Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby billyz » Fri Jul 07, 2017 7:53 am

Thank you COACH and for all of you who regularly contribute to this awesome site. This has been a grueling process, but hearing (reading) tips, struggles, complaints, and success stories from others certainly helped push me through. I have been trudging through the ARE since 2011 - Crohn's diagnosis/surgery set me back and extended my clock for a little over a year - but i finally made it through and i am so relieved!!!!!

My path followed the "5 exam method" (PPP, CDS, SPD + PPD & PDD). I was hesitant to transition to 5.0, but i thought it was the best option because i only had 4 months before my passed sections started expiring. After deciding to transition, I immediately scheduled PPD and PDD for consecutive days. To maximize the number of times i could take these (3 times - factoring in 60 day waiting periods if i failed) i could only give myself 2 weeks of prep time prior to my first attempts. But i figured, what the heck - if i fail, it will be a good learning experience for my second attempt. So, i ordered the amber videos - i know, lots of money - and i crammed for 2 weeks watching videos and taking Ballast 5.0 practice tests. That's all i did and i PASSED BOTH!! And they were NOT DIFFICULT!!! I felt very well prepared - nothing caught me by surprise.

Sorry for the long post, but i think some of you need to hear this. ARE 5.0 is not the nightmare that VRCAT25 says it is. His/her posts scared the crap out of me, but boy were they wrong. ARE 5.0, PPD and PDD at least, are indeed more relevant to current architectural practice. PPD and PDD are very similar. I actually thought PDD was easier. Both mostly focused on SPD, BS, and BCDS material. I STUDIED NO STRUCTURAL, other than the steel, wood, and concrete amber videos. I may have had 4 or 5 structural questions......total....for both tests. The case studies were pretty straight forward. If you know how to navigate through the IBC, how to translate zoning requirements, and how to cross reference plans, elevations, and sections (you know, the stuff you should be doing at work every day), then you will be fine. I finished both tests with 30 minutes to spare. The most difficult part of these tests is enduring the 4.5 hours of staring at that screen....and the slow loading times for plans and code references...they really need to fix that.

In closing, don't be afraid to transition and try the 5 exam method. USE THE AMBER VIDEOS!! They are very, very, very helpful and worth the money!!! Lastly, i think i figured out why VRCAT25 is so negative...........i think he is really David Thaddeus.......he is upset because people will no longer need his seminars to pass the ARE!!!

Good luck!!

Billy
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby vrcat25 » Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:49 pm

ok, so you posted the same thing 3 TIMES....I read your posts and how you struggled with SPD in 2016 and failed SS and BS...I also read where you had many more study sources than Amber and you should really give them credit instead of coming across as if that's all you used to pass these tests....It sounds like you are a compulsive liar and are just misleading people. Give credit where credit is do and be honest. How many attempts and failures have you had?? You really seem like you haven't told the whole story and have been of little help if at any at all...At least i have contributed something to this forum....What have you contributed??
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby billyz » Fri Jul 07, 2017 2:08 pm

Thanks VRCAT25. You're right, you have no idea what Crohn's disease is and how it's affected, and continues to affect me and my family - i'll leave it at that. Hopefully, you will continue to have good health as you continue to "read" and "study" your way through the ARE. I apologize for "calling you out" - i just wanted to give folks a positive spin on 5.0 since all i saw was negative. I truly wish you the best. Stay positive my friend.

Copy and paste....you should try it....
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby vrcat25 » Fri Jul 07, 2017 5:27 pm

Unlike you, I'm not a parrot and my posts were different...you should try reading them sometimes.
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby billyz » Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:31 pm

I might read them......now that i don't have to spend time studying for these tests anymore. Seriously, if you have questions about PPD and PDD, let me know - they're still fresh on my mind. Good luck!
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby amadeus » Mon Jul 10, 2017 11:17 am

Awesome news !! Congrats!
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby billyz » Tue Jul 11, 2017 4:47 am

Thanks amadeus! Good luck with your final 2!!!
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby amadeus » Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:14 am

hopefully mid august :-) about a week apart for each exam. I typically set my exams 2 weeks after i consistently get 90's on all my practice exams. :geek:
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby 198kevin » Wed Jul 12, 2017 9:07 pm

vrcat25 wrote:ok, so you posted the same thing 3 TIMES....I read your posts and how you struggled with SPD in 2016 and failed SS and BS...I also read where you had many more study sources than Amber and you should really give them credit instead of coming across as if that's all you used to pass these tests....It sounds like you are a compulsive liar and are just misleading people. Give credit where credit is do and be honest. How many attempts and failures have you had?? You really seem like you haven't told the whole story and have been of little help if at any at all...At least i have contributed something to this forum....What have you contributed??


Actually vrcat25, you really freaked/stressed me out when I was taking PPD a few weeks ago. I found it actually to be a cake walk. Used Ballast 5.0 PPD section only, reviewed notes from SPD 4.0, Gang Cheng mock exam and listened to grant adams lectures. Don't accuse people trying to be positive and offer encouragement of not contributing anything to this forum. I really appreciate OP's post vs yours that added needless stress and worry before I tested, the OP has gotten me stoked to take a shot at PDD! Thanks for contributing billyz.
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby vrcat25 » Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:57 am

198kevin wrote:
Actually vrcat25, you really freaked/stressed me out when I was taking PPD a few weeks ago. I found it actually to be a cake walk. Used Ballast 5.0 PPD section only, reviewed notes from SPD 4.0, Gang Cheng mock exam and listened to grant adams lectures. Don't accuse people trying to be positive and offer encouragement of not contributing anything to this forum. I really appreciate OP's post vs yours that added needless stress and worry before I tested, the OP has gotten me stoked to take a shot at PDD! Thanks for contributing billyz.


It sounds like you are naturally freaked and stressed out...I was simply trying to prepare you and it must have worked because you passed didn't you?? People like you are so typical and don't want to give credit where it's due...You have 7 posts and have not shed any light on the test and sound like you are just a mooch...As for OP, that's kind of a broad and vague statement (like these tests :lol: ). Was that your first time taking ppd?? If so, what prompted you to study SPD?? Sounds like you are the real negative person here and sorry if i don't share your warm fuzzy feeling regarding PPD. Maybe you and these so called "OP" should go and have circle time and prepare for PDD, if you in fact passed PPD. Sounds like you're just looking for an excuse and somebody to blame when you fail...You can eep living in your fantasy world and pretending that these tests and all of the questions are perfectly fine and everything is hunky dory, but many people don't share this belief...There's something inherently wrong with many of the questions period. If this is negative, i guess i'm being negative... Good luck with PDD.
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! !!!

Postby cianchetta0 » Thu Jul 13, 2017 5:18 pm

vrcat25 wrote:
198kevin wrote:
Actually vrcat25, you really freaked/stressed me out when I was taking PPD a few weeks ago. I found it actually to be a cake walk. Used Ballast 5.0 PPD section only, reviewed notes from SPD 4.0, Gang Cheng mock exam and listened to grant adams lectures. Don't accuse people trying to be positive and offer encouragement of not contributing anything to this forum. I really appreciate OP's post vs yours that added needless stress and worry before I tested, the OP has gotten me stoked to take a shot at PDD! Thanks for contributing billyz.


It sounds like you are naturally freaked and stressed out...I was simply trying to prepare you and it must have worked because you passed didn't you?? People like you are so typical and don't want to give credit where it's due...You have 7 posts and have not shed any light on the test and sound like you are just a mooch...As for OP, that's kind of a broad and vague statement (like these tests :lol: ). Was that your first time taking ppd?? If so, what prompted you to study SPD?? Sounds like you are the real negative person here and sorry if i don't share your warm fuzzy feeling regarding PPD. Maybe you and these so called "OP" should go and have circle time and prepare for PDD, if you in fact passed PPD. Sounds like you're just looking for an excuse and somebody to blame when you fail...You can eep living in your fantasy world and pretending that these tests and all of the questions are perfectly fine and everything is hunky dory, but many people don't share this belief...There's something inherently wrong with many of the questions period. If this is negative, i guess i'm being negative... Good luck with PDD.


VRCAT25 Throwing shade up in this forum! Go kitty, go kitty, go go, go kitty. In all seriousness though let's all love one another right now. Testing for PPD on Tuesday and will check in on Wednesday happy or sad I WILL GIVE MY HONEST OPINION ABOUT IT.
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby vrcat25 » Thu Jul 13, 2017 6:04 pm

cianchetta0 wrote:
Go kitty, go kitty, go go, go kitty. In all seriousness though let's all love one another right now. Testing for PPD on Tuesday and will check in on Wednesday happy or sad I WILL GIVE MY HONEST OPINION ABOUT IT.


BAHAHAHA! :lol:

All i got is love for everybody! :) the tests on the hand are another story...I guess i'm perceived as negative because i vented a little too much after failing both PPD and PDD. I also have some history with PPP and failing it 3 times before passing on 4th attempt. My big problem with PPP is that i feel it's way to subjective and there's too many ambiguous questions. It's made too be too difficult when compared to CDS, SPD, BS and SS, it should be "easy"...I'm not looking for an easy way out, but i think NCRAB makes PPP WAY more difficult than it should be to the point there's obscure and ridiculous questions. It seems as thought they amped up the WTF questions with PPD and PDD. That's all. I was optimistic about transitioning to 5.0 because i thought "how could it possibly be worse". After taking PPD and then PDD i can now say IT'S WORSE...I really had high hopes that ncarb had improved on these tests, but i don't feel that they are any better. I'm sorry if i offended anybody. I'm just stating how i feel without the sugar coating. Didn't mean to throw any shade anybody's way...wish you all the best! Good luck to you too cianchetta! :)
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby amadeus » Fri Jul 14, 2017 4:56 pm

VRCAT we started taking the exams around the same time. I am rooting for you!! We will both reach our ultimate goal this year! :shock:
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby vrcat25 » Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:40 pm

amadeus wrote:VRCAT we started taking the exams around the same time. I am rooting for you!! We will both reach our ultimate goal this year! :shock:


I sure hope so!...If not, we will shoot for the stars and if we come up short, we will still hit the moon right? The moon being 2018...I will take a little longer to study for this next try with hopes that i won't have to take it a third time. Take care and wishing you all the best amadeus, THANKS! :)
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Re: Passed and DONE!!!! - 5 exam method

Postby kerzzo » Fri Jul 21, 2017 4:02 pm

we will all pass in our own way----though it is good to see what everyone has experienced.
I have been studying for almost 7 weeks for PPD and although I have felt prepared, I have to calm down for the exam day next week...it's "pencils down" time\ and I dont want to feel unprepared--but I will not fall to fear.
:) obviously I will share my experience with it whichever result.

I think several of us want to pass this year...and we will... I respect everyone's opinion even if some comments are made fresh out of frustration---it's only natural---but at least it helps all of us to realize that we are not all alone in this...then there is a "luck" factor on this...sometimes we have failed because some of the questions we got right did not actually count...and sometimes we get the high end of the WTF questions....good luck to all! and like Norman Dorf said "stop procrastinating" :)
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