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Passed and Done!

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 8:19 pm
by mdrnarch
First and Foremost.... I'd like to Thank Coach for coordinating this awesome forum.

While testing:
At the end of my exam, I ran out of time. The delays that the software is still experiencing is annoying. The fact that you're staring at a blank screen while the seconds are still ticking down is the most excruciating nail-biting experience. I hope NCARB fixes this for all you future test takers.

As you've read elsewhere here, the exams are so broad. I must've studied most of the sources that have been listed. I think the test is meant to test your ability to decipher complex situations while still applying your knowledge of various concepts.

Don't get too fixated on every detail while studying. I took PDD followed by PPD last summer and failed both them back to back. My studying was too involved. This time around I studied very little and passed both back to back. I only focused on fully understanding the concepts than trying to memorize tons of information.

I wish you all Luck! Keep at it and don't give up. NO MATTER WHAT!!!

Re: Passed and Done!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 5:03 am
by Anob
Congratulations!

What did you use to prepare? and what did you do to stay focus on just the concept and not get bogged down on the details?

Re: Passed and Done!

PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:38 pm
by mdrnarch
Anob wrote:Congratulations!

What did you use to prepare? and what did you do to stay focus on just the concept and not get bogged down on the details?



Thanks! So for both of these exams I relied heavily on taking practice exams from designer hacks. For PPD I did the following:

Designer Hacks Practice Exams:
Programming and Analysis
PPD
PDD

Other sources:
Lighting Section from MEEB - A must read
I also skimmed Fire Protection - MEEB
Architect's Studio Companion - A must read
Minor Review of Structures - Mostly understanding Moment and Shear diagrams for each type of connections
Building Construction Illustrated - Great source! In my honest opinion, I think this is something you read at least twice.