Thank you so much Coach for this website and thanks to everyone who posts! It all helped me so much! My journey started in 4.0 and my goal was to complete in 4.0 but with only 1 month left I failed SD, Schematic Design because I ran out time by like 1 minute. Then there was no time to retake it before the final switch to 5.0. I was crushed. But I got back on my feet and rolled over to 5.0 with only PPD to take.
I was so frustrated because ALL of the material was stuff I had already been tested on in 4.0 (the only thing I failed was one vignette). But I studied for it and then FAILED! (I think 5.0 is much harder than 4.0.) Even more frustrated, I was determined to study harder though and ended up paying $400 for two months worth of Black Spectacles. IT DID ME NO GOOD WHATSOEVER. It seemed like it was a great overview but the test asked all kinds of specifics and minutiae. So I switched back to Brightwood and just used the online question bank. I took many quizzes totaling hundreds of questions and then studied any that I got wrong. That's all I did. When I took it I was absolutely positive that I had failed miserably but the preliminary results said I passed. And the final results agreed! I was too shocked to be happy at first. But that was about 6 weeks ago and now I actually have my license and have even joined the AIA ($725/year, what a rip off, but my office is paying). The whole process took me three years almost to the day. I never would have had the faith to keep on going without this forum and all the harrowing stories and great advice. THANKS COACH!