Lost motivation - how would you kick start your studies and finish PPD and PDD?
Kind of put things on pause for the past few months. Things got boring reading technical info like memorizing inches off of the Architectural Studio Companion book. How would you kick start your studies and stay engaged?
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Personally, I needed a deadline to put pressure on me to stay focused. There are varying opinions on that, but it worked for me to schedule the exam relatively early, after I came up with a plan and knew relatively how much time I needed to study, based on others' experiences.
I also think having a community is helpful, for encouragement and accountability. The YA Bootcamp works well for a lot of people, if you don't have a group locally to rely on.
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Have you tried Ben Norkin's Hyperfine program? He laid out assignments that cover topics that show up on PPD and PDD. I found the assignments helped me stay engaged and focused on solving the problem/assignment on a certain topic.
Also, have you watched all of Michael Ermann's youtube videos he provides for free on youtube, if not, i would check those out. I find he has a way of making pretty mundane topics fun to listen to.
Good Luck!
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Hey Ardalan,
I started with 4.0 and transitioned to 5.0. I thought I had made the worst mistake of my life. I just could not seem to pass PPD and PDD. Well, guess what I just passed my last division after struggling for 3 years with these two exams, PPD and PDD... When I went through my exam timeline, I saw I had not passed an exam since 2016 (the year I transitioned). My rolling clock was going to expire Feb 28th 2020, so I had to pass it or I had to pass it. I could not imagine having to start all over again!
I can relate to not wanting to continue studying any more. FAILING is tough, especially when it keeps happening over and over again. I bought every book you can imagine and read the whole thing and still, I would not pass. What was I doing wrong!? I was so frustrated, I almost gave up. I think I wasn't analyzing the information I was reading, plus it was just getting monotonous.
I switched my study habits, I did "Hyperfine" (TOTALLY RECOMMEND IT), and I re-wrote Katlyns Notes (you can find these online fo free).
- Hyperfine- served as great review and practice for very relevant topics for both PPD and PDD.
- Katlyns Notes are great because they are for visual learners. I rewrote it all the weekend prior to my last exam and it was enough for me.
- Finally, I used the Ballast Practice Exams and Practice Questions to work on my test taking skills.
Please don't lose motivation, I know this is super hard, but its so worth it! It took me all 5 years and a total of 16 exams (I think, I lost count) to finally PASS. I took PDD 3 times (passed in the 3rd attempt) and I took PPD 4 times (passed on the 4th attempt).
Try to switch it up. Do Hyperfine twice a week, questions the other days. Stop reading all the time. Once you start practicing, you will start putting in use everything you have learned!
KEEP GOING AND DON'T GIVE UP! YOU CAN DO IT!
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I totally agree with Yi Li, start small and warm yourself up, before you know it, you’ll really get into it.
Another tip is: your goal is NOT to read all the materials, but to pass the exam. If you understand this, then you can skip the materials you already know very well, and focus on your weakness. You may just need to read 30% of the materials and you can pass.
Another tip is to reward yourself: if I finish this section, then I can have 30 minutes of free time to do whatever I want, and so on…
Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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It's "Karin's Notes"
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