PDD pass and ARE done

I was afraid of PDD. There was so much content. So many details. So much math. I took all other exams, and left PPD and PDD for last. Studying for the two together just made sense, there is so much overlap. For my other exams I used Black Spectacles videos and Ballast book and quizzes. They worked great for me. For PDD, I abandoned Black Spectacles, and read through Ballast, but did not get hung up on all the math. The concepts are there, and the subject matter, but they definitely get too detailed and bogged down with calculations. After reading through posts on the NCARB discussion, I switched to Amber videos, Ching's Building Construction Illustrated, Hyperfine quizes and Karin's notes. Karin's notes are great (thanks Karin!!). If you know the material on her study sheets, you'll do great! I also reviewed IBC and paid special attention to occupancy types. I reviewed ADA requirements. Then I just bit the bullet. I took the two tests two weeks apart and passed both. You can too. Know the concepts. Know construction details. Know different types of specs and what specs are for. You don't need to know the IBC, but know how to use it when it's in front of you. And go into the testing room with confidence. Good luck!

Roma Agrawal February 29, 2020 01:00

Sounds like that worked for you. How much of real life experience played role in your success? Thanks!

Gang Chen February 29, 2020 19:09 (Edited February 29, 2020 19:10)

Congratulations! Yes, for IBC, you do not need to memorize the specific information, juts need to know where to find the information and use it.

For ARE exams, use the search function.

For real life, use the Table of Content and the Index.

Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)

Margaret Tomas March 01, 2020 21:40

Roma- I do think that real world experience is helpful for all the exams, and maybe especially for PDD. I have been working for many, many years, and that may have led to my pass. However, in my day to day work experience, I do not encounter the majority of the topics covered on the test. I believe that studying the material is really what led to my pass, although being familiar with how to draw details, specifications, and reading the codes did help. I think using a variety of resources is most helpful, including looking through drawing sets to see how sets are laid out, which engineer covers what, and mostly, DETAILS! Hope that helps!

PDD pass and ARE done

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