Passed & Done!!! (Long Post)

Site Zoning Vignette and Multiple Choice

Passed & Done!!! (Long Post)

Postby wws341234 » Thu Nov 23, 2017 7:44 pm

So I finally found my pass last night just before my Thanksgiving dinner. When I walked out of the test center last week, I was not confident at all on my MC. In fact, I was reluctant to check my score until my wife insisted that we check together. Needless to say, it was a very good dinner for me and after sixth attempt at this exam I'm glad i can finally put this behind me. The material I used to study this division isn't too far off from most of you, but here it is.

My Study List:
Problem Seeking
Black Spectacles (videos + MC)
Schiff Hardin Professional Practice lectures
A101 (just skimmed thru)
A201
B101
C401 (just skimmed thru)
AHPP (I just skimmed thru areas I felt I was weak in, primarily in project delivery and budgeting)
Ballast practice exam
Design Hack practice exam
NCARB practice vignette

Just before the exam, I've also skimmed thru below list:
Caroline's Study Notes
Jenny's Notes
Building Construction Illustrated

My Schedule:
In terms of my schedule, I've also intensified my study routine. I bought a small calendar and made sure I stick to the schedule that I've committed myself to. Monday - Friday I would study 7am-9am, then at lunch time I would do practice exam 1pm-2pm, and finally at night after i put my son to bed i would do a quick review and create my own question flash cards, around 10pm-11pm.
This went on for 3 months, and week before my exam (it was on Tuesday) I took 3 days off my work and I study full time for 4 more days.

Key Points that Helped Me Alot:
Obviously study hard is that helps the most, but for this exam I had to do alot more to ensure I got my pass. Before I started I did some research on study hacks and I walked away with some valuable tips that I would like to share.
1. ARE Coach as my home page.
I basically come here every day. Ask questions. Get in debates. Post your vignettes.
2. I made sure I have enough time.
For this exam I gave myself 3 months to study instead of my normal 2 month period. This gave me more time to study, but also lessen the pressure of rush thru the materials to cover all the grounds in time. I also switched from studying at night to studying in the morning. This is by far the smartest move I've made. With a 13 month old at home, there is no way I can study at night anymore.
3. Mix it up.
I learn from study hack that it helps to mix up your study materials, so I go through at least 2 materials at one time. However, I find that by doing this, it's crucial to do your review at the end of everyday. I use a flash card app called Cram, and is a very good way to retain and remind myself of all the materials I've read.
4. Clear your life.
This is also very important. In 2016, I got married, moved twice, and had my newborn son all within 10 months. I've also taken 5 exams (including some other divisions) and I failed all 5 of them. At the time I though if i managed everything right, I would be able to handle it. However in retrospect, with all the stress I couldn't clear my head and have the mental energy required. Now that everything settled down, I realized it might have been better if I spaced out my exams a bit more.
5. Change your password
If you're the type that gets easily distracted by facebook and youtube or any other online sites, have your friend (but make sure you really trust them) or your significant others to change your password to your FB account. Until you pass.

And that's it! Sorry for the long post. I hope everyone enjoy your Thanksgiving, happy holidays, and good luck to you all. You can do it!!!
wws341234
 
Posts: 112
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 6:49 am

Re: Passed & Done!!! (Long Post)

Postby Rico » Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:44 pm

Great post. I totally agree with you on clearing your life to commit to the time it takes this challenge-goal. It happened to me and I already passed CDS. I’m taking PPP soon and I’m studying in a more focused way becuse of the miriad of thing I h dot do before were preventing me on focusding 100%
Congrats and good luck
Rico
 
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 6:52 pm


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