Anyone studied using Ballast 5.0?

Anyone studied using Ballast 5.0?

Postby Nike » Mon Feb 06, 2017 6:58 pm

Hi everyone,

Has anyone taken PDD and used Ballast 5.0? I'm wondering how helpful the 5.0 version will be, rather than going through 4.0 materials.

Any thoughts/ suggestions?

I'm hesitant to dish out more $$$ on study materials as they're not cheap...but willing to pay whatever it takes to knock out these last exams!
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Re: Anyone studied using Ballast 5.0?

Postby dklorensen » Tue Feb 07, 2017 10:38 am

I don't have any experience with 5.0 Ballast, but I bought the Architect's Exam Prep study guides for both PPD and PDD. They are $100 each, you download all of the info (flashcards, 350+ page study guide, and audio of the study guide) and there is an online exam you can take too. I took PPD on 1/30, but got caught up in the server issue so I didn't finish my test (I was on question 92/120), however, I thought it was a good summary for the topics you should know. I purchased the PDD one right after my 1/30 exam to help prepare for PDD (taking 2/23). What I found after seeing both of these study guides 1) there is about 1/3 of the info overlapped between the two and 2) they are just a start to what you should know, but they help gather the topics. The guides themselves could use a good editing as some paragraphs are repeated a few times, there are a few mistakes sprinkled throughout, and some things are grouped a little funny, but they are easy to read and get through. I am now going back and reading some out of my 4.0 Ballast book, and a few other books listed as references on the 5.0 handbook.

So, sorry, I didn't help you at all with the question you asked, but I wanted to share my opinions on other options for study materials out there. :D
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Re: Anyone studied using Ballast 5.0?

Postby ptzumd » Wed Feb 08, 2017 9:45 am

I have the Ballast 5.0 study guide and I have found that, for the most part, they just reorganized the 4.0 content based on the new content areas for 5.0. If you study 4.0 SS, BDCS, and BS for PPD and PDD, with some Programming, SPD, and Project Manual content thrown in, you should be able to get out of the 4.0 material what you would get from the 5.0 guides. I know it sounds like a lot, but over half of the 5.0 study guide is devoted to the PPD and PDD exams alone. I've also noticed that a bunch of the practice questions for 5.0 were taken directly from 4.0. There are no hotpsot question in the new study guide, and the practice case studies are woefully inadequate based on my experience taking the PPD exam.
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Re: Anyone studied using Ballast 5.0?

Postby randar82 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 7:05 pm

Personally, I would NOT recommend the AED materials - yes they are fairly easy to read and understand, but I think the content is way too big picture. It's fine if you want a cliff's notes version of the material for the exam, but it is not in-depth enough as the sole study guide.

02/20 EDIT: Having just taken the exam and then scrolling back through AED, it's not remotely close to the content covered by this exam. It could be that the selection of questions I got were unusual, but AED places a lot of focus on concepts that were not even remotely touched on in the exam.
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