Failed three exams. Anyone else failed this much? What can I change?
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I feel the ballast practice exams and practice problems were helpful for thinking like the exam.
I swear these tests are not just about studying and knowing the content. They were more reading comprehension and understanding and answering exactly what the question is asking so that you can apply the knowledge. The questions are convoluted and tricky.
My best recommendation is to read the questions and the answers more than once. And move quickly through the test so that you have time to go back through them all. I was careful not to puzzle long over any one question to be sure i had time left (like an hour) to go back through the whole test.
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The ARE Is a different beast. Don’t give up. Don’t compare it to your past experience. It’s a hard blow to the ego when you have been a good student your whole life and have difficulty with this exam. Know you are not alone. I Shake off your testing experience and re-exam your testing strategy. Revamp your study strategy. This is where the problem lies. Are you grasping the concepts or just regurgitating information from memory? Are you able to explain things to others? Do you understand what the question is asking or looking for? I found that professional practice has helped me to think more critically and truly understand concepts. I also use different formats to understand the concepts (examples - reading, videos, problems) I would first exam which material you feel most comfortable with and choose that exam for your first PASS. It’s different for everyone given their personal interest and work experience. The key is to discover what format/type works for you. Some people are visual learners, some enjoy reading, drawing, flash cards ect. Be consistent with your study schedule. Study for a few weeks before scheduling your exam. Once you feel like you are grasping the information, schedule your exam. I have used Amber videos and Ballast as my primary study guides. Amber provided a good foundation and Ballast went into more depth. I am using more resources for PDD and PPD. Also know that some exams support one another and should be taken close to one another. Take as many practice exams as you can. I know you feel discouraged but know that you can do it. Good luck!!
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Thank you both very much for your insight. I'm starting to understand better what's going on and believe it's time to reevaluate how and why I'm taking the exams instead of just feeling "obligated" as the next step. I've decided to push my next exam (PjM) back to February to give my self more time to really explore/study in depth and see if that makes a difference. PcM and PjM are the areas I'm most comfortable in (I have a bachelor's in history & business.) I got my results for PcM and turns out I passed 3 of the 4 objectives! So close! At least now I know what I need to study ;). I've calmed down a bit since the exam so I truly thank you both for answering my distress! Here's hoping every fail is a step closer to success (*insert inspirational Lincoln quote here*)
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I took PCM for the second and I failed again. I felt so disappointed. During my first try, it's not that painful because I did not study much. But I've prepared for the second try. The exam that's been given on the second try have a lot of computation just like your exam. I know those computation but my problem was the time. I panicked and I started guessing. How could I ever answer all the computation with short amount of time? The first try was actually easier than the second try except that I did not study much. My problem was I ran out of time.. I used Black Spectacles but not even a single question came out on the exam. I also used Ballast and AHPP. After my second try, I was completely devastated. I've sacrificed my personal time just to study. I am currently re-assessing myself if it's worth my time taking the exams and fail. Before I went to the testing center, I had the strategy not to spend too much time on one question but still I ran out of time. What should I do so I can finish answering all the questions without guessing?
I felt the pain that you've been through. Thanks for sharing your experience, you're not alone.
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ARE 5.0 has MATH PROBLEMS.
correction: math problems and no scratch paper!!!!!The golden, big elephant in the room, (dirty, and covert) question is, HOW ARE 5+,10+, 20+? steps MULTI STEP MATH PROBLEM type questions (and with no particular or specific connection to the material of the area being tested) testing more for knowledge in the area than for processing speed in math and calculations with so many steps?
With all the tricky wording of questions, multi step math with no specific architectural key knowledge to test, and usage of misleading terminology in questions, this test feels more like an IQ test........
My strategy with these is just skip. not worth the time. Just handling the whitebore ..(whiteboard) for multi step math problems is consuming way more of the acceptable time per question than the actual solution of the math problem (and you still have to read the question, wordy, misleading, and with wrong/tricky terms...) so yeah. skip
So are they testing knowledge, or capacity?
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