A Competency Demonstration Report, CDR, is a gateway for engineers willing to migrate to Australia to practice engineering. Needless to say, you have to be careful while writing the report. Engineers must have a thorough understanding of the Engineers Australia guidelines to write the perfect report.
This is where most engineers struggle. The rate of CDR rejection is high, and it is often difficult for engineers to keep up with the different guidelines, structures, and formats. On top of that, most of them have no idea of the reasons for CDR rejected by Engineers Australia.
This blog aims to help all the aspiring engineers willing to migrate to Australia with 20 reasons for CDR rejection by Engineers Australia. These will help you stay cautious while writing your CDR.
One of the main reasons EA rejects CDR reports is for selecting the wrong ANZSCO code. However, there are numerous other reasons for CDR rejection. Here’s a list of the less talked about 20 reasons for CDR rejections:
1. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is one of the major reasons for CDR rejections. Engineers make the mistake of copying and pasting points from CDR samples available on different websites, and end up getting caught for plagiarism. Please understand the samples are for reference. Do not copy and paste whatever is written there.
2. Using Excessive Technical Details
Including technical details in CDR reports is essential. However, you need to limit those details. Excessive technical information is not necessary. Using charts, tables, and excessive calculations on each report can degrade your report. Since this is an official document, you need to keep the information to the point.
3. Not Meeting the Word Count
A CDR should be a minimum of 1000 words and a maximum of 2500 words. EA will reject reports if the report is below 1000 words, as the information will be limited. Also, if it exceeds 2500 words, it might lead to unnecessary elaboration, thus leading to rejection. It is highly recommended that you stick to the word limit suggested by Engineers Australia.
4. Grammar and Spelling Errors
Grammar and spelling errors in a professional document lead to negative impressions. These errors raise questions about your attention to detail, professionalism, and communication skills. As a consequence, this leads to CDR rejection by Engineers Australia.
5. Irrelevant CPD
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an important part of CDR. If you include courses, workshops, or training sessions that do not match your domain, the report will be rejected by the assessor. You can take help from CPD writing experts to ensure the report is written perfectly.
6. Less or No Information on Professional Experience
A CDR must have professional details like project duration, location, company profile, and project objective. Candidates often fail to share clear information on their professional experience, thus leading to rejection by Engineers Australia. You must also check the ACS skills assessment Australia guidelines to ensure the report has all relevant points.
7. Lack of Creative Design
Design activities are of high priority in CDR assessment. Not providing the technical design activities can lead to a negative impression, thus leading to CDR rejection. It is necessary to explain your technological experience and creative engineering with respect to design activities to avoid rejection.
8. Missing Out on Problem Statements
A well-defined engineering problem statement is a necessary component of career episodes. The problem statements are the issues raised in your projects. There are instances where candidates skip problem statements, giving an incomplete view of their experiences. This is a major reason for CDR rejection by Engineers Australia.
9. Using a Different Language
Your CDR must be written in Australian English. Most candidates are not well-versed in Australian English and end up writing it in a language other than that, resulting in rejection. It is recommended that you seek help from professional translators to ensure the accuracy of CDR reports in terms of language.
10. Not Following the Career Episode Format
There are quite a few elements in career episodes. It is important to follow the format shared by EA while writing the career episodes. However, candidates often fail to follow the specified format, thus resulting in rejection. The career episode format of CDR includes:
- Introduction
- Background
- Personal engineering activity
- Summary
Also, you must Align Career Episodes with Desired Occupation or else it will be rejected by Engineers Australia.
11. Repetition of Projects
Engineers Australia states that each career episode should highlight different competencies and experiences. That is why mastering project selection for career episodes projects in career episodes will lead to rejection. It states that your engineering experience is limited to meet the assessment criteria.
12. Focusing on Group Activities in Career Episodes
Career Episodes in CDR are mostly focused on highlighting specific engineering competencies. Therefore, including group activities in this section will lead to rejection. Highlighting group activities instead of your roles and contributions is one of the common CDR mistakes candidates make while writing their report.
13. Vague Summary Statement
A critical reason for your CDR rejection is vague summary statements. Such summary statements are a result of incorrect Career Episodes paragraph numbers. Consequently, it makes it difficult for the assessor to assess the paragraph numbers against the key competencies due to a lack of clarity. It is highly recommended that candidates avail summary statement writing services to avoid such errors.
14. Incomplete Documents Submission
Not providing all the necessary documents can lead to CDR rejection. Further, EA may or may not ask you to provide the necessary documents if you have missed out. It is necessary to be very cautious while writing the report to ensure accurate results.
15. Poor Project Selection
The evaluators expect candidates to provide 3 diverse engineering projects that highlight their skills and competencies. In case you select projects that do not justify your engineering skills and competencies, your report will get rejected by the assessor.
16. Career Episodes Written in Bullet Points
You must not write the career episodes in bullet points. Writing in bullet points may indicate a lack of necessary depth and detail. Further, it might fail to demonstrate the experience and knowledge needed to complete engineering tasks. This will eventually lead to rejection of CDR reports.
17. Not Including Numerical Calculations
You need to highlight your mathematical abilities when it comes to engineering. The CDR report must have numerical calculations. If you do not provide any such calculations, the CDR assessor will doubt your knowledge and skill-based competency. This is a major reason for CDR rejections.
18. Not Understanding the CDR Report Components
There are specific CDR components set by Engineers Australia. Candidates are often unaware or misunderstand the components. In such cases, the report gets rejected by EA. You need to understand and follow the format as specified by the assessment body.
19. Improper Technical Difficulties
Technical challenges written in Career Episodes must highlight the real issues faced in your engineering work. Writing about unrelated technical problems will lead your assessor to question your engineering knowledge and skills. As a consequence, irrelevant technical difficulties lead to CDR rejections.
20. Misleading and False Information
Misleading and false information hampers trust and is one of the top challenges in writing career episodes, considered a breach of the EA code of ethics. As a result, it leads to CDR rejection and also affects your future possibilities of migration to Australia as an Engineer.
All of these are common Engineers Australia CDR rejection reasons. The following section will help you understand the ways to prevent such rejections.
How to Prevent Rejection of CDR Application?
It is necessary to understand all the points, know about the CDR report guidelines to write the report. Here are a few ways you can implement to prevent rejection of the CDR application:
- Try writing a CDR by yourself, instead of copying from the samples available online.
- Ensure you stay within the word count as specified by Engineers Australia’s Competency Demonstration Report guidelines.
- Proofread your report properly to ensure there are no grammar, spelling, or formatting errors.
- Write the report in Australian English and explain your competencies and experiences with respect to the ANZSCO code.
- Remember to include numerical applications wherever applicable to show your ability to apply mathematical principles.
- Do not use the same project in three career episodes.
- Do not use any false or misleading information.
You can avail CDR writing services to ensure all points are followed and that your report is written perfectly, following all the guidelines set by EA. Hiring professionals can help increase the chances of your CDR getting approved by EA.
CDR Rejection Appeal and Resubmission Guidelines
CDR rejection is not the end of the world. You have the option to appeal and resubmit the application. Here’s a look at the CDR rejection appeal and resubmission guidelines:
A. Steps for CDR Rejection Appeal
- Review assessment feedback– Identify specific reasons for rejection, and work on them.
- Timing and submission – Lodge a formal appeal within six months of the date of your assessment outcome letter.
- Submit supporting documentation – Provide necessary clarifications, corrected CDR documents, or new supporting evidence of your engineering practice.
- Pay appeal fee – You need to pay an appeal fee at the time of submission.
- Outcome – EA will review your appeal and share its decision on your appeal for the review process.
B. Resubmission Guidelines
- Address every issue – Revise your CDR report with respect to each feedback point shared by the assessor.
- Seek professional assistance – Ask for CDR writing help from professionals to ensure compliance with all guidelines.
- Check deadlines and fees – Every resubmission or new assessment involves a new fee. It is highly recommended that you check the fees on the EA website and pay them on time to avoid any delays.
You can also avail CDR review services to ensure your report is perfect and improve your chances of getting approval from Engineers Australia.
What Are the Steps to Prevent CDR Rejection for the Second Time?
In case you are resubmitting the CDR report, here are some steps to prevent rejection for the second time:
- Go through the rejection feedback from Engineers Australia, and understand the reasons before working on the report again.
- Do not resubmit the same content. Revise all the elements, like career episodes, summary statements, and CPD records, to remove all errors and weaknesses.
- Improve the clarity and depth of your engineering competency explanations.
- Strengthen your personal engineering involvement.
- Do not reuse the same projects or examples from the first submission.
- Double-check spelling, grammar, and format errors.
- Get the CDR reviewed by a professional CDR writer.
- Do not use discrepant or unverifiable information.
- Keep evidence and documents ready to support your claims.
Endnote:
Candidates need to prove their understanding of the engineering discipline in the CDR report if they are willing to migrate to Australia. The report is necessary to highlight their engineering knowledge and to understand if they are eligible to migrate to Australia as an engineer.
However, there are chances that EA rejects your CDR if you fail to follow the structure and format. To ensure you don’t face such problems, understand the EA guidelines or get help from expert CDR report writers. Make sure your CDR has all the competency elements and passes the skills assessment guidelines set by Engineers Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
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