Passed!!!!!!!! This was my final exam. The day I got my results was seriously one of the happiest days of my life. Below is what we did to prepare for the Structures exam.
Thaddeus (I don't think I could have done it without this guy, worth the money for sure)
Ballast (Read all structural chapters plus wood, concrete, steel, soils)
Buildings at Risk (Seismic and Wind)
FEMA (chps 4, 5, 8, 9)
Archiflash cards
Qbank (online Kaplan quizzes, would do these during my lunch break at work)
Ballast, Kaplan, and Gang Chin Practice Exams
Pinterest
(Did not read Kaplan for this one)
I have been lucky enough to be able to study with my now husband (we got married in between test 4 and 5) for all exams which was a huge help, I would def suggest a study buddy. We spent almost 3 months studying for this exam. We started out reading Ballast (skipped over ALL the math problems, I would not even bother with these, Ballast def makes the math way more confusing than it needs to be) then FEMA/Thaddeus, had about a month after completing Thaddeus's videos to read more, take practice exams, and re-watch about 1/3 of his videos. We also made tons of flashcards.
The vignette was pretty straightforward. Thaddeus has a lecture on the vignette which was very helpful, watched it twice. We did the NCARB practice vignette and one of the Alts. Def the easiest vignette of all exams.
I felt like this exam was the least random of all the exams. Already taking BDCS was a huge help. Just take your time and make sure you read. I felt like I had an adequate amount of time to do the math problems as I got to them but you can also mark them and come back after you have gone through the entire exam. If I had to guess I would say I probably got 1/3 to 1/2 of the math q's right. It is important to really understand the concepts behind the equations, not just knowing how to do the calculations themselves. Thaddeus was a huge help for understanding the concepts. I know people have passed without watching his video's but I don't think I would have.
Before every exam I have always read through AREcoach to get tips/etc. for what to study. It has been a huge help, thank you to all for posting about your experiences. It took us a little over 2 years to complete all, including breaks. Our order of exams was: BS, BDCS, CDS, PPP, SPD, SD, SS. We both passed all 7 without one fail. It is an amazing feeling to be done.
Good luck to everyone, hang in there, you can do this!!!