PPD PASS - STUDY SOURCES + TIPS

I just passed PPD! And boy, was it a mountain of an exam in terms of information covered. I will say though, I don't consider myself to be the most technically minded person + standardized testing isn't a strength of mine - but I passed it on my first try. And if I can, you can too!

I was so freaked out by the threads on here about people taking this exam over + over again. Don't let it get to your head. Study but have a life + be a happy human. If it takes a few more weeks because you are still spending time doing things you love, that is worth it. I studied more for this exam than any of the others that I have taken so far. (My Last exam is PDD next month.) I spent about 12-20 hours studying a week for 11 weeks. I had a couple of vacations + the holidays in there, so I think 9 weeks is a reasonable amount of time to dedicate to this exam.

I am a visual learner (like most of you), so making a gantt chart with all of the items that I wanted to study/practice exams that I wanted to take has been my go-to strategy for these exams. (My only fail so far was my first attempt at PA) I will attach my gantt chart here for reference. It is terribly unmotivating to compile all of the items that you have to study as one body of focus, I suggest breaking it down like this so you focus on what you have to get done today + tomorrow instead. Also, be realistic when you create your schedule. I had some weeks where work or homelife was too demanding to study as much. I also had nights when tried to study + just didn't have it in me. Leave some buffer in your schedule to accommodate life + be kind to yourself. I gave myself an extra two weeks of buffer and slid items along on my schedule as things came up and I didn't get to them in the expected time frame. I still ended up cramming at the end, but doing a bunch of practice exams the week before your exam is not a bad strategy. A big part of this exam is test taking skills/strategy, so get into the flow with practice exams. 

Main Study Sources:

Ballast, Black Spectacles, Building Construction Illustrated, Building Codes Illustrated, Architect's Studio Companion, FEMA, Desk Crits, Elif's "ARE Questions" 

Notes on Study Recourses:

• Ballast Practice Exam - I scored 52% on this practice exam a few days before I took my actual PPD exam. It was by far the hardest practice exam. I almost rescheduled my exam because I got such a low score just before my exam appointment, but a coworker convinced me that if you get 50% or above on the ballast practice exam, you are ready to give it a shot. She was right. 

• Black Spectacles - I like their practice exams + Quizes, but the videos seem a little less than helpful for the amount of time you sink into watching them. I watch them on 2x speed while I work out, but I probably could have skipped these. I was able to sign up for their Black Friday deal, so it made things affordable ($125/month). They do this deal every year - I highly recommend jumping on it. 

• Desk Crits - Super valuable for planning your study schedule + quick reviews on all aspects of the exam (and all exams). The book includes little cheat sheets for each subject (plumbing, mech, ada, etc.) that are great to review while studying and most importantly the night before the exam. It is also a nice graphical reprieve from the dry hellscape that is Ballast, ACS, BCI + BCDI. 
• Elif's ARE Questions - This was my first exam that I used Elif's resources. I found her questions to be the most difficult + great practice for the level of difficulty of the actual exam. I scored 55% + 62% on these two practice exams the week of my actual exam. I will definitely use this source again for PDD.  ARE prep materials | NCARB ARE 5.0 Practice Questions by Elif Bayram (arequestions.com)
• Amber Book - I haven't used this resource since PJM, but I still reference their free videos from time to time. I can't stomach paying close to $300 a month for a study resource on an architectural designer's salary. If you have the cash, Michael Ermann is insanely good at explaining complex theories in a simple way for visual learners.

Testing Tips:

When I sit down at the testing center I do some breathwork exercises. Breath in for 3 seconds, hold, breath out for 3 seconds - Do this for a minute. Then switch to 4 seconds for a minute (or however long it takes you to feel calm). Then, click Start. I do this again whenever I feel anxiety while testing. I know this is some hippy dippy BS, but it works. You won't pass these exams if you know the info but can't recall it or pick up on the subtleties in the questions because you are in a high stress state of mind. I used to try to get through the whole exam without taking a break. But for these 4 hour exams, take a break before the case studies. Eat an apple + some nuts, do some stretches, go to the bathroom, be your own hype man, then get back in there. I try to have an hour left on the clock when I get to my case studies. I have heard people like to use the references in their case studies to answer other questions, so they don't want to take a break. Trust me, the questions you get right because you ate something, moved your body + went to the bathroom are worth more than the one question you might be able to go back to + get right. 

To summarize, there is no one right approach to these exams. This is just what has worked for me so far. I hope that this helps folks be a little less freaked out in the process.

YOU can do this!

Warmly,

Bri