Fail...

Structural Layout Vignette and Multiple Choice

Fail...

Postby Heartwood » Thu Nov 09, 2017 11:02 am

I learned today that I faile SS. So bummed. Level 1 in every area except Level 3 on the vignette. I know exactly what I did. It wasn't a big curveball, but enough to make me misinterpret the directions.

I only have SS and BS left, so now I'm contemplating the transition. I'm unsure because I feel so comfortable with the 4.0 format and felt really prepared for the more difficult multiple choice on SS, just made a bonehead error on the vignette...
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Re: Fail...

Postby veuxx » Thu Nov 09, 2017 6:31 pm

Schedule Building Systems 60 days from now and knock it out.
Then retake SS two weeks later and you're done.

Don't transition.
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Re: Fail...

Postby kotharin78 » Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:21 am

Don't transition.. even if you need 2-3 months to study for BS you have time to finish 4.0, right?

passing the SS Multiple choice in all categories is a great accomplishment. If all you did was make an error on the vignette, then you are really close to passing it. I am in the same situation... I only made a silly mistake on the vignette-- I am re-reading Buildings at Risk and working on Kaplan 500 Q&A to keep my Multiple Choice game strong for the retake... maybe just 2-3 weeks before the test I will start preparing

for BS, I really liked the Amber Book test questions and MEEB as a backup for Ballast.
good luck!

N
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Re: Fail...

Postby galganis44 » Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:33 pm

Anyone to know where to buy Kaplan 500 questions?
It is no longer available?
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Re: Fail...

Postby Coach » Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:11 pm

galganis44 wrote:Anyone to know where to buy Kaplan 500 questions?
It is no longer available?


http://amzn.to/2BCHSYV
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Re: Fail...

Postby AJD » Thu Jan 18, 2018 11:26 am

Don’t let the bad news get to you Heartwood. You were SO close. You absolutely can do it. I think that transitioning at this point would not be advisable. There are too many unknowns involved in the switch and the pass rate is MUCH lower in 5.0. That is just my two cents. I know you can do it. Best of luck to you.
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Re: Fail...

Postby cabara01 » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:02 pm

Don't give up! You can do it. You said you got level 1 on everything except the vignette, that is amazing!!! The first time I took SS I failed so bad I had 2 level 3's and 1 level 2 on MC! If you know what you did wrong on the vignette, then the retake should not be a problem for you. You got this!
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Re: Fail...

Postby Heartwood » Sat Jan 20, 2018 10:37 am

Thanks, guys! Re-take is this Thursday.
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Re: Fail...

Postby AJD » Sat Jan 20, 2018 12:01 pm

Excellent! Best of luck to you. Stay focused, keep studying this week and kill that test.
Please take the following as friendly, unsolicited advice from someone who has been there, has felt the transition clock ticking LOUDLY, and who wants you to finish up ARE 4.0 so that you do not need to transition:
Once you get SS behind you next week make studying for BS your second job. Be relentless. I would definitely recommend the Amber book as one of your BS preparation resources (Full disclosure: I used the Amber book and I viewed all of Ermann’s free videos on YouTube but I did not take the whole video course. If I had to do it again I WOULD take the whole Amber video course as it would likely have shortened my learning curve considerably). I would NOT rely only on Amber, however. That is too risky, in my opinion. Sure, many people pass BS having used only the Amber course but I would not endorse that strategy. You want to pass BS the first time through so that you don’t have the added pressure of the transition clock ticking in your mind on a retake. This is totally doable. Here is what I did: I read through all the relevant Ballast chapters first and watched all of the free Ermann and Black Spectacles videos available. I dug deep into MEEB for any topic that I needed greater clarification on (that was most topics!) and I found it to be an invaluable resource. Yes, it can be too detailed but that is fine. Better to have too much information than too little. You will judge what level of detail or comprehension to study to. As always, get the concepts first and any formulas/calculations second. I used the Amber book and Ballast for practice questions/exams to gauge my comprehension. I dug deep restudying any areas where I missed questions or for areas which were not yet fully clear in my mind. Last, I practiced the vignette and alternates and posted my vignettes here for feedback. I don’t know that I would have passed BS had I not utilized all of the above resources. Your milage may vary.
Best of luck. You can definitely do this. It will feel awesome when you get your final big, blue PASS notification!

Oh! One more thing. You may find this link helpful. Lots of good info here: http://arehelp.webs.com/bs
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Re: Fail...

Postby Heartwood » Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:53 am

Received my PASS early this morning from my Re-take. It feels good to have this one behind me. Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement and advice.

Now on to the final remaining BS exam!
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Re: Fail...

Postby AJD » Sun Feb 04, 2018 12:09 am

Congrats Heartwood! Way to go!
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Re: Fail...

Postby rhettm » Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:44 am

Congrats on your pass! Don’t get too stressed on BS - I didn’t find it as bad as it’s made out to be and would happily give some tips on the study material I found most useful if you’re still studying.

Any tips on the SS vignette on mistakes to watch out for? Thanks!
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