Finally Passed All Exams
Hello all. I don't ever post in this community but I did want to share a little about my story. I am probably older than most all of you that are working towards your licensure. It's been quite the journey. When I started on this path, my oldest child was a freshman in college. Since then, 3 of my 4 kids have graduated from college, and I finally am done!!!
I started my ARE journey in 4.0. I was 1 exam short of passing all my exams 5 days prior to NCARB moving onto 5.0. That last exam was a night-mare. My computer kept shutting down, it was late into the evening and I ended up failing the exam. Probably the worst experience of my life! It took me awhile to get back on my feet to even consider starting this journey again with 5.0. Fortunately I only had 2 exams to take in 5.0, but they were the toughest, PDD & PPD. Life happened, then Covid happened. I finally started working on this journey again this year, and I'm happy to say, I finally did it!!
What did I do? Pretty much read/referenced the books NCARB has on their list, most of what everyone says. I took a lot of practice test: AREquestions, Ballast, older NCARB handbook tests, Amberbook. But honestly the thing that finally worked the best for me in truly understanding concepts was Elif Bayram's videos and practice tests on AREquestions. I cannot express to you how well she explains concepts and encourages not memorizing. She doesn't go on and on talking, she gets right to the point with excellent graphics to explain very important concepts in taking these exams and how to test take and strategize. I would HIGHLY recommend using her material. You cannot beat her pricing! She is more than fair on how she prices her material. A Big Shout Out To Elif!!! Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world!!
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Congratulations Maria! There is no age limit to this; very well done! I know many people who are getting their licenses later in life. It makes a lot of sense because when we are younger, we are busy building an experience/career, taking care of our kids, paying student debt, etc...It is also amazing that you had the tenacity to not give up after that frustrating 4.0 test experience. Amazing!!!
Also, thanks so much for sharing your experience with the videos. If anyone wants to see some samples, please feel free to Youtube the arequestions channel.
Anyway, enjoy this new chapter in your career! Congrats!
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Congrats on the pass!
If anyone else is looking for study resources for PPD, I made a youtube video outlining my recommendations and how I was able to pass after two months of studying. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/kOl17gIUWCM
Happy studying!
-Devina | dp.DesignProfessionals
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