Desperate help with PPD and PDD
Hello,
I am writing with hopes that someone can guide. I am very desperate as I have not been able to successfully pass the PPD and PDD exams and I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I have taken PDD and PPD several times. I have 20 years of experience working in an A/E firm. 18 of them in the States. On a daily basis, my job is to put construction documents together, coordination, write specifications, and CA., etc. with my technical background I never thought I was going to struggle so much with these 2 exams.
I was born in Mexico I obtained my Bachelor degree In Architecture in Mexico, I studied a Master degree in Architectural Engineering with an emphasis in Structural Engineering at Pennstate. I validated my degree through NCARB, the only thing pending is PDD and PPD.
I must recognized that I have never been good tests taker, the notion of the ARE exams frightened me so much, to the point of getting sick. I am not used to testing against a clock.
It seems that I was much more successful with the 4.0 test as I did not have any trouble passing those, but It is very different with the 5.0 - PPD and PDD. I am really struggling.
English is not my native language, this has never been a problem, but during the exams.... when I am in a situation of high stress English gets a little blurry as well as my memory. I am not quite sure what to do next, I had studied all the sources recommended by NCARB including and not limited to MEEB, I have done Black Spectacles, Hyperfine architecture, The Amber Book, PPI... the list goes on.
It is starting to feel as I will never pass these 2 exams.
Do you have any recommendations? Anything will help. I just scheduled a PPD test for next month Thank you for taking the time to read my post , I am sure you get tons like this one, I appreciate your advice in advance.
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Hi Ana,
I feel like I am on the same page as you. I have failed both PPD and PDD and they are all I have left. English is also not my first language ( I speak Portuguese =)
I have some ideas that might help:
English as second language - when I am taking practice exams, I tag all words that I do not know, and I make sure to go back to them study those specific words. There are a lot of words in the English language that are a bit deceiving if you don't fully understand what it means, and it can lead you to the wrong answer unfortunately. There are false cognates that you need to be careful, there are lots of words in Portuguese that look similar to words in English, but have opposite meaning.
I have also used several study platforms. I am at a point that I decided to check out from the library the books recommended in the ARE manual (the library close to me offer inter-library loans, so books usually are being borrowed from a nearby university library). Heating Cooling and Lighting so far is the best book I found to understand HVAC, passive design strategies and lighting. Architectural Studio Companion, is also really good for Code (IBC/ ADA), lighting, structural.
As I said, I haven't passed these exams yet, but I hope this helps!
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I struggled with the ARE's for 6 years and wasted a lot of money trying to memorize everything and spending endless hours attempting to retain insane amount of information. In 2019 I passed one and then gave up since I don't need the license in my line of work.
This year I decided to take another stab at it with a different approach. I have given myself 3 weeks in between exams and have successfully passed 4 of them, with the last one being PDD (taking last exam PPD on April 2nd).
I am also a horrible test taker and have worked 6 of my 9 years in construction management, which helped tremendously. As previously mentioned by other users, do not try to memorize every detail, instead, try to understand why and how the systems/building work the way they do.
I have used ArchiPrep and NCARB 5.0 App to study. Typically, when I get a question wrong I review the reference material until I understand the concept. ArchiPrep has also helped me re-think the way I read and answer questions. It is a great tool. Tbh, I have not read Kapplan, Ballast or any other publication in its entirety or even 10% of it , I have only read the areas where I am deficient. Please note this has worked for me and you may be different.
When taking the exam, read the question word for word, highlight the important parts, then answer the questions, make sure you understand the what they are asking and do NOT second guess yourself.
GOOD LUCK!
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Hi Ana,
My recommendation would be to try my approach to mind and body preparation (in addition to studying). See my post:
https://are5community.ncarb.org/hc/en-us/community/posts/1500000319941-PDD-7th-Attempt-and-Passed-
I hope this helps and best of luck,
Brian.
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I passed PA (3/1), PPD(3/8) & PDD(3/16) all this month.
Watch amber book video - game changer especially if you are experienced architect preparing ARE 3.0 or 4.0! I have been studying PA/PPD/PDD together scheduling them closely about a week or so per amber advice. I also tried to imagine how every contents I study will be presented in real exam. (WeARE, Elif & Archizam mock exams are good sources not only getting use to real exam but also to create or at least imagine. & In addition, I reviewed ARE Handbook as often as possible. In real exam, I focused on each exam one at a time - some takes bit longer than 2 mins or others less. Real world experience will be additional benefit for PDD. I went over amber book panic notes, karin summary sheet, PDD-CE-PPD - QuickStudy Guide on my last day before exam. I the morning on exam day, I review again all three. Good luck!!!
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You need to conquer your apprehension and believe that you CAN pass!
I recommend reading all of Ballast and all of ASC for PPD.
Also train yourself to read EVERY word of the questions (and answers) on the exam. Make sure you are 100% sure what the question is asking before you jump to the answers.
And just keep studying! Don't take time off, then you'll have to re-learn everything.
Rebekka O'Melia, B.Arch, M. Ed, Registered Architect, NCARB, Step Up ARE Coaching
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Your title caught my attention and remind me of one of my favorite TV shows.
If you feel you are already at rock bottom, then you have nothing to lose, the only way left is up. Listen to the good advices above, you will pass.
Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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