Just got done Testing

Just got done Testing

Postby sirspens » Fri Dec 02, 2016 5:35 pm

I just got home from testing this afternoon.

First, a big UGH to Prometrics. I got there 35 minutes before my test, there were two people in the waiting room, and three people in line in front of me. Before I was at the front of the check-in line there were 10 more people behind me, and that line continued to grow. After checking in, I waited for 45 minutes, there were 3 people left in the room before I was called back, which means that around 20 people that checked in after me got called in to test before me. Prometrics has no clue what it is doing.

But... the test...

I gave myself just under 4 weeks to study for this test, since taking PPD. Here is what I studied:
Black Spectacles Videos
Architect Exam Prep
I then took the 12 example questions from NCARB.
Jenny's Notes for BS, SS & BDCS to fill in all the gaps.
I then did the NCARB 4.0 example questions for BS, SS & BDCS.
I studied what I missed.
I then took the Ballast Practice test (got 60%) and spent another day going over all the answers.
I spent the last few days reviewing all of my notes.
Also for the last several days I casually skimmed my way through Building Construction Illustrated, using it to just take in every "concept" I could shove into my already overloaded brain.

My idea with studying for this test was that there was no way I could learn to do all the math for structures and acoustics and calculating mechanical unit sizing in the time I had. So, I studied concepts. I studied the concepts of how to do those, but I dedicated almost no time to memorizing equations or practicing how to use them. My hope was that I knew enough specifics about building systems (from work and studying), enough broad concepts about doing good Architecture (from work and studying), and how to put together a solid set of Construction Documents (from work) and deal with clients (from work) that I could apply that knowledge base to every question, and if a question required math, I would use my general understandings to do my best. Or if there was a question about a building material or system I didn't know, I applied overall concepts to narrow down the questions.

Of course, I don't know my grade, but I think that really paid off. I walked out of the testing facility feeling like if I don't get a passing grade on that exam, I don't deserve to be an Architect.

There were a lot of specific questions. And there were a LOT of non-MC questions. Knowing your building systems and materials, etc. But also, just understand good building principles, because you can't know everything. If you have an understanding of materials because you work with them every day, and you have a broad understanding of good building principles, you will be able to apply them to reach the best answers to the questions on this test. Overall, I thought this test was easier than PPD because it was more concrete, whereas some PPD questions could get into the "well, both of these are good systems, I would have no qualms about using either of them..." but this test didn't do that.

A few bad things:
- The system was still really laggy; between questions, and especially between pulling up documents during the case studies. I saw a comment somewhere from somebody that the test clock stopped during the lag, so I watched for this while I was testing. It absolutely did NOT stop. It continued to count down while my screen was loading questions.
- There were a few really poorly worded questions where I looked up and I had spent 3 minutes just trying to figure out what they were attempting to ask.
- There was one question on a case study where (I'll try to keep this vague), you had to match up some given details with where they would be appropriate for the building. But looking at these tiny documents on this one tiny screen... it wasn't a question to test your knowledge, it was a "Where's Waldo" question to test your endurance. Stupid question.

But, like I said, over all, I really liked this test. It was challenging in all the ways a good test about doing Architecture should be, without being tricksy.

With any luck, whenever grades for 5.0 start coming out I will see two Passes and I will be done! But if anybody has any questions about study materials or anything, I'll be around the boards for a bit.
sirspens
 
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby sirspens » Mon Dec 05, 2016 11:37 am

I just got an email from NCARB letting me know I was part of the first 600.
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby ktli » Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:57 pm

Thanks for the thoughts on PDD, I read your thoughts on PPD as well and found them incredibly helpful. I took PPD about 3 weeks ago (got an email about being in first 600), and I am taking PDD in about 2 weeks.

I was honestly a bit frantic going into PPD, but felt OK coming out of the test. PDD I feel better about but am still not entirely sure about where I will land. I spoke to multiple friends who took Structures in 4.0 and they all said that they studied more concepts than how to work through the formulas; they all said they felt pretty good about that method of studying. I am hoping that the same holds true for PDD.

Thanks again for the thoughts! It is definitely helpful to see what others experience .
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby tmston2 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 6:06 pm

- There was one question on a case study where (I'll try to keep this vague), you had to match up some given details with where they would be appropriate for the building. But looking at these tiny documents on this one tiny screen... it wasn't a question to test your knowledge, it was a "Where's Waldo" question to test your endurance. Stupid question.


touché my friend! I def thought the same thing, how insane to present such a challenge given these measly tools!!!
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby sirspens » Mon Dec 05, 2016 9:15 pm

tmston2 wrote:
- There was one question on a case study where (I'll try to keep this vague), you had to match up some given details with where they would be appropriate for the building. But looking at these tiny documents on this one tiny screen... it wasn't a question to test your knowledge, it was a "Where's Waldo" question to test your endurance. Stupid question.


touché my friend! I def thought the same thing, how insane to present such a challenge given these measly tools!!!


And I wish I could write the two other ridiculous particulars of this question! But I don't want to cross the line of giving too much away. haha
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby ghost » Wed Dec 07, 2016 12:57 pm

Nice that you took PPD & PDD close together. I am going to do the same thing.

Did you study the same material for both? If not, what extra material did you cover for PDD that wasn't part of the PPD material?

I am ramping up and planning my study strategy.
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby sirspens » Wed Dec 07, 2016 1:19 pm

ghost wrote:Nice that you took PPD & PDD close together. I am going to do the same thing.

Did you study the same material for both? If not, what extra material did you cover for PDD that wasn't part of the PPD material?

I am ramping up and planning my study strategy.


For both exams I studied specifically 5.0 material from Architect Exam Prep and Black Spectacles. Beyond that, for PPD I focused on the book The Architect's Studio Companion and for PDD I focused on Building Construction Illustrated. Both of those books were meant to help me absorb as many concepts based on the detail level of each test as possible. For PDD I also went through Jenny's Notes for BDCS, SS and BS. I wish I had gone through Jenny's Notes for PPD, as well.
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby cloudyy » Fri Dec 09, 2016 6:33 pm

Thanks for the feedback sirspens, really helpful. Do you still think, after taking the tests, that it's not necessary to focus too much on the math, more important to study concepts?
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby sirspens » Tue Dec 13, 2016 10:43 am

cloudyy wrote:Thanks for the feedback sirspens, really helpful. Do you still think, after taking the tests, that it's not necessary to focus too much on the math, more important to study concepts?


I think how I approached studying worked very well with taking the test. Is that vague enough to not get me in trouble?
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby tmston2 » Wed Dec 14, 2016 7:40 am

Thanks for the feedback sirspens, really helpful. Do you still think, after taking the tests, that it's not necessary to focus too much on the math, more important to study concepts?


Cloudyy, If I may add my 2cents,
• keep in mind ncarb has ( I fail to remember the number) multiple versions of each exam division so you may have 6 more questions of calculations to make
than someone else
• It was always my approach in 4.0 and 5.0 to focus more on understanding the big concepts of moment, shear, heat loss, heat gain, u-value etc.
and less on actual calculations, for most of these questions, if you understand the big components of these ideas you can
immediately eliminate at least two multiple choice answers right out the gate. EXAMPLE: know what a generic point load shear and moment diagram
looks like and reactions are, even better if you know for a statically determinate beam as well as cantiliver condition
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby randar82 » Wed Feb 01, 2017 11:02 am

Between AED and Black Spectacles, which did you find most useful. I've read AED for PPD and I felt like it was a little too general, despite being 300 pages.
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Re: Just got done Testing

Postby dklorensen » Wed Feb 01, 2017 4:25 pm

randar82 wrote:Between AED and Black Spectacles, which did you find most useful. I've read AED for PPD and I felt like it was a little too general, despite being 300 pages.


I purchased the "Whole Enchilada" AEP PPD study guide, and I thought it was useful for that test. I was one of the people that had the test crash on my during my exam this past Monday, so I didn't finish all of my questions, but I am fairly happy with it for what it is. Easy to read, but I did find some mistakes, and it does need to be edited as it repeats several things a few times. One should study MEP and Structures in further depth, however.

That being said - I just purchased the "Whole Enchilada" PDD guide. Briefly comparing the two sections (PPD to PDD), it appears that several sections of PDD are a 100% overlap of the PPD manual. There is more in-depth coverage of structures materials, which is good for PDD, but I'd say there's about 1/3 overlap with the PPD study guide. Just my 2 cents.
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