Looking For Some Advice

Looking For Some Advice

Postby zodigs » Tue Dec 05, 2017 6:44 pm

Just looking if anyone has any good reasons to transition to 5.0. I currently have 2 exams completed in 4.0 (SD & CDS). The rolling clock on the SD exam is 9/2018, but know that 4.0 is done on 6/30/18. I also just noticed that the website said that if I transition now I only receive credit for one exam (don't quite understand that!). Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Thank you!
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Re: Looking For Some Advice

Postby Coach » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:24 pm

SD is basically useless for transition.
If you have a lot of clock left for CDS I recommend concentrating on PPP in 4.0 until you pass it. Once PPP is passed, then you can try SPD or transition.

If your CDS clock is relatively short, you should just transition now since you may end up having to take all of 5.0 if you don't finish before you lose it.

Your other option is to work your ass off to finish 4.0 before the end of June. If you go that route, take PPP first, then SPD. The order of the rest doesn't matter.

Before you say finishing 4.0 is impossible, remember that we used to take the entire exam in 32.5 hours over 4 straight days in a large room full of a bunch of people -- and we had to do the vignettes by hand -- and they were much harder.
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Re: Looking For Some Advice

Postby zodigs » Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:14 am

Thanks Coach,

My CDS exam expires in February of 2022. So it looks like I will start studying for PPP so that if I transition to 5.0, I only have 3 exams left to take (PA, PPD, PDD) compared to 4 exams in 4.0 (SPD, BDC, SS, BS). Is that an ideal path? I am worried about not having enough (or the correct) study material for the 5.0 exams.

I appreciate your responses and advice!
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Re: Looking For Some Advice

Postby thd7t » Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:00 am

Take at least PPP. If you like the 4.0 format, you could take SPD as well, but it doesn't get you much and if you've taken PPP and CDS, a little SPD studying is enough for PA. I took PA without SPD and it worked well.
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Re: Looking For Some Advice

Postby zodigs » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:36 am

thd7t wrote:Take at least PPP. If you like the 4.0 format, you could take SPD as well, but it doesn't get you much and if you've taken PPP and CDS, a little SPD studying is enough for PA. I took PA without SPD and it worked well.


Thank you! Based on all the info I have now, I am going to go that route and take the PPP exam next. Then I will make the decision on the SPD or transition. I really do not like the vignettes in 4.0 (the program is so cumbersome), that I find myself getting easily frustrated with it and then it throws off my whole concentration. That is why the transition is becoming more appealing to me. I took the sample exam on the NCARB website and the "interactive" questions didn't seem to bad. The case studies seemed to be a little bit of a bear to deal with, but not as bad as the vignettes (in my opinion).
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Re: Looking For Some Advice

Postby nickedemus » Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:12 am

zodigs wrote:
thd7t wrote:I really do not like the vignettes in 4.0 (the program is so cumbersome), that I find myself getting easily frustrated with it and then it throws off my whole concentration.


I found the vignettes annoying, too. Mindless and unchallenging. I resent the fact that it made me switch my focus to mastering the stupid software rules in the middle of studying.
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Re: Looking For Some Advice

Postby thd7t » Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:20 am

The new system is distinctly better in this. I found that the case studies have more to do with my daily work (researching, comparing information and distilling answers) than drafting a predetermined answer in an inscrutable CAD program. However, I think that they will be harder for people with less experience.
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Re: Looking For Some Advice

Postby sbyrktct » Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:54 am

thd7t wrote:However, I think that they will be harder for people with less experience.


^ This is not necessarily a bad thing.
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Re: Looking For Some Advice

Postby MaxieArch » Thu Dec 07, 2017 8:46 am

Coach wrote:

Before you say finishing 4.0 is impossible, remember that we used to take the entire exam in 32.5 hours over 4 straight days in a large room full of a bunch of people -- and we had to do the vignettes by hand -- and they were much harder.



Agree with Coach......I was there!!!!
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