PPD Pass On First Try with Multiple Exam Crashes
Today was rough guys, but I made it! Four down with two to go, and PDD is up next. Much of what I'm going to say has already been said - I suppose I just want to contribute after having benefited from everyone's wisdom here for so long.
Main Takeaways:
-Really know how to navigate the IBC
-Manage your time wisely, keeping an eye out on the clock but not obsessing over it. About 1minute per MC question should be fine. Answer the questions you know, flag the ones you don't know offhand (like math questions) and come back to them. I don't recall having to use many formulas at all, but try to learn them anyway, keeping in mind which formulas are provided on the exam.
-I felt like I was playing musical chairs at Prometric after the second time I had to be moved to a new computer. I started out knowing that I'd need to budget 2 hours minimum for Case Studies and I ended up finishing the exam with about 30 minutes to spare which I used to check other answers. I chose to take a break between the MC and Case Studies.
-There was a weird moment where I couldn't get a certain component to rotate the way I know it should've oriented per code, and the graphic for the question that I was presented was just...off. I got caught up on that for a few minutes, but let it go. I don't think NCARB is asking us for a perfect answer, just the best one.
-Although I really wish NCARB cared enough to fix the issues with the computers crashing, don't freak out if this happens to you during the exam; your answers and time spent are automatically saved. Just raise your hand and use the "downtime" to catch your breath and strategize on how to move forward.
How I Studied:
-I tested myself to figure out what I didn't know, read up on those things (across multiple references) and repeated that process until I finally got 79-80% on Ballast's PPD practice test.
-I also used Hyperfine to structure my studying, old ARE 4.0 Material, Designer Hacks quizzes, and Elif's ARE Questions website, Karin's notes, Graphic Standards, Building Construction Illustrated, Building Codes Illustrated, MEEB, HCL, FEMA 454, ACS. Don't be overwhelmed by this list. Know what you don't know through testing yourself, then go back and take a deep dive on the things you miss on your practice tests. Although I don't feel that PPD went into depth regarding my study content, my effort with PPD is leaving me feeling very prepared for PDD which I'm hoping to take before the end of the month.
-I had to reschedule multiple times, once due to a death in my family, and another due to technical difficulties with the online exam. I'd say that I studied for a total of two months.
That's it. I hope to be reporting a PDD pass soon.
Good Luck Everybody!
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