PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Site Zoning Vignette and Multiple Choice

PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby malexisp » Thu May 11, 2017 8:31 am

This was my first try. From reading the PPP forum topics I was expecting a lot of ambiguity on the MC. I would have to disagree. I think the MC was fairly logical and straightforward. Now the Vignette...that was a completely different ballgame. Thoughts & material used below.

Multiple Choice
Read Kaplan twice.
Read Ballast once.
Read Oscar Newman - Creating Defensible Space
Read Historic Preservation Guidelines
Read Kevin Lynch - Image of the City
Watched Andres Duany Videos
Caroline's Notes as an overview
Designer Hacks PPP Test - practiced until I was averaging above 95% - much easier than actual exam
NALSA Archiflash cards - Essential in my opinion
Ballast practice exam - If you score above an 80% you should pass - somewhat similar to actual exam

Vignette
There will be a curveball. For sure! I will tell you this. DRAW WHAT YOU READ AND DON'T OVERTHINK. DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE LOGICAL, OR ARCHITECTURE, OR TO LOOK LIKE THE PRACTICE SOFTWARE...BECAUSE IT IS NOT! READ SLOW AND WELL, COMPREHEND WHAT YOU READ, AND DRAW IT.
I read something that didn't make sense architecturally and it threw me off. Had a little panic attack, but took a breath and just wrote it down and drew it.
Familiarize yourself with the software and NCARB vignette language. Very, very important. When you are in crunch time you want to focus on developing the solution not figuring out what command to use, it should be intuitive.

I used the 3.1 Alt
I read BEN RUDGERS
watched the https://vimeo.com/50457422 Site Zoning Vignette
Read and understood logic in Dorf

Good luck to all!
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby toshea13 » Thu May 11, 2017 11:30 am

Congrats! I have just found out this morning that I passed too!
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby greek22 » Sat May 13, 2017 12:52 pm

Congratulations to you both! I've taken this exam numerous times (too many to count) and I still haven't received my pass. I'll be testing again in a few weeks and I have looked at almost every, if not all sources, listed here multiple times. What do you recommend was the best source/process in preparing for this exam? I have passed CDS and SPD. This is the only thing holding me back from transitioning to 5.0. I find this exam to be more "fluffy" than the other two exams I've taken and it's randomness throws me off every time. My issue is the MC and not the vignette. Any advice/last minute studying tips would be greatly appreciated! :D
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby JORDANARE » Sat May 13, 2017 1:32 pm

Greek22, I actually just posted on this and am in the same position. I'm convinced the new PPP exam is intended to be a bit of threshhold guardian to the final two. I think if you get past this one, you're probably very close and that's why it's so tough. I think the answer lies, for good or bad in knowing everything. I studied comprehensively, but this was just too tough. I'm going to focus on relevant content from the other three and then come back to take it. I had at least 10 crazy questions that had I studied for these other exams, I probably would have been prepared for. In an exam, where it can easily come down to a hand full of questions, I predict this is the answer. Not only that, but I suspect having a good grasp on the others while gaining professional experience will put you in a position to knock out the other two in just a few months.
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby bmmuscroft11 » Mon May 15, 2017 5:31 am

hey guys,

I though I'd join in the conversation. I am also in the same transition. I've successfully pass CDs and SPD, but I'm having a heck of a time trying to pass PPP. It's the project delivery portion, and only that portion, that has tripped me up twice. I assumed since a great deal of the information was covered in CDs, it would be a bit easier.
I'm using:
Caroline's Notes as an overview
NALSA Archiflash cards
Ballast practice exam: with an average score of 90%
Jenny's Note as an overview
The PPP portion of the Ballast Book

Is there any thing I need to do differently?
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby greek22 » Mon May 15, 2017 6:11 am

JORDANARE wrote:Greek22, I actually just posted on this and am in the same position. I'm convinced the new PPP exam is intended to be a bit of threshhold guardian to the final two. I think if you get past this one, you're probably very close and that's why it's so tough. I think the answer lies, for good or bad in knowing everything. I studied comprehensively, but this was just too tough. I'm going to focus on relevant content from the other three and then come back to take it. I had at least 10 crazy questions that had I studied for these other exams, I probably would have been prepared for. In an exam, where it can easily come down to a hand full of questions, I predict this is the answer. Not only that, but I suspect having a good grasp on the others while gaining professional experience will put you in a position to knock out the other two in just a few months.


hey jordanare. I'm sorry your having issues with this exam as well. when you say your going to focus on relevant content from "the other three"; which 3 exams are you referring to? And which exams have you passed? I have passed CDS and SPD already. How about you?
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby greek22 » Mon May 15, 2017 6:15 am

bmmuscroft11 wrote:hey guys,

I though I'd join in the conversation. I am also in the same transition. I've successfully pass CDs and SPD, but I'm having a heck of a time trying to pass PPP. It's the project delivery portion, and only that portion, that has tripped me up twice. I assumed since a great deal of the information was covered in CDs, it would be a bit easier.
I'm using:
Caroline's Notes as an overview
NALSA Archiflash cards
Ballast practice exam: with an average score of 90%
Jenny's Note as an overview
The PPP portion of the Ballast Book

Is there any thing I need to do differently?


I'm sorry your also having difficulty with this exam! It's been really tough for me as well! Have you used the schiff hardin lectures for when you took cds? I'm not sure if you did but if you haven't these were great for the project delivery portion. Also, perhaps taking more practice exams and focusing on questions in the project delivery area could potentially help. My issue on my last exam was a level 3 on "environmental/social/economic" and a level 2 on "codes and regulations". I'm hoping just recently passing spd will help with environmental portion.
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby bmmuscroft11 » Tue May 16, 2017 5:28 am

hey greek22

yes. I do have access to the lectures, and I have been reviewing them. I think, as suggested by malexsip, I'll try the Designer Hacks PPP test. Also suggested by my wife's coworker is the Architect Guide to Professional Practice.

Good luck greek and Jordanare.

Thanks malexsip for the resource suggestions.
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby malexisp » Tue May 16, 2017 8:21 am

I failed to mention that I had taken and passed the CDS prior to this exam. I think that played a big role in the project delivery questions and also in defining the role/responsibility of the architect/owner/consultant/contractor/sub-subcontractor amongst others.

For those who haven't taken CDS and are having a hard time with PPP I strongly suggest going back and taking CDS first or listening to the Schiff Harden Lectures and reading the AIA Contracts A101 & 201, B101, and C401.

In terms of my strategy for the PPP MC. You have to be prepared for a few WTF throw away questions. What that means though is you have to be strong on the ones that are core to the PPP. You can't really prepare for WTF, nor should you spend a lot of time studying them, study core competencies and the relative areas and know them backward and front.

Good luck to all!!
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby vrcat25 » Tue May 16, 2017 8:48 am

malexisp wrote:In terms of my strategy for the PPP MC. You have to be prepared for a few WTF throw away questions. What that means though is you have to be strong on the ones that are core to the PPP. You can't really prepare for WTF, nor should you spend a lot of time studying them, study core competencies and the relative areas and know them backward and front.

Good luck to all!!


GREAT advice! This is spot on. All you can really do is focus on the core and hope there's not as many WTF questions. One thing I will add is that some of these WTF questions have a tendency to reappear and one of the only ways to prepare for them is to write them down and study them so that at least you don't miss them the second time around, if they appear again.
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Re: PASS! Thoughts & Materials Used

Postby JORDANARE » Wed May 17, 2017 10:51 pm

I like that advice too! However, I will say as one other person did in a previous post that I received questions that easily could have been on SS, building systems or the more technical exams. The first time I took PPP, it was very much in line with the standard study material. Meaning that if you could spit back Ballast Carolines notes, Some Secretary of Interior on preservation/rehabilitation/restoration/reconstruction, a little history and so on, along with some SPD and Project management-- you were golden. The problem is that even just learning that info for an ordinary person could take months. Carolines notes are over 100 pages.

The second exam, I knew this information pretty well, had passed SPD and CDS etc. However, the test seemed to go a level beyond in terms of understanding really any of the concepts. In addition there were a number of questions that involved memorizing some exact knowledge from some random source, but I think the only way I could have adequately prepared would have been by actually studying for all of the other exams. Maybe I'll get fortunate and get a test like the first one next time, but I just don't want to take my chances again as this test literally has no boundary in the types of questions it will throw at you.

CDS, and SPD are like this too, but they tend to keep things at least in the same general ball park in my experience.
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