At a loss... 1 PcM fail followed by 1 PjM fail (0/2)
I am truly at a loss. I took PcM after 2 months of studying followed by PjM one month later. Missed PcM by 4 questions and just got my likely to fail on PjM yesterday, (I felt really good all the way up to clicking the button).
I have used Amberbook / AHPP / Schiff Harden for study content and Black Spectacles / NACARB / Amberbook for practice exams. I am not here to diss on the study materials. I think Amberbook is great and I truly believe I understand the content. What trips me up every time is the ambiguous questions. I consistently see myself getting 3 out of the 4 answers correct on the pick 6 and and narrowing down 2 of the 4 in the others.... I need help understanding what the questions are truly asking and have not found a good resource for this type of study approach.
I've always been a "happy-go-lucky appreciator of life" kind of guy... up until these tests. I can't get a full nights rest, the content haunts me throughout the day, and I am just not myself.
I am not planning on giving up. I have my PcM retake in 3 weeks. I just need a new approach at these questions. If anyone has been able to overcome this mountain while dealing with the same woes I would really appreciate the advice and direction. Please.
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Parsing the questions is a skill in itself, practice reps are by far the best way to do it. I've found my brain does key in on patterns as I've done more tests, I've developed better instincts and feel for the question writer's intent. I didn't use them for PcM and PjM, but Elif Bayram's quizzes and practice exams are really good for asking questions that require a similar approach to the real exams, definitely worth looking into (arequestions.com)
For what it's worth, these are my reminder notes that I made early on for this, I usually look over them along with my content notes in the car just before going into the exam center:
What is the actual question? Isolate exactly what they are asking, rule out incorrect answers.Key concept --> clear response. What is the key most important deciding factor?Think of it as a negotiation - what are the theorectical interests at play?"What is the first thing ..." questions --> is there a clear order of operations?Answers that are 2-part (e.g. fee type for x and fee type for y) --> usually 4 possible answers, 2 variations for x and 2 variations for y --> split them up, assess and rule out independently.Selecting a team/project member --> imagine as a real professional relationship --> rule out clear non-starters, then make a natural feeling judgment call if little to choose between remaining options.What is the key most important deciding factor? E.g. utilization rate if one person is 120% and another is 60%.Fee calculations - parse total fees from architectural fees.Case study questions - double check the available resources so that you don't miss easily available key info in there - flag & double check all case study answers if possible.Keep your head up, best of luck for the retake!
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