PA....what was that
I just took the Programming & Analysis exam as my first ever ARE. After about 2-3 months of studying (loosely at first, with the final 5 weeks being more structured and intentional) I felt extremely prepared to tackle this exam. However, I received a likely fail.
It felt like I had studied for months and then took an exam on an entirely different subject. Seriously. Are we sure some of these banks of questions aren't intended for PPD? Kidding, but not. I only got a handful of questions that pertained to what I had been studying, and more than half of the questions contained content or terminology that I've never come across. With the various resources I used leading up to this exam I felt overprepared, yet somehow I still missed out on 30+ questions worth of content?
In my final weeks of studying my practice exam scores across several resources trended upwards, sometimes even reaching over 80% (including the exam produced by NCARB). So, can anyone help me understand why most of this exam content seemed so foreign to me? Can anyone else relate? I'm not sure If I want to immediately retake PA or move onto something else. Any suggestions for resources that you found crucial for this exam would be greatly appreciated. Feeling super defeated.
Resources I primarily used were:
- Architect Exam Prep
- Elif Bayram's Exams
- NCARB Practice Exam
- Hyperfine
- Designer Hacks
- ARE Study Guide Podcast & Study Guide by Linsey Patton
- The Architect's Studio Companion
- Building Construction Illustrated
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Olivia, I can relate to you. My first group of exams felt the same way, there were many questions that seemed to have wandered out of their categories! I suggest this method for studying:
Take Amberbook at least twice the entire way through, taking notes along the way.
Re-write the relevant AIA contracts in YOUR own words. This way, you learn the contracts better because you are translating them from legal terms into more understandable sentences. Writing helps commit to memory as well.
Good luck and hang in there. You'll get it!
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PA should not be the first exam you take. Start with PcM. BYoung has a youtube video recommending the order. I don't know what you saw that you didn't study since there is no way of me seeing that, but I am sure there is content that is in the first exams that relate to the subsequent that people just assume you already know.
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The overlap between exams is also intentional as there are threads connecting most everything you come across. This is a big reason why a lot of people study for all or groupings of the exams at the same time.
Amberbook (mentioned above by Benjamin) is one of the big proponents and systems for studying for all exams at once.
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I would not start with PA either. Its pass rate is only 50%. Take CE or Project Management first. Much easier.
Your study list for PA is way off.... Read Problem Seeking, ASC, The Site Planning & Design Handbook. I recommend taking PA 5th.
And there is no way you can study for all the exams at once. Most of the folks that pass the exam claiming to have used this method have over 20 years of experience, work in a highly technical role in the field and/or are already a PE.
Good luck!
Rebekka O'Melia, R.A., NCARB, B. Arch, M. Ed, NOMA, Step UP ARE 5.0 Courses
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