by JORDANARE » Thu Jul 20, 2017 12:02 am
I thought I'd continue on here rather than start a new thread- Anyways I took the exam Monday. I would be surprised if I passed, as I've done what many people do and re-reviewed the questions, and realize a number I got wrong.
I've seen PPP three times now, the first time likely would have been a pass after passing the multiple choice, but my screen turned to white and I accidentally exited out. Second time I passed vignette, but not multiple choice. I made the decision to study so hard for the third that If I didn't pass, I would not want to take the exam for at least 6 months. This is my study regiment over six weeks (no Joke).
Oscar Newman - Defensible space (first half)
Secretary of Interior Standards (Would read sections as they tied in with study material (I.e Structures with historic structures, CDS with accessibility etc.)
Graphic Standards (skimmed inclusive design).
AHPP (skimmed a first 200 pages, read one review of first 30 pages on project management).
Paul Segal (read once, skimmed certain areas).
William Pena Programming (read 2/3 over the course of the study schedule).
IBC-Building Code Basics (read thoroughly a few times, skimmed twice).
10 days studying structures (videos, a little reading, one thorough Ballast exam and review plus studying as much seismic as possible).
10 Days Building Systems (same as above)
10 Days (BDCS same as above)
10 days Site planning (Both Ballast Exams, plus very quick read of Russ Site Planning book from cover to cover + articles I could find on Zoning regulations).
7 Days (CDS- Same as above, plus Schiff Hardin, Plus A201 A101 C401 B101, read them all thoroughly at least once, some twice).
7 days PPP (Carolines notes, thorough once, skimmed once, Ballast Thorough test- scored 80%, thorough review of all practice questions).
Designer Hacks exam @ 93%
Used A site called Anki and made about 700 online flash cards for the last two weeks of my study sessions. This is a good site to quickly remind you of information so you don't lose what you studied weeks ago.
5/6 Alt Vignettes.
*Other study material not included, just main points.
This was my life over about six weeks, and i'm ok with admitting it.
I just prefer to do things in a complete way and know I gave my best. At this point, I haven't seen anyone mention drawing from this many sources so i'll dive into pros and cons (if you're anything like me).
Pros: There were about five questions that my vast reading prepared me for. I would say two of them would be considered actual WTF questions by most ppl, but I was able to put them together from these sources. You may have a tough exam, but you will get through the exam faster than ever because for the most part there will be nothing that just makes "0 sense".
Cons: You will miss a few questions from actually knowing the information too well. Even having a thorough grasp on things is not enough to not miss a few stupid questions on a time crunch and a few of the other 10-15 that are just way too close to call, but you will also miss a few you would have gotten just using common sense because you're trying to draw from many sources. You will also begin to notice conflicting information in the various study guides, and that will make things more confusing.
Despite my disdain for NCARB, this test probably isn't so unfair. What's unfair is that NCARB posts a study guide that isn't even close to the level of difficulty of the real questions, and that they (in my opinion) don't do nearly enough to stress the importance of understanding regulations from various organizations (FEMA, NEHRAP, EPA) These are all absolutely critical. However, The questions they ask are (generally speaking) important for an actual architect to have some reasonable knowledge of, and I'd love to complain about it, but you should be able to answer basic questions about zoning and site remediation. For people who miss the vignette, I am genuinely curious as to whether or not they posted their solutions, and have completed the alts. If I failed the vignette, I would be very surprised but that's because I've had my vignette reviewed, passed on another PPP exam, and have seen all the obscure, crazier tricks from the alts.
If I were to do it all again, I would allow more time for taking in PPP material probably 10-14 days at the end, I would have read some more from FEMA and EPA website at the end, but that's it.
I feel confident that I did everything I could and at the end of the day, this test is just really challenging for some people without experience in a broad range of activities, and project management. One skill I might recommend is to read on taking tests. Some of the tools necessary to being good at this exam don't have to do with knowledge, but with your ability to quickly discern between sets of information. That is a seperate skill entirely and can be worked on.
As a side not i've passed CDS and SPD so wasn't going in blind.
Hope this helps and someone studying or considering various methods of studying.