Hey guys, so I just took the test yesterday, reflected on it, and have my experience to post here both to hopefully help anyone else out and so that I have a record of my thoughts in case I need to retake this test (highly probable)
So for starters, I was simply unprepared. Less unprepared than I thought I was Saturday, but never the less still unprepared. The test was a lot more straight forward than I had expected, so that was a pro, it was helpful that my last test passed was SPD, but I do absolutely wish I took BDCS prior to this exam as well. But neither of those were make or break for this exam like I felt PPP and CDS were for SPD.
So I signed up for this first week of April, hot off the heels of Passing CDS, PPP, and SPD. I didn't start studying until end of April. mistake #1, 6 weeks of studying was not enough, I was getting in 2 hrs a day during the week and 4 on weekends early on and 12 the last 3 weeks. It was not enough, for me. I am sure for others it could be more than enough, I am a slow reader, I retain info a little better than many speed readers I know, but it takes 4 times to get through material. Just how I am, *shrugs* With that said.... I didn't read enough material, or more specifically, the *right* material, and what I did read took a while to *click* for me, in fact I didn't really start grasping things with some level of consistency until about 4 days prior to the exam, which caused a slight panic when I realized how little of the material I had actually covered. In truth I needed 3 more weeks to fully understand the material and to have read all the material I needed to read.
What I did use
---Marc Mitalski's Prepare, Inc. ARE online video series and questions.
While the video series was very helpful in drawing relations and connections between terminology and their related elements, and while I got a basic fundamental understanding of the material, me personally, I had a lot of trouble retaining the knowledge or learning to use the equations in practice. The questions were MUCH more helpful, as I was actually learning how to use the math and equations in practice, this isn't a negative on the video series, it did help, I just tend to learn more from failing questions than watching a lesson. I do recommend it though for anyone having trouble reading, but as a supplement. With that said I only got to practice 125 of the 400 questions, and at that I only was working 50% (I only performed 1 run through and I really should have spend more time on these)
--- Fema 454 Chapters 4,5,8,9
Read and listened to the video series. I know a lot of people recommend these materials, but for my personal experience (user experience may change) anything related to them on the test was actually covered by Marc Mitalski's videos. Was a good reinforcement of ideas though, just wish I spent the time elsewhere (more on that later)
---Buldings at Risk, Seismic and Wind
See Fema 454 above.
---Kaplan review questions
Only made it through about 100 of these, wish I had more time to go through the questions and run practice exams, that always seems to be the biggest help for me on these tests.
---Jenny's Notes
Helpful, but was mostly a simple recap of the above
---2 chapters of the Ballast Book's section for structures.
Wish I skipped the math portions and focused more on the conceptual aspects of the section. The math in Ballast was waaaaaaay more intense than anything on the test.
What I didn't use, but really wish I got through
---Mike's Notes. Discovered these way too late. I read his pinned post, but didn't realize the large google docs link had more material and just thought he compiled other helpful stuff.
---Kaplan, the study guide and the q&a portions, looking through it, things seemed to be broken down into simpler ideas and concepts and it even gives some basic definitions and examples, would have been helpeful. Would definitely skip any intense math found in there though. Obviously the practice exams would always be helpful.
---IBC Chapter 16 Structural Design. Perhaps a few other chapters (not sure which ones, anything related to columns, beams, joists and slabs) I can not stress this one enough. This, I feel, is a must read.
---Ballast, full structures section, skip all the math.
---More practice exams, all of them, Kaplans, Ballast, Chen's, Mitalski's, designerhacks.
---Take BDCS prior to this, learn ABOUT the construction systems there first.
Note: I didn't use David Thaddeus because of the price tag, $325 is a lot of money, so I can not comment on his course or of what value it might be, it comes highly recommended but truthfully, if I need to retake this test, I feel that between BDCS, and the items I listed and having taken the test, I should have enough bases covered.
As for the vignette.... was straight forward but vastly different from the practice exams. There is a solid chance I boned myself on that one tho. I had joists that were spanning 31'9" from face of wall to face of wall. I know we were supposed to keep them at 30' but I could not for the love of all that is holy figure out how to decrease the spans. There was just no way that made sense with the interior wall layouts that wouldn't have looked like a patchwork blanket, and even that was suspect because I would have had spans running 2 feet in length at some parts.
As I typed that above I now have this terrible fear that I somehow by act of god got level 1 on the MC's and failed the vignette.
Anyway, Hope this helps someone out.