Wednesday 30 December 2015

AutoCAD Test Scores Around The World

According to Wikipedia, AutoCAD is defined as 'a commercial software application for 2D and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting, available since 1982 as a desktop application and since 2010 as a mobile web and cloud-based app'.

The 2016 release marked the 30th major release of AutoCAD for Windows. The 2014 release marked the fourth consecutive year of AutoCAD for Mac.

Over the years, KnowledgeSmart has captured test scores for thousands of AutoCAD users, in multiple countries across the globe.

Here are the variances in our overall benchmark data, from 2009 to 2015:

2009
Average Score: 59.5%
Average Time: 1 hr 16 mins

2010-12
Average Score: 61.0%
Average Time: 1 hr 18 mins

2013
Average Score: 62.0%
Average Time: 1 hr 13 mins

2014
Average Score: 62.0%
Average Time: 1 hr 10 mins

2015
Average Score: 58.5%
Average Time: 1 hr 13 mins


Let's take a look at some overall aggregate score and time data on a country vs country basis. Numbers of test scores vary, so this list does not imply that one country is 'better' than another. It's interesting to see what kind of data is generated in different parts of the globe.

Country Score (%) Time (secs)
Australia 63.3 4777.9
Bahrain 61.8 4330.0
Canada 47.1 3395.0
China 54.6 7542.8
Hong Kong 37.7 3610.0
India 49.1 4203.8
Ireland 49.5 5573.8
Kuwait 45.7 3741.4
New Zealand 69.7 4399.8
Oman 39.3 5649.2
Philippines 50.3 4881.8
Poland 62.0 3150.0
Qatar 50.9 5003.4
Saudi Arabia 60.5 3361.3
Singapore 49.4 4752.0
South Africa 49.2 4468.0
Spain 62.7 3481.0
UAE 62.6 5112.7
UK 53.4 4572.3
USA  61.3 5511.8


We also capture data on a per State basis, for our US customers. The list below represents those States where the volume of data makes for meaningful data sharing.

State Score (%) Time (secs)
USA (all) 61.3 5511.8
California 63.4 5580.1
Florida 70.6 3140.9
Georgia 48.4 5096.4
Louisiana 67.3 3263.3
Nevada 75.3 3282.8
New York 52.6 5444.5
Washington 45.5 7336.9


Score and time data varies quite considerably, from country to country and between US States.

Even though the software has been commercially available for over 3 decades, there are still notable skills gaps across the overall user base. Our data shows quite clearly that AutoCAD users reach a performance 'plateau' after about 5 years and then remain at a similar skill level in subsequent years. 

When we started capturing skills data in the AEC industry, over 10 years ago, AutoCAD was the principal tool of choice for design and engineering firms. Whilst still widely used, the growth of BIM in the Construction sector has seen a rise in the number of different software tools deployed on projects  in the built environment.  Users must now learn a wider variety of software tools to do their jobs, than in years past.

R

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Benchmark Stats for Popular KS Test Titles

Benchmarking software capability at individual, team and office level is a key part of the KnowledgeSmart experience.

Our library of skills assessments for the AEC industry covers a variety of  popular software tools, used on projects on Construction projects worldwide.

Our results data comes from a wide variety of countries and territories, including: US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, Vietnam, India and the Middle East.

Here is the overall average results data for our most popular topics (% score and time to complete):

Test Title % Score Time
3ds Max fundamentals 54.5 57m
Adobe InDesign occasional 64 45m
Adobe Photoshop occasional 62 48m
AutoCAD 2D fundamentals 58.5 1h 13m
AutoCAD 2D occasional 73.1 36.5m
AutoCAD Civil 3D fundamentals 67.2 1h 3m
AutoCAD Civil 3D advanced 52.2 45.5m
AutoCAD Plant 3D fundamentals 63 53m
Bentley ABD fundamentals 51.5 1h 28m
Bentley ProjectWise fundamentals 59 1h 3m
BIM Management 68.5 46m 
InfraWorks 360 fundamentals 58.5 1h 2m
Inventor fundamentals 64 1h 15m
MicroStation 2D fundamentals 59.3 1h 24m
MicroStation 3D fundamentals 52.5 58m
Navisworks fundamentals 58.4 43m
Revit Architecture fundamentals 68.5 1h 8m
Revit Architecture advanced 57.1 1h 24m
Revit Content Creation 57.8 1h 3m
Revit MEP fundamentals - Electrical 63.7 1h 6m
Revit MEP fundamentals - Mechanical 62.2 1h 7m
Revit MEP fundamentals - Plumbing 70.1 1h 11m
Revit MEP advanced 53.3 1h 2m
Revit Project Process 56.4 46.5m 
Revit Structure fundamentals 67.1 1h 12m
Revit Structure advanced 57.2 1h 4m
Rhino 61.2 44.5m
SketchUp 53.4 50m


KnowledgeSmart independent skills testing enables businesses to compare performance and capability against industry standards and benchmark their organisation against peers, competitors and partners. Measuring and demonstrating technical software experience and BIM capability is a key differentiator for AEC firms when bidding for new projects.

R