PDD Pass on my 3rd try!
- Health is so important: While studying for this last exam, I also signed up for a challenge at my gym, changed my nutrition, lost 10 lbs, and had so much more energy to stay committed to my studying schedule!
- apps are your friend: I used STUDYBREAK app to keep me focused, record my breaks, detect distractions, etc. I clocked in 200 hours for PDD! 200 hours! 14 weeks, 78 days.
- Do fun things too: I used to say that I didn't have enough time for anything, and all i would do is study, study, study. I felt even more miserable when I didn't pass the exams. But if you really commit to a routine, to keep a balance life, it really pays off! My daily routine was 6:30am gym, 9-6p work, 6-9 study. and guess what! I had time to add in things over the weekend, and best of all i was playing tennis on Saturday's again!!
- Michael Riscica's Bootcamp is the best: I could have not done it without every single person I met in the bootcamp and in meetups. If you really dig deep into the recorded meetups and all the meetup questions, you will find some really informative gems! I also tried my best to be active in hosting meetups because i felt that was another way to keep me accountable for studying!
- And choose your study material wisely: There's a lot of resources out there and you don't need every single of one of them. But you do need to know what works for you and what is your style of studying. I figured out that spaced repetition worked best for me and picking at topics within the books worked better for me than reading chapter after chapter.
- Hyperfine PPD/PDD by Ben Norkin
- PDD-CE-PDD Quick Study Guide by Erik Walker
- Karin's Notes
- Building Construction: Principles, Materials, and System's by Mehta
- The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling
- Building Construction Illustrated
- The Amber Book
- Professor Ressler's Understanding the World's Greatest Structures and Everyday Engineering on The Great Courses
- PPI and Designer Hacks for practice quizzes
- Ballast and Kaplan and Gang Chen for practice exams only
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Hi Helen, I feel like I’m listening to myself when I read your post. I honestly feel like these are all the things that I should try incorporating, just trying to find what works best for me at the same time. Do you mind answering a few questions via email? Mainly about how you studied as far as repetition because I know that’s my way of learning anything and making it stick!. My email is jjennifer3005@gmail.com if you’re free and congrats!!!
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Congratulations!
Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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Hi Yi Li,
I've had this book since college years and didn't realize how useful it was for PPD and PDD. They even have practice questions at the end of sections & chapters which is super beneficial after going through Kaplan and Ballast practice questions too many times. It's also really easy to read and a lot of images to reference.
I would recommend you getting an earlier version (i think you can find some at like $8!!).
Good luck!
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Thank you for the kind words. Everything you guys are going through right now, I have been through. Been there and done that. I am trying to pass on my experience so that you guys can avoid some pitfalls. I am happy to help. My pleasure.
Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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