Mom of 4. Passed PDD yesterday and done.
I'm posting here for any other moms out there, struggling to balance home/ work/ studying for the ARE. It's not easy- probably one of the hardest things I've done. But possible. Here are a few of the things that worked for me.
1. I did take time off of work for this- I've been freelancing on my own for almost 2 years, which is how long it took me to finish up PDD and PPD. I failed each one twice, and passed both on the third try.
2. Minimum books to read: Multiple readings of Constructed Illustrated and Code and Architect's Studio Companion. A lot of skimming of Graphic Standards and MEEB. CSI Divisions as well.
3. Black Spectacles. One of the reasons I highly recommend him is because his lectures follow NCARB's sections and objectives of the exam. This was missing in my previous studying- I didn't have a full understanding of exactly what was covered- and so my studying was too broad and all over the place. There is so much content on these last two exams- and this helped me to focus my studying in a really productive way. They are also easy to listen to whenever and wherever you can. You can jump around as you need to, and stop and start easily.
2. Practice Tests were CRUCIAL. The week before both exams, I took a practice exam every day. Black Spectacles has practice exams. Elif Bayram's practice tests and advice are on point, and most important, they are affordable, and flexible. I used We Are practice exam as well, which were also really helpful for furthering your learning, especially where you get problems incorrect.
3. Lastly, I wouldn't recommend Amber book to people like me. His content is wonderful, but personally, I found that his set up does not allow flexibility of learning- you can't study while folding laundry, washing dishes, preparing food- all things I was able to do with Black Spectacles. Also, his price is so high per month- it's prohibitive for those of us that need flexibility with time because of our life situations. If you have a life situation that lets you turn everything and everyone off so you can buckle down and study intensely for a month or two- Amber Book is actually great. I can see how this works for people with less responsibilities, but it is pretty limiting when you are balancing many more responsibilities outside of yourself and may need quite a few months and/or years to make this happen.
I'm not going to say you can have it all. But if you work really really hard, and are really focused, you can pass these exams.
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Hi Talia. For this third round of PPD and PDD that I finally passed, I started studying about 3 months before each one, then ramped up the studying 6 weeks before, probably studying between 3 to 5 hours a day, 6 days a week ;) I was doing freelancing between 10 to 15 hours a week during this 6 month period.
I'll be honest and say I don't know that I could have done this with a full time job + children, unless I had better childcare on a daily basis (either hired or family) which I did not have.
I've been working part time time since I had my second child. I do miss it very much and am very ready to go back. -
Thanks so much for the breakdown, Brenda. I'm currently working 40-50 hours a week, so I'm finding it really hard to carve out some time since the rest of my waking time is spent with the kids. Looking into some evening/weekend childcare options but the hardest part for me is mustering the energy to really study once I've worked a full day and did the whole evening dinner/bath/bed racket. I'm just so tired. But you've got double the kids I do and you did it, and I'm very inspired!
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A great success story!
Gang Chen, Author, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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Congrats!
I'm a mom too - I know how difficult it is to even get to a point in life where you have time to take the exams, the resources to study, etc... All without feeling like you are neglecting your child(ren). The sad reality is that some of us wind up having to rearrange things, take time off from work, etc. But it IS worth it!
Congrats again!
Rebekka O'Melia, Registered Architect, NCARB, B. Arch, M. Ed, Step UP, Step UP ARE 5.0 Courses
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Hi Brenda, Thank you so much for sharing your story! You are an amazing mom!
I've been chugging through the exams with 2 kids and running a design firm. I subscribed to both Amberbooks and Black Spectacle. Both have their strength and weaknesses. I like the the Amberbook lectures, I learn better with their format. However I agree with you, I can't be auto-cadding, doing laundry or cook while watching those. Those lectures requires my 100% attention.
With the Black Spectacle lectures, I play them at 1.5 speed. I honestly don't have the attention span and the time to watch through all those videos at normal speed. I fell asleep many times while studying. OMG THE STRUGGLE TO STAY AWAKE!
My kids hang out in my office while I try to study on the weekends. I told them I'll reward them with staying at the Great Wolf Lodge when I'm done with the ARE.
I just got PDD left with the ARE, and then submit documents for the AXP portfolio, and then the California exam.
Talia Friedman we can do it!!!
Best,
Christina -
It is so hard! I even have an (old) blog post on my website in the 'stories' section about the struggle to stay awake while studying. I used to fall asleep while studying sometimes too. My theory is that you need to rest and exercise. Of course, that a tall order for a mom with little ones...!
Good luck everyone!
Rebekka O'Melia, Registered Architect, NCARB, B. Arch, M. Ed, Step UP, Step UP ARE 5.0 Courses
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Christina. You sound pretty awesome yourself, especially doing those exams in California! And yes I also watched Black Spectacles at 1.5x. And sometimes 2x for the lectures I actually felt I was comfortable with the topics.
For sure, the total tiredness all the time as I was studying was so hard. After I passed the exams I think I went to sleep at 9 PM for a whole week. :)
Small pleasures.
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Lemara;
I hear you loud and clear. It's really really challenging on so many levels. I had similar scores on my fails as well, despite intense studying between the 1st and 2nd exams. First, maybe take a couple month break from studying to recharge and spend time with your family.
Then: Try to be as productive as you can with your studying. It sounds like you know the content but are having trouble with the form of the exam and the way the questions are worded. If I were you, I'd probably focus on taking practice exams. You should probably start again by taking at least one exam every single day and carefully reviewing each question to understand what it is that's making it challenging for you to get the question right. I found that once I got used to taking exams, I started to have a better understanding of what NCARB was looking for with the questions. It's also really important to identify which topics you are having trouble with. And then re-study those topics!
There were were some topics that I consistently was getting wrong, and only realized my lack of knowledge once I was taking those practice exams. Making a list of which questions you are getting wrong, and then look to see if there are common threads in those questions- going back to study those topics should really help.
You are looking to fill the gaps of knowledge- when you feel like you've gained new knowledge that you didn't know before, then you are probably ready to retake. It's easy to just keep testing and keep testing, but if you aren't sure that you filled in the gaps of knowledge that were missing, you will likely fail again.
My best of luck to you- you are not alone in this, and you are smart and capable and can do this.
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Lemara,
I also understand how you feel - I’ve also had long years between ARE tests because of setbacks.In your case it sounds like to me that you’ve already gotten quite a lot of knowledge base and feel that you already know the content. There is a strategy to taking the tests and feel like maybe you need to loosen up and work on the strategies. Get really good at understanding the problem. The tests are designed for someone with 3 years of architectural experience.
I also suggest some coaching.
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Lemara,
Some tips that may help you:
- Learn to improve your test taking skills, and become a good test taker. I have been a good test taker all my life. I see other people struggling on taking test, and I want to help them to achieve their professional goal and climb up the career ladder, that is one of the main reasons I start to write books on ARE exams and LEED exams.
- Try to make your study more efficient: It is what you achieve counts, not how much time you spent.
- You need to force yourself to relax every now and them, maybe like once every hour, otherwise you brain start to get numb and do not get what you are studying. Studying is a serious business, always make sure you are in your best mental and physical state when you are studying. I always take break when I study, at least a 10-minute break every hour. I also take breaks when I work: I take a walk around 10 am, and then another walk around 3pm. Walking help me achieve more at work, and also help me to avoid or alleviate sciatic nerve pain from sitting for a long time.
Gang Chen, Author, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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