the top of the screen, how you really are
randomly jumping around in the deck!
If you are reviewing the questions sequentially, and you reach
the last card in the deck, the [Next] button will be disabled.
You can tell this by the [Next] on the button changing from
black to gray. As soon as you go back to a different card,
the button will become enabled once again. If you are
reviewing the questions randomly, the [Next] key will disable
when there is only one card left in the deck.
AMT-23W. Back Button
When you are reviewing questions sequentially, the [Back]
button will be visible beside the [Next] button. Pressing
[Back] will bring up the first question found in the deck
which is before the card that you're currently looking at.
This means that if cards just in front of the current card
have been pulled, TECH MANAGER will show you the first
question (toward the front of the deck) that it finds that
hasn't been pulled.
If there are no cards in front of the one you're looking at,
for example, if you are looking at question 1, the [Back]
button will be disabled. As soon as you go to a card that is
not at the very front of the deck, the [Back] button will be
enabled again.
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Like the [Next] button, you can use the [Back] button to flip
through the cards in reverse order without having to try to
answer the questions.
9.2.2.3. More on the Next/Back Buttons
Pressing the [Next] or [Back] button also causes TECH MANAGER
to do some housekeeping. Specifically, if you have selected
the option to Pull Cards when you correctly answer a question
(you can tell by looking at the Status Line at the top of the
screen), and you do correctly answer the question, the card
will be pulled from the deck when you press the [Next] or
[Back] button. So if you have answered a question correctly
and decide that you don't want it pulled from the deck yet,
before you press [Next] or [Back], you can press the [Option]
button (section 9.2.6) and change the Pull Cards From Deck
When Answered Correctly option to [No] (section 7.1). When
you return to the Question Review Screen, you can press [Next]
or [Back], and the card will not be pulled from the deck. (If
you want the Pull Cards option turned back on, go back to the
option screen and change it back.)
9.2.3. Random/Sequence Buttons
TECH MANAGER lets you decide how to study. If you want to
progress through the questions in sequential order, you can do
that. If you would like to go through them in random order,
you can do that, too.
Below the [Next] and [Back] buttons, you will see a button
labeled [Rnd]. Pressing this button will switch TECH MANAGER
from sequential mode to random mode and the [Back] button will
disappear. The [Back] button disappears because there is no
forward or backward anymore, just the random selection of cards
from the deck. If you want to go back to a previous question,
you will need to exit to the Main Menu, reselect Review
Questions and Answers and then select the question you want to
look at. There is another way. Switch from random mode to
sequential mode and then use [Next] or [Back] to get to the
question that you want to see. The only hangup here is that if
the question is a long way off in the deck from where you are,
it might take awhile!
The option to pull cards on correct answers still functions in
random mode.
If you are in random mode and you want to get back to
sequential mode, just press the [Seq] button, and the [Back]
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button will come back onto the screen, indicating that you're
back in sequential mode.
9.2.4. Calculator Button
Tab to, click on, or press [Calc], and a calculator will pop up
onto the lower right of the screen to help you with those
questions where you need to use one, or even if you just need
to balance your checkbook while you're studying questions!
The calculator, like the rest of TECH MANAGER, can be
controlled by the mouse or the keyboard. If you use the keypad
on your computer, make sure that your NUMLOCK is on. The ENTER
key on your keypad can be used for " = " as well as by using
the " = " itself.
When you are finished with the calculator, use the [Exit]
button to close the calculator and go back to the Question
Review Screen.
9.2.5. Reference Button
TECH MANAGER is a tool to help you prepare for the Technician
Class FCC License. However, it currently provides no
explanations as to why a particular answer is right and the
rest are wrong. Gordon West has done an excellent job of that
in his book New No-Code Technician Class FCC License
Preparation. This book is available at most Radio Shacks.
As you use TECH MANAGER, if you aren't sure why a particular
answer is the right one, press the [Ref]erence button, and the
button itself will show you what page to look on in the book to
find the explanation for that question.
The [Ref] button will change back to say [Ref] either by
pressing the button while the number is showing, or simply by
pressing another button.
9.2.6. Options Button
If you want to change your options while you are reviewing
questions, select [Option]. You will be taken to the main
Option Screen, where you can make changes as described in
section 7.
When you're done on the Option Screen, press [Done] and you
will be returned to the Question Review Screen, with the
appropriate functions modified in accordance with the options
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you selected.
9.2.7. Main Menu Button
When you are ready to exit the Question Review Screen, press
[Main Menu]. TECH MANAGER will remember which question you are
looking at when you leave the Question Review Screen and even
save it to disk when you completely exit TECH MANAGER. When
you restart TECH MANAGER, the question number that will pop
into the screen will be the first question in the deck
following the one that you left off with. Even if you decide
to take a test, when you want to come back to the Question
Review Screen, TECH MANAGER will remember your place!
10. EXAMINATION SCREEN
The Examination Screen is very similar to the Question Review
Screen, but one of the main differences is that TECH MANAGER will
not allow access to the Option Screen during a test. The Option
button which you find on the Question Review Screen is not even on
the Examination Screen. The reason is that TECH MANAGER sets the
options for a genuine test environment. (TECH MANAGER will let you
review the questions any way you want to, but when it comes to
trying out a test, you have to follow the rules!)
The options that are set when you take a test are as follows:
1. The option to pull cards from the deck during a test is
disabled.
2. The answers will only be shown to you after you try to
correctly answer the questions.
You do have the option just before taking a practice test to select
whether or not the questions and the answers are randomized. For
more information, refer to section 6.2.1.
The obvious changes which were made to the Question Review Screen
to create the Examination Screen are:
1. The "card" number is no longer displayed.
2. The Pull Card status window is no longer shown.
3. The Random/Sequence button is removed.
4. The Option button has been removed.
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5. The REF button has been removed.
Other changes will be discussed in detail when the Examination
Screen is explained in the following sections.
NOTE: If you are using an unregistered shareware version of
TECH MANAGER, you will only be able to advance through the
first three questions on practice exams. This is to let you
see how the program works and decide if it will help you
practice for the Technician Class Examination. Because you
aren't allowed to answer all the questions on a practice test,
you cannot see the Test Results Screen that is discussed in
section 10.3. As soon as you register your copy of TECH
MANAGER, your registration number will completely unlock all
the features in the program for you.
10.1. Displayed Information
10.1.1. Question Code
The Question Code block is the same as the Question Review
Screen; it shows the code for the question that is displayed on
the screen.
10.1.2. Question Number
The examination on Element 2 has 30 questions, and the Element
3A test has 25 questions. The Question Number box shows you
the question number as it would appear on a test. It has no
reference to the "card number" in the deck, or to the Question
Code. For a test on Element 2, the first question shown will
be question 1, and the last one will be 30.
10.1.3. Score So Far
This is where you find out how you're doing as you take the
test. It calculates your score as you go, based on the number
of questions that you have correctly answered so far. For
instance, if you correctly answer 4 of the first 5 questions
correctly, your Score So Far would be 80(%). If you go on to
answer all of the remaining questions correctly, that means
that you answered 29 out of 30 correctly, and your score would
be 97. (Actually 96.66.)
When you answer the last question, the score block will say
FINAL SCORE:, showing how well you did.
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10.1.4. Question Block
The Question Block is the same as discussed for the Question
Review Screen. You will see the test questions displayed here.
10.1.5. Answer Blocks
The answer blocks are the same as on the Question Review
Screen. Most questions will have four blocks, with one
multiple choice answer displayed in each one. However, for
those questions that have graphics included with them, there
will only be one block to display the answer; the graphic will
be shown, and the multiple choices for that graphic will be a
part of the graphic as well. The multiple choice answers
cannot be shuffled for these graphic questions.
10.1.6. Correct Answer Block
This block which shows the correct answer is identical to that
found on the Question Review Screen. The only difference is
that while you are taking a test, you don't have the option of
displaying the answer all the time. The answer is only shown
to you after you answer the question.
In connection with the correct answer, after you answer a
question by selecting one of the answer buttons, "A", "B",
"C", or "D", a box will pop up over the answer buttons saying
either YES! if you answered correctly, or SORRY! if you
answered incorrectly.
10.2. Controls
There aren't as many controls available to you while your taking
the test because, well, you're taking a test! As discussed
before, you can either press/select the controls (buttons) by
either tabbing to them, and then pressing ENTER, by using the
"hot" keys, or by using a mouse. The controls that you have
available during an examination are discussed below.
10.2.1. Answer Buttons
The answer buttons are used to select the answer for each
question. The characters, "A", "B", "C", and "D", will be
black (enabled) on questions that you have not yet answered.
When you press an answer button, TECH MANAGER's response is to
cover the buttons with a message telling you if you answered
the question correctly or not. When you proceed to the next
question, the characters will again be enabled. But if you
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back up to the question that you just answered, you will find
that the characters are now gray, indicating that the answer
buttons are disabled. Sorry, you're only allowed one attempt
to answer each question. You are allowed to browse backward
and forward through the test, but once you answer a question,
either right or wrong, TECH MANAGER won't allow you to answer
the question again.
If you do browse forward and backward through the questions
(and you can answer the questions in any order that you
prefer), the condition of the answer buttons (enabled or
disabled/black or gray) is your indication of whether or not
you have answered that question; if the buttons are black,
that's a question that you still haven't answered. After you
answer the last question, you will know it because your score
will be indicated as a FINAL SCORE.
10.2.2. Next Button
After you answer a question, press [Next] to go to the next
one. You can use [Next] to skip a question if you want to; but
you will have to come back to it before you will get a final
score. The [Next] button is disabled on the last question of
the test.
10.2.3. Back Button
You can go back and look at questions you have either answered
or skipped by pressing the [Back] button. You will have to
answer all the questions before you get a final score.
Remember, if the answer buttons are black, that's a question
that you still haven't answered. The [Back] button will be
disabled anytime you are on question 1.
10.2.4. Calculator Button
You are probably going to need the calculator during the test,
and you're allowed to use one when you actually take your test.
Press the [Calc] button at any time, and the calculator will
pop up onto the screen just like on the Question Review Screen.
For more details on using the calculator, refer to section
9.2.4.
10.2.5. Main Menu Button
When you are finished with the test, or if you just want to
exit the Examination Screen, press the [Main Menu] button, and
you will be returned to the Main Menu.
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If you exit the Examination Screen, you can come back to the
same test, but you'll have to start over.
10.3. TEST RESULTS
After you answer the last question on a practice test, not only
is your score shown as the Final Score, but a control button
appears just to the right of the score box, labeled [Test Info].
Press this button to get the results of your test.
A window will pop-up on the screen that tells you the number of
questions you missed and whether you passed or failed the test.
It will also show you each subelement in which you missed each
question, along with the question numbers that you need to study
for each subelement. If you want to print this information out,
just press the [Print] button.
Once the test is completed, you can go back through the
questions, and the correct answers will be shown to you.
11. FILES ON TECH MANAGER DISTRIBUTION DISKS
The TECH MANAGER disks contain 47 files which are listed here to
ensure that you have all the files needed for proper operation of
the program.
README.1ST CUSTOM3.DAT PIC260.BMP PIC333.BMP
AVEXTRA.TXT TEST.DAT PIC264.BMP PIC334.BMP
TECHMGR2.DOC TEST1.TST PIC265.BMP PIC571.BMP
TECHMGR2.WPF TEST2.TST PIC266.BMP PIC572.BMP
TECHMGR2.EXE MYFILE.TST PIC267.BMP PIC573.BMP
TECHMGR2.DAT PIC253.BMP PIC268.BMP PIC574.BMP
*VBRUN200.DLL PIC254.BMP PIC269.BMP PIC575.BMP
THREED.VBX PIC255.BMP PIC280.BMP PIC587.BMP
REG.FRM PIC256.BMP PIC281.BMP PIC588.BMP
XREF2.TXT PIC257.BMP PIC282.BMP PIC589.BMP
XREF3A.TXT PIC258.BMP PIC331.BMP PIC590.BMP
CUSTOM2.DAT PIC259.BMP PIC332.BMP
*Not included in HAMT-23W.ZIP since many people already have this
file. It is frequently available on bulletin boards. Those who
don't have it may download it from the PRACTICAL-ly Software BBS at
301-916-9298.
README.1ST - Information on how to get started.
AVEXTRA.TXT - ANSI character file that is attached to the ZIP file
which contains information on TECH MANAGER. This file can be
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viewed again from DOS by typing "TYPE AVEXTRA.TXT".
TECHMGR2.DOC - This documentation file in ASCII format.
TECHMGR2.WPF - This documentation file in Word Perfect 5.1 format.
TECHMGR2.EXE - The main TECH MANAGER program.
TECHMGR2.DAT - is a random access file that contains the question
pool and all the information related to each question that TECH
MANAGER needs.
VBRUN200.DLL - is a dynamically-linked library, written by
Microsoft for Visual Basic created .EXE files, which enables TECH
MANAGER to link to Windows. It has to be in the same directory as
the TECH MANAGER program files or in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM
subdirectory. See section 16, Acknowledgements for restrictions on
the distribution of this file.
THREED.VBX - enables three dimensional controls and labels, etc. in
the program. This can either be placed in the subdirectory with
the TECH MANAGER files or in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM subdirectory. The
file was developed by Sheridan Software Systems, Inc. of Melville,
NY. and is distributed with the Microsoft Visual Basic Professional
Development Software. This file should not be distributed by
itself. It should be distributed only with the HAMT-20W.ZIP file
zipped by PRACTICAL-ly Software.
REG.FRM - is an ASCII text file which TECH MANAGER reads to print
out the registration form. It may also be printed by typing "PRINT
REG.FRM", but doing so will also print the quotes (") which delimit
each line. It is a read-only file.
XREF2.TXT - is an ASCII file which relates the Official Question
Codes to TECH MANAGER's question numbering system for Element 2.
TECH MANAGER will print this form from within the program on the
Print From Question Pool Screen. This file can be printed from DOS
by typing "PRINT XREF2.TXT". It is a read-only file.
XREF3A.TXT - is the same as XREF2.TXT, except that it is for
Element 3A. It is a read-only file.
CUSTOM2.DAT - is an ASCII file which contains data necessary for
TECH MANAGER to relate Question Codes to TECH MANAGER's question
numbering system on the Test Editor screen for Element 2. It is a
read-only file.
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CUSTOM3.DAT - is the same as CUSTOM2.DAT, except that it is for
Element 3A. It is a read-only file.
TEST.DAT is a sequential file which contains numbers representing
the question structure for Elements 2 and 3A. TECH MANAGER reads
this file each time it generates a test. It is a read-only file.
PICxxx.BMP are bitmap files which TECH MANAGER reads for graphic
questions. If card 253 is chosen to be displayed, either on the
Question Review Screen or on the Examination Screen, TECH MANAGER
will read PIC253.BMP and place that graphic on the display screen.
12. FILES THAT TECH MANAGER CREATES
After TECH MANAGER has been run once and then exited, TECH MANAGER
creates three files: DEFAULTS.DAT, DECK.DAT, and CROSDECK.DAT.
These files together keep track of all the parameters necessary to
let you pick up where you left off when you restart TECH MANAGER
each time. TECH MANAGER loads them into the program when the Title
Screen comes up.
DEFAULTS.DAT: Stores the values of Option Screen variables.
DECK.DAT: This is a sequential file which lists the questions that
are in the deck. Do not attempt to modify this file. It is
synchronized with the data in the CROSDECK.DAT file, and changing
it will certainly cause TECH MANAGER to malfunction sooner or later
(probably sooner!).
CROSDECK.DAT: This sequential file holds the contents of two
arrays in TECH MANAGER which it uses to cross reference the deck.
13. WHAT DO YOU GET BY REGISTERING?
When you register, you provide to PRACTICAL-ly Software the name
under which you want to register the program. PRACTICAL-ly
Software will then issue to you a registration number which will
completely unlock your program. So you get a great program for a
very reasonable price!
With this release of TECH MANAGER, graphics have been incorporated,
but are not printed when printing tests. When you register, you
will be sent a printed copy of the Technician Class graphics which
are needed when taking a printed test.
You get free technical support (between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. EST).
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You get free limited upgrades. As PRACTICAL-ly Software makes
improvements to TECH MANAGER, the upgraded programs will be
maintained on the PRACTICAL-ly Software BBS. This version of TECH
MANAGER is 2.3. Any bug fixes and minor improvements will be
designated as versions 2.x. Your registration number will "turn
on" these new versions of TECH MANAGER, too. Major program
revisions will be available to registered users at a reduced cost.
14. HOW TO REGISTER!!
You have no doubt noticed that the unregistered shareware version
of TECH MANAGER is limited in its functionality. The reason is
that TECH MANAGER is the product of over a year of serious
programming effort, and it is not free. Shareware only works when
those who try the software and then use it pay for the program.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is honest. As a result,
TECH MANAGER is distributed in a form that lets prospective users
look at the program and determine if it fits their needs. If it
does, they can register their copy and receive a registration
number which will totally unlock every feature in the program.
Program registration is also very reasonable. The cost is kept low
to encourage people to register their copies. Once you look at
TECH MANAGER, there can be no doubt that the program is worth the
cost... if it fills your needs.
There are three ways to register:
1. By mailing a check or money order along with the
registration form. Go into the Main Menu in TECH MANAGER and
click onto Program Info on the menu bar, and then select
[Print Registration Form].
If you register by mail, your registration number will be
sent to you by mail, or if you specify on the registration
form, we'll send it by fax.
2. By faxing the registration form to PRACTICAL-ly Software
with the appropriate credit card information filled out. As
soon as we can process your order, we will send your
registration number back to you by fax, or by mail if you
prefer. You specify which.
3. By logging onto the PRACTICAL-ly Software Bulletin Board
Service (BBS) with your computer and using the credit card
registration door. Follow the directions in the
registration door. After your order is processed,
PRACTICAL-ly Software will either leave your registration
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number in a private message to you on the BBS, fax it to you, or
mail it to you. Your choice.
15. TROUBLESHOOTING
This manual has made numerous references to the fact that TECH
MANAGER saves various kinds of data to the disk to allow the
program to "pick up where it left off". This is a very handy
feature to have in this sort of program, but if those files should
become corrupted in some way, TECH MANAGER will likely malfunction
in some way or another.
This can easily be corrected in one of two ways.
1. First and easiest is to enter the Option Menu as soon as you
start the program and press the [Put All Questions Back In
Deck] button. This will reinitialize all the arrays which
reference and cross-reference the question card deck.
or
2. Go into DOS into the subdirectory that you have TECH MANAGER
in. Delete DEFAULT.DAT, DECK.DAT, and CROSDECK.DAT. When you
start TECH MANAGER now, the program will reinitialize all of
its archival files when it sees that they aren't on the disk.
Windows applications can sometimes malfunction when accessing disk
files if the buttons are clicked too fast. For instance, if you
click the [Next] button very fast in the Question Review Screen,
the program may lose synchronization between its internal arrays.
If a problem occurs, first try restarting the program. This may
fix the problem. If you still have a problem, put all the
questions back into the deck as was just described above.
16. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TECH MANAGER was written with Microsoft's Visual Basic 2.0
Professional.
The VBRUN200.DLL file, a dynamically-linked library which is
included with the TECH MANAGER package, is a product of Microsoft
which allows TECHMGR.EXE to run under Windows without Visual Basic.
Microsoft requires no license or payment for the use of this run-
time file. However, Microsoft specifies that VBRUN200.DLL can only
be distributed with Visual Basic .EXE files; it cannot be
distributed by itself.
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The THREED.VBX file enables three-dimensional objects in Visual
Basic Professional applications. This program is written by
Sheridan Software Systems, Inc., of Melville, NY. This file
requires no payment or license, but should only be distributed with
TECH MANAGER software as distributed by PRACTICAL-ly Software.
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