Just back from the exam

Structural Layout Vignette and Multiple Choice

Just back from the exam

Postby patjohns » Wed Nov 20, 2013 4:08 pm

Well, this is my second try at this exam and my experience could not be more different than the first time around. I don't know if it was that the exam was easier or I just studied a lot more. That being said, I don't have a good gauge for whether or not I passed this beast. We'll see in 2-6 weeks.

Overall, I had about 20+ calculations but many of the questions had to do with the theory within the calculations. I had some difficult calculations that were much more complicated version of ones I had practiced including understanding torsional moments, rigid diaphragm and shear walls.
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby nik_3ps » Wed Nov 20, 2013 4:15 pm

Wish you all the best, hope you get that pass letter.

its seems like there is a lot more variety in the feedback people have given based off the new system, rather than the old system. Anyway take my test tomorrow-lets see how it goes
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby recorcholis » Wed Nov 20, 2013 5:04 pm

Hi!

Is it worth spending hours doing all of these "calculation" questions from Kaplan and Ballast? I just want to be able to study smart.

Thanks, and good luck :D
R
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby patjohns » Wed Nov 20, 2013 8:26 pm

Yes, I do think it's worth practicing as many equations as possible. Even if you don't get a lot of calculations on the exam, the way it is written, you have to understand the concepts behind them. I think the only way to understand the concepts thoroughly, is to practice equations.

I did Thaddeus' course this time around, as well as, his at your own pace. I think these are really good on basic concepts.
I also did the practice questions on prepARE, Kaplan 500 and some other practice exams I got from the forum.

BTW, I finished the vignette in 15 minutes which really worried me. So, I went back and read the directions and went through each part to make sure I got it right. I sat there for 10 minutes trying to think of anything I could possibly miss, but couldn't and ended that part with 30 minutes left!

Good luck!
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby Grymatta » Wed Nov 20, 2013 8:36 pm

Hmm..I was putting off on practicing the multi step calculation problems but, after having read your post, I may have to divert study time to them. It does look like there's more variation in the exam formats so I guess its pretty random what you're gonna get. The only thing thats consistent is that the vignette is pretty similar to what the NCARB has posted.

You should get your results in 2 weeks or less, judging from what other ppl have been saying on the forums. Definitely not the old 6 weeks that we're used to.

I wish you the best of luck on your PASS letter. I will be taking mine on Monday!
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby patjohns » Thu Nov 21, 2013 9:57 am

Grymatta, If your testing Monday, I would not get too focused on the long detailed problems but make sure you understand the concepts. You will get a handful of more complicated problems but if you ace the remaining questions, I don't think they'll hurt your score too much. Good luck!
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby Grymatta » Thu Nov 21, 2013 10:10 am

Thanks Patjohns.

I think I might try the test method that Dilip Katri and some other people have suggested..going thru the exam really quickly to answer all the easy ones, then going back to work on the more time consuming calculation problems. I'm definitely gonna make sure I get the concepts down first though and make sure I'm familiar with recognizing the types of math questions that can be presented.
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby patjohns » Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:22 pm

Sounds good to me. good luck!
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby patjohns » Fri Nov 29, 2013 11:27 am

It's a PASS! I can't express how much of a relief this is as this was my most feared exam and it was my second try. The first time I took this exam, I almost walked out because I felt completely unprepared for it. This time, I did:

Thaddeus Seminar and at your pace- Great for general concepts and big picture
FEMA and Buildings at Risk- Read through both of these early on and continued to listen to recordings throughout.
Visual Dictionary of Architecture- good for concepts
Why buildings fall down- easy nighttime reading
Kaplan 500 and every test I could get my hands on. I made notes on all the problems I missed or did not fully understand and compiled it in a word document. This helped me narrow down the areas I was weakest.

A huge thank you to Coach , MikeSE/PM, Vicky, K4dmonkey and everyone else who patiently helped me with the vignette and sometimes stupid questions and for setting up this forum.

Good Luck everyone! If I can do it, so can you!!!!
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby Mike-SE » Fri Nov 29, 2013 7:46 pm

Congratulations!
There are no stupid questions. They all help you pass the exam.
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby Grymatta » Sun Dec 01, 2013 4:19 pm

Congratulations and well done!
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby ukarchi » Mon Dec 02, 2013 6:00 am

Congrats Patjohns!! What a relief! Can you elaborate on how long you studied for this one? Weeks/hours? I'm taking SD this week and then gearing up for SS, so I was wondering how long to plan on studying. Thanks!
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby K10 » Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:16 am

"I also did the practice questions on prepARE, Kaplan 500 and some other practice exams from the forum"

Hi. Can you or someone please post the link to these practice exams on the forum that PAT talks about? Thanks
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby Grymatta » Tue Dec 03, 2013 11:25 am

the Kaplan 500 Q & A book you can find on Amazon or other bookstores/sellers. There are different versions from various years but they are all basically the same. Maybe get the more recent version and hope that they corrected the various mistakes from past versions.

The PrepARE practice questions are a computer-based question & answer program that you purchase from Marc Mitalski's website. It costs $60 and you can login to the EQUALS program to do the questions. I believe you can use the program for up to 6 months, once purchased. Do a google search for the site, I can't remember offhand the web address. I think someone may have posted a link to it in one of the posts.
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Re: Just back from the exam

Postby patjohns » Tue Dec 03, 2013 12:31 pm

I can't even guess how many hours I studied for this thing...it was a lot and I started before the blackout. Most people will probably not take this long. My advice, gauge yourself. I took much longer on this one because I needed to. Plus, I'm juggling family and work. In fact, it wasn't until the last couple of weeks that things were making sense and I could see how they were related. Anyway, good luck everyone.

Here is a link to some practice exams:

http://arehelp.webs.com/

Hope this helps.
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