PA PASS - Second Attempt
Hello Friends,
After months of studying and failing PA once, I finally passed. Some feedback for those interested:
1. There's no getting around it- know your content! I had made my own notes and before the exam I had literally read them 5 or 6 times over. Like come up with pneumonics (I had to remember some very silly ones, and I ended up using 2 during the exams!) or whatever you need to do to REMEMBER some key info. Soil types, grading of soils, programming steps etc.
2. I didn't rely on third party only (Thanks Elif - your blog and quizzes really helped me understand this!). I read the 2010 ADA guidelines, Chings books, Architects Studio companion, and made my own notes. Of course not the entire books, but knowing what to study from where for which exam is kinda important. I watched Archi Corner videos in my "spare time" and listened to Amber videos on my drive to and from work! It was a comprehensive study.
3. Amber gave me a very good start. The explanations and the flash cards were awesome. But I didn't rely on that solely.
4. Know your FAR, and the usual site placement and space planning adjacencies. (Practice FAR problems and adjacency matrixes at home till you know how to answer those in any twisted way asked!)
5. I ALWAYS struggle with case studies and this exam was no different. I simply ran out of time, and I started guessing (don't leave any question unanswered). But they kind of gave the answer to one question in the next question, which was nice. But stay alert for that - sometimes the answers are right there, and also in the question!
6. And this will sound very mommy-like, but are you taking your vitamins?! Seriously, I was taking my vitamins regularly and I think it really helped me stay alert and not panic. try different things out there, and take supplements to minimize stress - no joke!
7. Also no joke, I did lots of yoga, even the day before the exam, and did lots of positive affirmations!
8. This community helped immensely. So thank you to the previous posts!
Good luck people. You got this!
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Thank you so much for sharing your experience Amrata as I am currently preparing for my first take on this exam! And yes, Elif's content is really good, I started it for PjM and didn't pass but I will study harder and nail it for my 3rd attempt. Are there any other sources or tips you may safely share in terms of preparing for this PA content?
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Hi Hoda, I can, but unfortunately I had a lot of hand written notes. Again, it's about making your own notes and understanding some key concepts in your own words, while memorizing some others. But I'm more than happy to talk. My email address is amrata.k@gmail.com. email me and we can discuss a time to chat. I can talk through what to study from where and just generally share my study plan. Also most of the third party sources don't allow to 'share' their info because this is their income source, which I respect. But I also appreciate the struggles to pass. If you are willing to put in the hardwork, email me. You got this!
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Hi Miguel,
Thank you. Yes some others are:
- Practice exams (timed. NCARB exams and some others have these too, like Erik Walker. Take these as a "real exam", practicing sitting for 3 hours and answering each question for the recommended 2-1/2 minutes)
- Quizzes (Elif's are great. Hyperfine is also very good, with the entire content in the form of questions. Gets your brain thinking)
- Flashcards (Amber is amazing, make your own, I think Plural sight also has a few)
- Surprisingly youtube also has some great stuff, and it's free!
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