by ptzumd » Tue Feb 28, 2017 12:59 pm
I used the Ballast 5.0 study guide and studied the PPD section pretty thoroughly. I think I spent more time than necessary on the BDCS stuff though. If you use the Ballast 5.0 guide, also study structural fundamentals and lateral loads (earthquake and wind) which are in the PDD section. My advice would be to study for both PPD and PDD together and take them close to each other. There is a ton of overlap in the content. Using the Ballast study guide it will seem overwhelming, but there was a fair amount of content in the PDD section (which I studied after taking PPD) that would have been helpful to have read before PPD. I would also not spend any time studying how to use equations for structural calculations. Read about them, but don't give the equations any space in your brain. For instance, you should know what the moment of intertia is, but don't bother knowing how to calculate it. Also, familiarize yourself with the provided reference material on the exam. You'll see that moment and sheer diagrams and equations are provided to you for many loading situations, so there is not need to memorize that stuff.
For PDD, in addition to Ballast, I looked through Building Construction Illustrated and the Architect's Studio Handbook. I thought both were helpful, and would be helpful for PPD as well.
Good luck.