Failed Last Week

[drfmpower]

I took the PPP exam last Saturday and failed. I have been studying for a month. I am using the Ballast book, Kaplan Flash cards, and a little of the Architectural Handbook for Professionals (student edition, old, 1994 version). I know I did the Vignette section correct and still received a level 2. Am I using the right resources to study?


Vignette Questions:

1. How close do you have to be to the setback for the lake (25’) with the Building Area? I was on the Secondary Construction Area and did not go over. There has to be some tolerance with this software.
2. Is it better for your Building profile line not to touch the grade or to go past the grade? I would think better to extend past grade, as this would be the foundation. I went past the grade because I could not snap to the grade.
3. Is it best to leave all guide lines in when finished?
4. For the 30 degree building setback, I could not get the line to be an even 30 degrees and actually did it at 30.15 degrees. Is this acceptable? I also did not take the building profile past the setback and stayed close and under. Was that wrong as well?

I am planning on taking it as soon as I can again. All help is appreciated.

Thank you,

[corbismyhomeboy]

PPP has a lot of overlap with SPD and CDS - you probably noticed that in your exam. Even if you've already taken both of those and passed, it's probably good to brush up on some of the material with Ballast, notes, whatever you think is helpful. I really like this chart produced by Candy's blog, ARE We There Yet? showing the overlap of the exams. https://arewethereblog.com/2013/10/26/are-4-0-contents/ Another resource that may be of use is the Black Spectacles Mock Exams on YouTube. They're kind of long (an hour or so) but the host explains why the answers are right and wrong and helps you get through some of the concepts.

Also post some vignette attempts on the forum if you haven't already! The vignettes in the exam can be tricky, and comments ahead of time can help you remember what to look for!

[drfmpower]

Thanks for the tips. I will touch up on Ballast, flashcards, and the Black Spectacles Mock Exams on YouTube. Any links to a list of resources to study from? Or is what I have listed good enough?

Can you provide any insight on the questions asked about the vignette? However, I will post my attempts.

[drfmpower]

I made a list of the AIA Docs with links. With Ballast and Flashcards, are these good to study as well? I need to know my AIA Docs better.

A101-2007
http://aiad8.prod.acquia-sites.com/site ... review.pdf

A201-2007
http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/d ... 076835.pdf

A701-1997
http://aiad8.prod.acquia-sites.com/site ... review.pdf

B101-2007
http://aiad8.prod.acquia-sites.com/site ... entary.pdf

C401-2007
http://aiad8.prod.acquia-sites.com/site ... Sample.pdf

[corbismyhomeboy]

This is an old list from the old areforum website. Some of the links still work and some don't since the list is pretty old. Look under Pre-Design, but also CDS and Site Planning for some other resources. Under CDS, I think there are some copies of the annotated contracts. Those were helpful for CDS, and probably will be helpful to have a handle on prior to PPP testing.

http://www.areforum.org/up/

These resources are helpful, but it's completely up to you to figure out what you need and don't need. Everyone have a different experience level and brings a different level of knowledge to the table. Look through some of the books' table of contents, skim through and figure out what you need to focus on and what you feel confident in. Look at the NCARB guide and see what they recommend for resources and what the content areas for that test are. And whatever you decide to study, make sure you're covering all the bases.

[drfmpower]

I actually made the list from the 4.0 PPP Study Guide and researched for the links myself.

I quickly looked on the link you shared under CDS and it was 1997 AIA Docs. Aren't those old as well? However, I will further research your shared link. The AIA Docs is what I need to brush up on.

[JDare]

Do you have the Dorf Vignette and 3.1 Vignette alternates? I would suggest using these resources for practicing the vignettes if you are having trouble with them.

If you want a better understanding of the contracts, make sure to listen to the Schiff Hardin (spelling?) lectures as well. They're pretty long and can be dry, but you'll definitely gain a better understanding of these and you can listen to his stuff anywhere. I listened to his lectures twice and took notes.

[vrcat25]

I took the PPP exam last Saturday and failed. I have been studying for a month. I am using the Ballast book, Kaplan Flash cards, and a little of the Architectural Handbook for Professionals (student edition, old, 1994 version). I know I did the Vignette section correct and still received a level 2. Am I using the right resources to study?


Vignette Questions:

1. How close do you have to be to the setback for the lake (25’) with the Building Area? I was on the Secondary Construction Area and did not go over. There has to be some tolerance with this software.
2. Is it better for your Building profile line not to touch the grade or to go past the grade? I would think better to extend past grade, as this would be the foundation. I went past the grade because I could not snap to the grade.
3. Is it best to leave all guide lines in when finished?
4. For the 30 degree building setback, I could not get the line to be an even 30 degrees and actually did it at 30.15 degrees. Is this acceptable? I also did not take the building profile past the setback and stayed close and under. Was that wrong as well?

I am planning on taking it as soon as I can again. All help is appreciated.

Thank you,

I'm confused...Is the vignette the only part of test you failed? Since you are asking about study material that has little to do with the vignette i have to assume you failed other sections. One thing i noticed that your missing is test practice problems. Do you have the work book"Programming Planning and Practice ARE SAMPLE PROBLEMS " Besides being the most important source for MC, it also has 2 sample vignette's.

As for your "vignette" questions:
1. there is a tolerance built in. just get it close as you can.
2. dip below the grade one or two clicks. Again, just get it close as you can.
3. If it gets in the way delete it. If not, don't waste time deleting them. It really depends on the specific vignette and if they are in your way. The program does not count against you for leaving guide lines.
4. There's a way where you can get a perfect 30 degree or whatever angle for the sketch line. Try this. Start your line all the way at top right hand corner and end it all the way down on bottom left corner. This will give you more play so that you can get an exact 30 degree sketch line. If you do it that way it should only take a few seconds. Now move that line to where you will need to trace your building profile. You building profile will also have a tolerance built in.

Most importantly, review the the Ben Rudgers Vignette Site Zoning Guide if you haven't already.

[corbismyhomeboy]

Sorry drfm, I sent you that link thinking that's where you could access the annotated version of the contracts, but I guess they're not in there. (I can't remember where I got them!) The Schiff Hardin lectures are really good if you can scout them out somewhere on the forum or elsewhere.

I agree with vrcat, it sounds like you may want to do some practice exams. That could give you a better sense of what you're missing and where you need to fill in the gaps. PPP is a confusing beast!

[yup1961]

I was studying through Ballast but at the last minute I decided to read through Kaplan (not the flash cards, but the book). I think it helped a lot. For some reason Kaplan and Ballast have very different information in them for this test.

[JDare]

Hi there-sorry to hear about these attempts. These exams are time consuming to study for and are no means easy to do.

I took this exam first and was fortunate to get a pass on my first try. I overstudied but I think it helped.

My advice for this exam is this:
-Study every day, even if it is only 20 minutes looking through flashcards or 10 minutes reading an article. It keeps everything fresh.
-Google and look at everything you can get your hands on that you don't know or aren't familiar with. I can't stress enough how I think this helped me get some of the WTF questions that showed up on the exams.
-This Forum is INVALUABLE! Anything you don't understand, ask the question and someone will answer! This forum is an amazing resource!
-Take the Ballast and Kaplan practice exams, and make sure to read EVERY explanation for the question, even if you got it correct.
-don't just 'memorize' the AIA contracts, but understand why the architect, owner, GC is responsible for what and why.
-Make sure to listen to the Schiff Hardin lectures. Listen to them twice and take notes. Put it on 1.5 speed to make it go faster the second time around, you can listen to this in your car, at work, on the train-anywhere!
-use the 3.1 Vignette alternates and the Dorf Vignettes to practice. These definitely help to point out common mistakes and more methodical ways to solve the vignette.
-Remember that vignettes are a series of "rules" that you need to follow. It does not have to be pretty or perfect, just needs to be correct per the given requirements.It really helped when I wrote everything down on the scratch paper provided then crossed out each item as I completed it. You can easily miss one point which could potentially cause a fail.

I agree-I think you should take a break from CDS and take SPD or PPP then come back to it. You might just be having trouble with that one exam but be fine with the others. The questions are a crapshoot-you never know what you will get! I would say I walked out of 4 of the exams having nooo clue whether I passed or failed.

I hope this all helps, stay positive and keep your head up! YOU WILL PASS!!!!!

If anyone needs them, I do have the Schiff Hardin lectures if they aren't available on this forum anymore. Good luck all!

[JDare]

EDIT to my post above-the Schiff Hardin lectures are more helpful for the CDS exam but it wouldn't be a bad idea to listen to them once for PPP.

[drfmpower]

Thank you to all for all the insight. I will follow these helpful tips if I choose to stay in 4.0.

I have been getting a little discouraged and was thinking of transitioning to 5.0. I have only taken two exams (CDS and PPP) and I have failed both. Should I stay on the 4.0 path for these two and transition to 5.0 for the last three or just cut my losses and go to 5.0? I am so on the fence because I have not passed one exam.

[sb84]

i failed my first 3 exams (SS, BS, SD), then took a while off. Came back and passed CDS last April, Failed PPP. Took another 6 months off. Since November of 2016 ive passed SD, Failed SPD, passed PPP, Passed SPD, and Passed BDCS.

My point is that the tests dont get easier, but you learn how to beat them.

i say stick with 4.0 (at lease for PPP, SPD, and CDS), then decide if you want to transition.

Good luck with whichever path u choose