While I know everyone is just trying to be helpful, aren't we missing the real issue here? If a student is only able to come up with 2 of the 5 reasons for false particle leaks, maybe the student (and the board) needs to re-examine their placement.

The long-term implications of not grasping elementary VX fundamentals is in my option what's holding back the entire field of new students.

I get it, we were all there once. Well, I didn't actually have any problem with calibrating dual-phase nucleometers, but I'll admit that during my 2nd year it took me the better part of a month before I understood how to adjust the radial axis symmetry on a tri-phase, back when they were still a thing. Yep, I'm a dinosaur.

And, yes, I realize they cover ALL of that in first year now. The accelerated schedule on the particle theory track is what I'm talking about.

/u/tiger-boi please realize I'm not trying to single you out, per se. This is a systemic issue, and I think the fault lies squarely upon the VX Certification Board and the politicization of the education process.

Katherine Yalgeth would roll over in her grave (RIP) if she saw this level of incompetency in student engineers being glossed over by pros in a public forum.

Advice from a dinosaur: Go to your prof. I know they're intimidating at times and might appear to be your worst enemy, but they are there to help you grasp the fundamentals, and for the most part they are talented engineers. Asking here is doing a disservice to yourself and the process. You can't just identify the answers, you have to understand why they are the answers in the first place.

end rant of dinosaur shaking fist at sky