PDD pass,

Hi all, 

I passed PDD on the first try yesterday (passed PPD on the first try 3 months ago), I learned so much from this forum, and I wanted to give something back, hopefully it can help someone down the road! As so many of you said, this is definitely a "trivia" type of questions and you will need to learn so many new "words" and "pieces". 

This is a straightforward exam as it is not a conceptual or complicated one and you should not overthink your answers. You should understand the assignment and learn how to read NCARB's mind! it is all about how they want you to pick a answer, not necessarily how you practice in a real life. I used Building Construction Illustrated, and Architectural Graphic as a reference. ALL you need to pass this specific exam you can find in one of these two books. (same as how you need to read MEEB and Arch Companion for PPD) here is what I think you should focus on more while preparing yourself for the test:

- Know everything about all the possible insulations in the whole world and I am serious. ESP, XPS, Polysio, fiberglass etc. Which one is water permeable, which one is good for thermal or sound insulation. I think I had at least 10 question related to one of these insulations. 

- Exam covers so many structural issues, not so much of calculations though. Know everything about earthquake, tension, compression, bending moment and shear. You should understand this concept completely otherwise you will lose so many questions. 

- Be comfortable using the white board. It is very slow and very hard to use (for me), I wished I had a paper and a pen, using this interface was time consuming but you also do not have any other option, so you have to deal with it. 

- For calculation problem, do not memorize anything, everything you need is given to you in the questions. Read the question twice and make sure you are not missing the final conversion or rounding up/down. 

- Case studies are not scary, but you have to spend some time on them, I think you should at least allocate 45min per each. This is the part of exam that you could easily score, you have all the information in front of you, so do not be afraid of it and use it to your advantage. Just you know, you can use the "search" even in drawings. I literally tried it on my last question and I was shocked that it works. Do not waste time scrolling up and down 10 sheets to find something, just search the key word and it will direct you to the right sheet. I always thought this feature is disable on drawings but gosh I was wrong. 

- In my professional practice, I have to do a lot of navigating through drawings, coordination between different disciplines, reviewing substitution and submittals and I think this exam has decent amount of questions regarding that. some contract questions as well but not alot. 

- You should study details regarding exterior enclosure, and learn where to put air barrier or vapor barrier. look at details showing curtain wall, storefront, moisture management and structural elements. Study different materials, their behaviors, advantages and disadvantages.  

- Last but not least, know CSI Masterformat and not only the first couple of divisions, you should know them all (do not need to memorize the number or sequence, which by the way looks like it follows the same sequence as of a typical building project, for example, it starts with contracts, foundation, main structure, finishes, and equipment). You need to know what circumstances is related to which division and subdivision. 

We are all in this together and I am sure your hard work will pay off. There is absolutely no "shortcut" for taking any of these exams, but trust me, you will learn so much in this process and eventually become a better version of yourself.