PPD Pass - Brain Dump
Received the coveted "likely pass" upon completion of PPD this afternoon, my first attempt. I've valued similar posts in the past and wanted to pay it forward and share my experience while things are fresh, although I'm currently writing this while celebrating at a bar so this may become less helpful the further down you go!
Primer:
- This was my second to last exam, with only PDD remaining, and the knowledge gained from studying for the other exams, particularly PA and CE, absolutely helped with PPD.
- I'm approaching 10 years of working in the industry, which was also very helpful but not necessary
Study Material:
- Amber Book (Can't recommend enough)
- Chat GPT (I found it really helpful to ask questions to see if I was understanding concepts correctly - a fun and amazing resource. I will say, though, it is not always accurate. I incorrectly memorized the differences between flat slabs and flat plates thanks to ChatGPT and only realized it later when I kept missing practice questions related to it. I finally discovered that it was due to Chat GPT flipping the definitions and describing one as the other!)
- Studio Companion (I hesitate to say this is the only book you need, but it kind of has everything you need. Being familiar with the structural and HVAC selection sections is a must.)
- Elif's super amazing AREQuestions.com (her questions are harder than the exam questions - if you can pass her quizzes you're probably in decent shape.)
- NCARB's PPD practice exam (Another amazing resource. I felt very prepared for the exam thanks to the practice exams.)
- I thumbed through Building Code Illustrated and Graphic Standards from time to time to shore up my understanding
- I averaged around 2.5 - 3 hours of studying a day for maybe 6 or 7 weeks, so maybe around 110 hours?
The Test:
- For once I didn't feel short on time. I used every single minute available but never felt rushed. I finished the multiple choice section with 1.5 hours remaining for the case studies.
- This exam really is all over the place and you have to be able to shift gears mentally from question to question
- Be familiar with passive systems
- A lot of questions concerning positioning a building on site in order to maximize sun and wind exposure
- My exam was pretty lite on mortar, concrete, plumbing, lighting, and electrical specific questions
- Structure questions mainly dealt with knowing what type / system to use and when
- Know HVAC systems, their pros/cons, and when to use each (Studio Companion was excellent for this)
- If you've worked on a CD set, replied to permit back-check comments, or just worked in an office before, you should be good on the code questions. Know how to calculate plumbing fixture counts, number of required exits, egress sizing, occupancy types, and ramps - ramps, ramps, ramps.
- The NCARB practice exam questions on cost/budget/life-cycle analysis were extremely helpful
Recommendations/ Words of Advice:
- Finish these exams before you have a kid.
- Don't neglect your wellbeing and mental health while studying. I took a lot of breaks and didn't always turn down opportunities to get out and about. I study and test better when I'm happy.
- Amber Book is it. Michael has a video where he talks about becoming overly obsessed with picky stuff on the exams and trying to study for every possible thing you might see - I couldn't agree more with his thoughts on this. I've found these exams force you to know a lot, which is great, but they ask you questions from 10,000 feet up. The picky stuff is kind of fun to get lost in sometimes and will maybe help you someday, but focus more on the big picture and becoming the most competent and well-rounded architect you can. This stuff is awesome and it can be fun!
On to PDD in a couple of days! Best of luck and cheers.
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Congrats Nathan!
Architects Studio Companion is really the best for this exam! It's an easy read because it's mostly graphics/charts/etc. I don't think video learning is it... It's passive learning and if you are doing it right, it likely will take just as long (if not longer!) than reading. I read ASC before taking PPD in about a week and half. Video took me longer, because I kept pausing it to take notes (and ::hint hint:: you should be taking notes).
And while it's definitely easier to pass the ARE before having children, that may be a luxury for many... The average age of an ARE candidate is the same age that most women have children, if they have children. And I could say the same for dads too. So time management is huge. Use lunch breaks, early mornings, etc. Study every day until it's done. Don't feel like you have to study for 2 hrs at a clip to accomplish something - you can study for 20 min and get thru one topic. If you do that a couple times each day, you'll be good. Don't keep rescheduling exams, pushing out your timeline. Getting help is also hugely important. If you have kids - get help with them! Phone in grandma! Sign them up for after-school enrichment. Let the house get messier! Order food! And get quality study materials, books, and resources to help you pass. Find a mentor.
Hope this helps someone else. And congrats again!
Rebekka
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Nathan, thanks I found this post helpful. I've passed the first 4 divisions first try and I'm beginning prep on PPD now. I'm curious, you mentioned you were about to take PDD, and only a couple days after...how did that go? Did you post anything on NCARB forum about that exam? I'm thinking I need to prepare for both of these tests together, and then take them a week or two apart. Took PCM, PJM, and CE last winter. I just passed PA last week and am now ready to finish this thing off. BTW, I'm 53 years old, 30 years out of Architecture school, two teenage kids, full time work schedule owning/operating design build company...never too late I guess. I realize this thread is over a year old but wanted to say thanks and to ask about PDD. Thanks.
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chrislaggis
Congratulations on your progress! There's really never a great time for these, just have to do it.I passed PDD a few days after this post and did a similar dump here:
https://are5community.ncarb.org/hc/en-us/community/posts/21964194094359-PDD-Passed-AREs-CompleteThere's a ton of overlap between PPD and PDD, so definitely try to study for both simultaneously, but I don't think I would have passed PDD on the first go without the few days in between exams to study PDD specifics. Sounds like you might have a lot more spec knowledge going in than I did, but I remember that was the bulk of what I studied between exams.
Congrats again and best of luck on your last two.
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Nathan thank you for getting back to me. I think I'll allow at least a week between the two, like you I have been getting a lot of value from the NCARB practice exams and would like time to go over the PDD one before the real thing. Thanks for the link to your PDD post, it's also very helpful, and congrats on being done with this thing.
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