PPD Failure
I feel you. I passed 4 exams so far and am stuck on PPD(1 failure) and PDD(5 failures) came close but these high, repetitive failure rates are a bit concerning. This high failure rate seems to be a recurring theme for these two exams for many people and things need to change as many people work full time with families and need to study from solid, consistent material and not rely on the "lucky enough to find the right combination of questions", attitude to pass.
I used black spectacles and amber, supposedly the two best resources I averaged 95% on the practice tests went through all the lectures and material 3 times and am still coming up short. For a person that test well, prepares well and passed 4 exams already with moderate ease, it is ridiculous to not be able to pass these exams. For going through 6 years of college to be stumbled by what amounts to maybe two final exams worth of knowledge makes me start to reconsider my career choice. NCARB needs to improve on the questions and study material and stop with the idea that we all have an endless amount of time and money to pull information out of there list of 200 books or there keep paying for the NCARB approved study provider NCARB is driving many good and smart people out of the field that are just as smart as the people who are passing but don't have the time or LUCK to stumble upon this magical, right combination of information. We should all be studying from the same practical knowledge base and not be handed a list of two hundred books, and a "Here ya go, best of luck to you" advice. Hoping for quick, sweeping reform of these exams.
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Richard,
I completely understand where you're coming from. During my ARE prep, I also relied on amberbook and blackspectacles, and I ended up spending far more than I initially expected. On top of that, I had to retake more exams than I thought I would, which led me to borrow money from friends and family (a very stressful situation). Like you, I felt stuck, but I couldn’t back out after committing so much time and money into preparing for the AREs.
What I eventually realized was that apart from study materials and mindset, I needed a better strategy for passing these exams. I started applying my project management skills and powered through. One key approach that made a huge difference was active recall learning. While NCARB recommended books were great for familiarizing myself with the content; flashcards, quizzes and practice tests were crucial in helping me retain the material. Active recall (being able to remember and apply what I’d learned) was essential during the exams.
Writing my own notes was also much more effective than I expected. It forced me to process the information deeply, which helped me retain it better. So, if you focus on active learning strategies and stay persistent, it might make a real difference. I know how difficult it is to go through the AREs, and I struggled a lot myself, so I truly understand how frustrating it can be.
If you ever need any help or advice, don’t hesitate to reach out. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck!
Thanks,
Rajan
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I'm sorry about this, Richard. It's frustrating. I agree with most of your criticism of NCARB. Especially its luck element and high failure rates. This high failure rates cannot be all the fault of this highly educated, driven, and responsible group of architectural workers. Most of the people are doing their best. Between personal responsibilities and work, it is ridiculous to expect people to invest 3-4 years in this. It gets even more frustrating when the expectations are hyped up like "X is all you need to pass". I believe this was one of the reasons why NCARB discontinued their NCARB-approved study materials program: the claims and the low pass rates didn't make sense together.
In reality, passing AREs is much more complicated than that and requires lots of personal tweaks and diversification of study materials. So, one thing here that can help you is maybe changing/diversifying your study strategies and sources. I am not sure how much time you have invested in reading so far, but it may be what you need. Review the books that are mostly recommended (I know NCARB's list is vast but you may not need to read all of them) and see if you feel comfortable with the content areas. Whenever you feel weak in a certain area, read those chapters a few times while taking notes or writing flashcards. Review these over and over until you retain the information. Solving a lot of questions is also a great way to retain information. 2-3 weeks before your test day, solve a minimum of 50 to 100 questions daily to train yourself to become a better test taker. It is a skill that you can only gain by practicing.
To reduce the study stress, you can give yourself a bit more time. I know many of us only have 1-1.5 hours per day maximum. But there is an unrealistic pressure created by some to finish these exams fast. This makes a lot of people test faster and get even more annoyed with the whole thing. So maybe for the next time, you can give yourself more time to study.
To be more specific,
For PPD:
- Like many other test-takers recommended here before, I think reviewing books like Mechanical & Electric Equipments for Buildings and Heating, Cooling, and Lighting can help.
- Make sure you are very comfortable with IBC, and the only way to do this is by studying the code from sources like Building Code Illustrated or IBC Code Commentary and solving a lot of practice questions.
- Check out FEMA for seismic issues.
- Check out the illustrations in the Architectural Acoustics book by David Egan.
For PDD:
- I love Madan Mehta's book Building Construction Principles, Materials, and Systems. I have been recommending it for PDD since 2019, and I still get great feedback. The entire book is great and filled with hundreds of questions to test your retention of what you read.
The list can be extended but I don't want to overwhelm you further. AREs are very hard and frustrating for the majority of the test takers. Unfortunately. But a change in approach may be what you need so I wanted to share.
I wish you the best of luck with studying and with the retakes. Hope you pass them both next time and become licensed.
Elif Bayram
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rajank74, I can definitely relate to the stress you've experienced with the ARE. In addition to being such difficult exams with an overwhelming amount of material to study, they are definitely a financial investment. Finding the resources that work best for your learning style (or one that caters to all types of learners) makes the investment worthwhile. I love these strategies you have implemented and glad to hear that they have been successful for you! At Black Spectacles, we believe a holistic learning approach is key to deeply understanding the content you are learning; active recall being a crucial aspect of that process.
218375, as I mentioned in another thread, I'd love to chat with you to help develop a game plan for upcoming exams. Feel free to reach out to kiaragalicinao@blackspectacles.com if you are interested!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles
ARE Community -
I am in a similar situation. I'm Stuck with PPD and PDD. I failed PPD twice with 525, which some say is just one question. What really disappoints me is that i pass the NCARB free test at my first try. I have study a lot. For PDD I just think is a lot of information I failed badly my first try I'm going my second try for October 23, I am very nervous. What i used for PDD, on my first try Black Spectacles and Building Construction Illustrated. Now for my second try I'am with Amber Book and arequestions.com. I have also the recommended books for each exam of course i use to complement the BS information, for this try im going to memorize all the Master Format and try to understand it better since there will be probably some questions regarding that.
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manuelgranja,
I wouldn't recommend using NCARB's free test to access your readiness for the exams, as it way easier than the actual exams. Instead, focus on active recall learning and take your own notes throughout your preparation. You can use the NCARB's free practice test as a learning tool buy analyzing the questions you got wrong. Go through the explanations provided, and if you are not satisfied with the explanations, seek out the information in your other study materials.
If you come across any any confusing subject matter during your preparation, refer back to you notes. Engaging in active note-taking will significantly enhance your retention and understanding of the study material. Techniques like active recall (such as flashcards, quizzes and practice tests) were incredibly beneficial for me during my exam preparation. Try to learn from your mistakes.
I hope this helps. I know it is easier said than done, but with persistence, you will overcome these final exams. You are almost done, Manuel. You go this! -
manuelgranja, PPD and PDD are two of the most difficult exams. I know it is frustrating, but know that you are not alone and you will overcome these obstacles!
Try not to "memorize" information as you are studying - rather, focus on deeply understanding the concepts related to each NCARB objective and how they might be applied to given scenarios. Instead of jumping around to different topics, align your study sessions with those NCARB objectives to ensure you are mastering the specific items you will be tested on. Based on your score reports and performance trends, target and spend more time on content areas you've scored lower in. Be sure you are keeping your stronger areas consistent with passive studying, such as flashcards and practice questions.
I agree with rajank74's advice, as active recall is key for the ARE.
Good luck! I know you will do great :)
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles
ARE Community
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