Sometimes the less a candidate knows about cranes the better they will do on the written tests. The reason for this is; candidates that have been operating cranes for years learned things a different way than the books want them to do it. This makes it more difficult for them to unlearn their ways and learn to do it by the book. This is what they are tested on with the crane certification exams.
If you have never operated a crane before we probably could not turn you into a super duper crane operator in 3 days. However, if you need to get certified, you come to the right place. If a candidate can add, subtract, and speaks English, we can easily get them passed the written tests the first time. If the candidate speaks English as a second language, we can also make it happen as we have done for hundreds of English as second language candidates.
As far as the practical exams go, if a candidate knows how to stop the load or hook from swinging, with a few pointers they can typically pass the practical exams. If not, they need to get some time on a crane. If no cranes are available to the candidate, our cranes are available at a cost of $100 per hour with an instructor. We can typically get a candidate who has never been on a crane through the practical test in less than 2 hours to pass the practical exams. This class is never meant to replace years of experience in the field or an 8400 hour apprenticeship program. The purpose of this program is to get that certification card in your pocket. California Crane School does not write the standards of what a crane operator should know, we are just the most effective program that gets candidates to meet the certification requirements.