PDD - Four Fails - going for Test Number 5 in May!
Alright ARE Fam, I don't know about you all but I am over studying. I have been trying to get this last exam passed for far too long (read YEARS!)! Would love some insight on what's going wrong for me.
Second to last time I got a total score of 521.
One Content Area 1: Integration of Building Materials & Systems: 64%
Content Area 2: Construction Documentation 62%
Content area 3: Project Manual & Specifications 28%
Content Area 4: Codes & Regulations : 80%
Content Area 5: Construction Cost Estimates: 25%
Amberbooks score calculator estimates I missed by 3-4 questions
The last time I took it I got a total score of 518
One Content Area 1: Integration of Building Materials & Systems: 51%
Content Area 2: Construction Documentation 53%
Content area 3: Project Manual & Specifications 75%
Content Area 4: Codes & Regulations : 90%
Content Area 5: Construction Cost Estimates: 75%
AmberBooks score calculator estimates I missed by 3 questions.
I've been using AmberBooks to help study since January. I feel like I can't catch a break. The last time I took the test was June of 2024, and I remember feeling like there was content on the exam that I had no clue what I was doing. I feel discouraged. I passed PcM, PjM, PA on first try and CE on the second. It took me 4 tries to pass PPD! Please help! What other resources can I use to fill in the gaps other than HyperFine and Building Construction Ill??
-
I can tell you how I studied for ppd and ppd. I started by completing all the amber book videos and flashcards, and had taken my other exams, with ppd & pdd being last. When doing the amber book content I was taking notes for most lecture items and flashcard.
Each week leading up to an exam I would cram pretty hard (for me) at 2-4 hours a night of reviewing content. The week prior to ppd I studied these items:
- read fema documents 454 & 749
- re read all my notes (aloud to myself) for amber book lecture sections 1-15 (everything except pro practice)
- re read the flashcards notes (aloud) for ppd & pdd
- take the ncarb ppd practice exam (aiming to get 72% or higher). I scored around 76 I believe
- ARE questions quizzes (had to pay $100 for this bundle, but it was worth it), as many as I could make time for. these quizzes take about 30 min each
- re read ppd flashcards notes again, night before exam
- read amber book panic notes, codes section only (this was my weak point because it involves memorizing numbers. you could also read the entire thing, minus pro practice)
I took pdd a week later. For pdd, I basically did the same thing, minus fema, sections 1-15, and ppd content. However if you're taking pdd after a long time since passing ppd, I think it's worth it to treat them like one test and study for both like I did. On the pdd practice exam I actually failed, getting 57%. The passing range is 58-66%. I did pass the real exam. Can't stress enough how useful the ncarb practice exams are.
One piece of advice I have is not to concern yourself on the % scores for each content area. The exam content is so randomized you may spend a long time studying for "construction cost estimates" and find only one question on the exam, that doesn't even require any math... super waste of your time.
-
I couldn't agree more with Corrington's post.
In my PDD/ PPD study journey, I watched most of the Amber Book lectures at least three times—and the HVAC systems section, specifically, six times. I took detailed notes during each session. In addition to the regular lectures, I paid close attention to every quiz and practice exam. Even when I selected the correct answer, I still reviewed the full explanation to deepen my understanding.
For the flashcards, I went a step further by taking notes and redrawing each diagram or detail by hand.
Beyond Amber Book, I also used Elif’s material, which was a great supplement. The explanations provided for each question helped reinforce the concepts I learned through Amber Book lectures and flashcards. After each quiz, I documented the questions I got wrong by discipline and wrote additional notes.
During the final week before the exam, I focused entirely on reviewing my notes and going over the questions I had previously answered incorrectly.
-
Thank you all! I think I will look into the Elif's practice exam/ quizzes to help fill in some gaps. I like the suggestions of reading out loud in my own words. My fear with practice exams/ quizzes is that I'm just memorizing the specific answer rather than making sure I understand the concept behind the test. So I will try to focus on that! Thank you again. I appreciate all the support. It's easy to feel like an idiot when you fail a test 4 times.
-
Hi Whitney,
Congrats on only having one exam left! PPD and PDD can be beasts - almost anything covered on the ARE may show up on either exam. The specific set of topics you'll see varies significantly from one attempt to another - your score reports seem to reflect that, too.
The good news - you're really close to passing, and there's nothing fundamentally wrong with your score progression - they're in the same range, it just reflects the difference in topics you were tested on between those two attempts.
There's lots of supplementary material out there, but the one tool in the course I'd recommend to you is the 40MoC sessions linked in the PPD and PDD flashcards and practice exams. If you've not reviewed the Pro Practice section of the animated course yet, that is most important to not miss for PPD and PDD - there are few Pro Practice questions on those exams, but they're usually not that difficult to get correct if you've reviewed the topics recently. Since your scores are so close to passing, don't miss questions you don't need to! In addition to the material in the PPD and PDD flashcards and practice exams, if you haven't been through the PA and especially CE flashcards and practice exams in the course, don't miss them. PDD covers material from the construction documents quite thoroughly, and much of CE is closely related. Also, NCARB just updated their practice exams again with the removal of the drag-and-drop questions a couple of days ago - don't miss out on that very useful resource!
Best,
Ralph, the Amber Book Team
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
5 comments