Building Construction Illustrated - What to Study for PPD?
Hi everyone,
I am debating purchasing a copy of this book for my last exam, PPD. I have only used Amber Book for the other five exams, as well as a reading the AIA contracts and a few chapters out of AHPP. I passed PDD on my first try after just using Amber Book, but I don't want to be overly confident about having the same outcome with PPD. Is Building Construction Illustrated particularly helpful for PPD, and if so, what areas are most useful? I flipped through it a few times when I was a student so I generally remember what's in it and how it's organized.
Thanks!
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I love books in general and BCI in particular - it's a great reference that illustrates the details of buildings in an understandable and enjoyable way. If you're looking for an excuse to buy a copy because you regret selling the one you had in undergrad, and really want to own a copy now, go for it.
That said, if you passed PDD and your other 4 exams already, you really shouldn't need to look over BCI to pass PPD - what you have been doing is clearly working. PPD and PDD in particular are very similar in the topics you need to understand in order to be prepared to pass them. You might see different topics covered on a particular administration of PPD and PDD, but in aggregate, the topics they may cover are substantially identical. They just ask questions about the topics from different angles. PPD is "how many toilets", PDD is "what's the total dimension of these toilet stalls" - in both cases, you have to understand restroom facility requirements in the IBC and ADA in order to consistently arrive at the correct answer, and if you do understand those requirements, you should answer both questions correctly.
Always let yourself be confident - far more people beat themselves up and find themselves in a place where they lack the confidence they should have which leads to uncertainty and second-guessing on the exams than the number of people who have unqualified overconfidence in their ability. This is your last exam, which means you've already passed 5 AREs - you've got this!
Ralph, the Amber Book Team
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