Has anyone given PA as the first Exam?
I am planning to just get started with my examination, and thought that PA would be the best one to start as it covers the early schematic phase I have been gaining experience in professionally.
However, looking at the fail rates for PA, I was wondering if anyone gave PA first in their schedule and share their experience, so I can plan better.
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I would highly recommend not doing PA first. This is one of the most complex exams in my opinion. I would recommend doing this order. Or save PA for last. You can look up a video of Amber Book for more explanation. Also, I passed the first three exams by doing amber book only. So if you want to save time and money I highly recommend this route! Best of luck!
- Practice Management (PcM)
- Project Management (PjM)
- Construction & Evaluation (CE)
- Programming & Analysis (PA)
- Project Planning & Design (PPD)
- Project Design & Documentation (PDD)
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Hi Charmi,
I do not recommend taking PA first. It's a difficult exam, with a pass rate of around 50%. Unless you are a landscape architect or civil engineer; it's a poor strategy.
Take CE or PjM first. They are much easier and it'll give you a confidence boost. I also would NOT take PcM first. Its pass rate is also around 50%. Hope this helps!
Best regards,
Rebekka
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I think PCM is by far the easear exam. It doesn’t have a high passing rate because is the exam that 95% do at the first time which include people who did not prepare, for the others exams people usually take after. PCM has very little content, some people fail because they think , no way they are going to make me this math questions, yes they will. So for PCM study the content and practice the exam and learn deeply the math.
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I studied everything as a whole for a bit, then start with the technical exams first. I took PDD first and didn't pass. PA was my second exam - passed on the 2nd attempt. I spent 3 months for the PA alone (1.5 months of intense study for the first attempt and 1.5 months of loose study for the second attempt). I am taking PPD and retaking PDD next month.
What is your experience in the field? I have been in the field for almost 10 years and I feel far more excited about technical stuff than pro practice and I have been genuinely having fun studying for these technical exams. That's why I'm going this route.
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