Exam spreadsheet
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The exam division sections for PPD are not especially useful and can generally be ignored in fail reports. If you saw a test item on building orientation/solar geometry and its effect on mechanical system selection, which of the following sections would you expect to find it in?…
1. **Environmental Conditions & Context**: This section tests knowledge of site analysis, sustainability, and the impact of environmental conditions on project planning and design.
3. **Building Systems, Materials & Assemblies**: This section assesses knowledge of building systems (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, etc.), construction materials, and how different building components come together.
4. **Project Integration of Program & Systems**: This area evaluates the ability to integrate various systems and components into a cohesive project plan that meets the client's programmatic requirements.
What about a test item on roofing insulation? (Which might also fall under a fourth section related to codes)?
What about photovoltaics? Wall section condensation? Low water use plumbing fixtures? Precast concrete panels detailed for thermal mass? Termite treatment for wood structure? Moment resistance in recycled steel? And on and on.
Remember also that every question is worth one point and you are only graded on your total score (there is no “passing” a section), that the percentage on the fail report that looks like a minimum passing score is actually the average score in that section of those who passed the whole exam (so it includes those that aced the exam and those that barely passed), and that some sections include 10x the number of questions as other sections (so “passing” them counts 10x toward passing the actual exam).
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I’d like to say I understand everything you say, but I’m am also perplexed by the exam fluctuations as well as it being the highest failed exam. Like I said, I can ace one area an exams and also fail that same content area miserably. 2 years of reading material, videos, studying almost everyday, for this one and last exam. I’m lost.
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525 means you missed by one question. 516 means you missed by three. You probably don't need to do anything differently than you've been doing. You likely only passed some of your other divisions by only one question, but because you passed and don't know by how much, you probably assume that you did everything right to prepare for that division and you probably think that this one is hopeless. The 496 on your fourth attempt is a bit concerning, but we'll assume that you were tired that day. From my experience, people in your situation typically have about a 75% likelihood of passing in one of their next two attempts, provided they take their next attempts as soon as possible. You may remember the chemicals used to treat wood for termites now, but it seems unlikely that you'll remember those names in eight months without starting that topic again from scratch.
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