3rd Time Fail on PPD and PDD
Hi There Guys,
I've failed PPD 3 times and PDD 2 times and I'm at a loss at what else I can study. My scores range from 511-525. I had Amberbooks at the beginning but I no longer have access. I do have most of the recommended books. But what else could I study? Any help would be appreciated.
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I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles with PPD and PDD, Ngcandice! These two divisions are especially challenging with a ton of content to cover, so I can understand your frustration. I also struggled with PPD during my ARE journey even though I felt like I had studied everything necessary. Rest assured that if you are scoring between 511-525, you are SO close to passing! You are missing by just a few questions so you are already in great shape. You could just be getting unlucky with a difficult set of questions each time.
Don't feel like you need to cram MORE resources into your studying. Like I said, you're already in great shape so your knowledge base is likely sufficient. Knowing the content itself is only a portion of the battle - applying your knowledge to the exam format and eliminating any external stressors are equally as important in being successful on the ARE.
Take what you've already learned and regurgitate that information in different ways. Restructure your notes (i.e. turn words into visuals), create your own flashcards, write some practice questions in a similar way that the ARE might present them. You want to train your brain to not just know the information, but be able to recall it quickly in relation to applicable scenarios.
I also recommend that you use your NCARB score reports as a guide moving forward. Which areas are you scoring lower in? Revisit topics related to those objectives with a comprehensive study approach. Which areas are you scoring higher in? Keep those areas consistent with passive studying techniques (i.e. flashcards).
Keep your head up! You will get there, I know it. Good luck!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles
ARE Community -
Hi,
What were your scores on the individual sections for each time you've tested? You are absolutely close enough to passing that you should be reviewing what you know for your retake rather than doing a lot of new studying. If there is a pattern in your score by section on the score reports across the times you've tested, that may be useful to help guide your review. You've got this.
If there is no pattern to your scores on the sections, then focus your review mostly on the largest sections of PPD and PDD - Building Codes, Construction Documentation, Building Systems, Materials, and Assemblies, and the behemoth that accounts for ~35% of questions on each of those exams, the Integration section - PPD is Program & Systems, PDD is Materials & Systems. Most people typically don't do well on PPD and PDD because they don't understand enough about how different materials and systems play together - galvanic action between modern copper-heavy treated lumbers and zinc-galvanized steel fasteners and hardware is a personal favorite topic that is generally in-bounds in that section, but there is a lot to know and the exams can test on any subset of the several hundred topics under those broad umbrellas!
I would not spend much time on Project Costs & Budgeting/Cost estimating for PPD or PDD regardless of how you've done on that section in the past on either exam - there is a lot of material to cover to know those topics well, and they represent less than 10% on average of either exam (and may be as few as 2 questions on PDD)
If you have any of Francis Ching's books (Building X Illustrated), review them, the drawings are useful for helping understand how the different elements of a building work together, with the building code, etc, depending on the specific ones you have access to. Same thing goes for Architectural Graphic Standards.
Also, be sure you're reviewing NCARB's practice exams - updated ones were just released with the minor change to the ARE that took effect on April 28th.
Best,
Ralph, the Amber Book Team -
Hi Ralph, Kiara, and Hussein1986,
Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my post—I really appreciate your support.
Here’s a breakdown of my recent exam performance:
PPD
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First take: 75, 70, 60, 62, 80
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Second take: 83, 58, 55, 65, 60
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Third take (May 9): 75, 52, 55, 50, 50
PDD
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First take: 48, 68, 57, 80, 0
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Second take: 43, 71, 64, 70, 50
My most recent PPD felt particularly challenging—heavily weighted on seismic, structural, and MEP content, more than I had expected. Despite ongoing study, I feel like the information is slipping away faster than I can retain it.
I’ve been reviewing content from Architect’s Studio Companion, MEEB, Building Construction Illustrated, and have compiled notes across five full notebooks. If any of you could offer insight into how I might interpret and improve based on my section scores, I would be truly grateful.
Thanks again for your encouragement and help.
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You're very welcome, Ngcandice!
Remember that you don't need to score 100% to pass the ARE. You don't even need to meet a certain percentage for each content area. You just need your cumulative score to reach 550, which is the minimum threshold for passing. NCARB establishes a cut score range for each division: 65-71% for PPD, 58-66% for PDD. Looking at your performance, you are doing great and generally scoring in/close to that mid-upper range that is required for passing.
It's nice to see that your scores are not drastically fluctuating - for the most part, you're pretty consistent in your performance. Like I mentioned in my last post, it's important to take what you are learning and regurgitate that information in various formats. Reviewing textbooks and taking a bunch of notes is great, but be sure that you are taking it a step further. Take your notes and turn them into flashcards or other visuals; turn them into practice questions so that you can quiz yourself; draw connections to your work experience.
The ARE is not a memorization game. Diversifying not just your study materials, but your study formats/habits is key :)
You got this!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles
ARE Community -
kkgalicinao. Has this cut score range for PPD changed recently? Possibly as of this month? Where the range is now, which looks like, 76%-90%. I have taken this exam a few times and yes it has been in that 65-71% range but I unfortunately, Failed last week and the cut score is 76-90%. Is this different than the Passing
Candidates % Correct? -
Ngcandice
Hi,
This is for PPD
Could you please give me tips on getting high score for the 1st section? I have passed PA ages ago, but my first section is only 50-58.
For Section 3-4, I got 65-71. Architect Studio Companion and MEEB are your best friend. I watched tons of HVAC videos on YouTube as well. Did Elif, WeAre, PPI practice tests. Amber book is actually a good resource for these sections as well.
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Bibianaml, as far as I am aware, the cut scores outlined in this blog post are the most updated. For PPD, you need to answer between 65-71% of scored items correctly to pass.
To clarify, the cut score is the minimum standard score that you need to reach in order to pass the exam. Each division has a cut score range, which considers the various exam forms and levels of difficulty. This cut score applies to all items on the exam, not specific content areas.
This is different than the "Passing Candidates % Correct," which is the average percentage of score questions answered correctly by candidates who previously passed this division. These are not thresholds that you need to reach in order to pass the exam; they are simply provided to give you an idea of what passing candidates have collectively scored in each area. In other words, you do not need to score a certain percentage in each content area in order to pass; you just need an aggregate 550 minimum scaled score (which will align with the specific cut score range of your division).
Check out this blog we recently published about how NCARB develops ARE items and cut scores, as it will provide additional context to these guidelines.
In summary, it is a very confusing process and I would encourage you to not get caught up in the numbers. Use the cut score range and content area averages as guides to determine where to focus your studies.
Hope this helps!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles
ARE Community -
Hi Piyarudee,
I think I may have over-prepared for PA—I ended up with three huge notebooks full of notes that now cover most of the content for both PPD and PDD. I'm honestly not sure how I scored as well as I did on my first attempt, because lately I’ve been struggling, especially with MEP, structural, and seismic concepts.
I’ve been reaching out to my MEP and structural engineers for additional support, but I’m still having a hard time fully grasping the material well enough to pass. I’ve read through MEEB and a number of other resources, but I think I need more visual explanations at this point.
If you have the link to the HVAC video playlist you mentioned—or any other YouTube resources that helped you—that would be incredibly appreciated.
Thanks so much for your help and encouragement!
Best,
Candice
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