Practice Management Retake
I failed my Practice Management Exam. I am so demotivated on taking other exams. I found it to be extremely hard. I thought I was pretty thorough with what I studied in the Ballast Review Manual. I read through the contract documents as well. The wordings on the exams was so difficult. There were so many mathematical problems that i wasn't prepared for. I solved many papers on PPI but it was way easier that the real exam. I really need some guidance on going about solving this exam again after 2 months. Would appreciate suggestions.
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I highly recommend Designer Hacks for PCM and PRJ for the math problems. They have videos on the most important ones and walks you through how to do it. I would almost go as far to say if you memorized all the answers to the non math questions you'd almost pass with it alone as it covers a ton of the major points.
That said don't lose motivation just think of it as a practice test. All the study material is expensive for these tests anyways lol.
I would highly recommend Amber Books if you want to get some motivation back and feel you have made progress in learning for your career as a whole vs just the test. After going through it I feel it helped me get about 85% of what I would spend months studying in a few hours and the 15% left was me getting into the nitty gritty details of what I needed to know better. Such as contract clauses vs contract in general and the actual hard math problems. -
Hi Sindhu,
When I first took PcM I also saw how difficult the exam was and how unprepared I was for it; totally failed it. However, like Christopher said, treat it as a practice test. The reality is, failing an exam is commonly part of the process for obtaining your license, and taking the opportunity to learn from failing the exam is what will help you bounce back for your next attempt.
That being said, I used Architect Exam Prep and Hyperfine Architecture for studying material. They both have practice exams that have a good amount of math problems that I personally find quite similar to the actual exam. I found that Hyperfine Architecture in particular has more resources for understanding the financing questions, as they have a financial workbook and videos that break down the formulas to understand their applications.
Keep up with reviewing your study materials; the more you understand the how's and why's to the PcM objectives, the less likely the wording on the exams will appear difficult. You have what it takes to pass the exam. Good luck!
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Thank you Sally for your words of encouragement. I too find Hyperfine Architecture to be super useful. I have currently started studying for PCM, PJM and CE as I noticed that the material overlaps to a great extent. I am being positive each day and studying hard for the exam!! Thanks again for your reply. Really appreciate the motivational words!
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Thara Messeroux
PCM has financial questions related to Firm finances. Whats your overhead, whats your break even.
PRJ has financial questions related to Resource Management. You figure out your labor budget (how much money is left to pay people to work on the project. You then calculate how many hours so and so can work on the project. Its much easier to go through an example than type it out.
For Hyperfine Architecture you can find it here https://hyperfinearchitecture.com/pcm/ -
The math problems tripped me up as well, which basically made me run out of time. I understood the ratios and formulas as an abstract concept, but when i was asked to actually crunch the numbers while staring down a ticking clock, i froze up. My studying the first time through was basically the Kaplan book,PPI test prep, and the AIA contracts and code of ethics. I found the PPI practice exams give you a false sense of being prepared; the questions are significantly simpler and more based on memorization than actual application of what is on the exam. For my second time studying, i bought and read through the bulk of the AHPP. They do cover a lot more about the financial management section, and how to actually apply the formulas to actual numbers, but i still feel very lost on that specific section. Does hyperfine have practice examples of this? I did great on the other 3 parts of the exam, but still have nightmares about the financial math section. As such, i have yet to even reschedule.
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Thara,
I am honestly not sure. Per my score breakdown, there are questions that fall into 4 categories, and each category has a score of 1 to 4, with one being the best. It was my understanding that you need to get a 1 or 2 on each section to pass. I did not reach that for finances and risk. I then read a little more, and it states that pass or fail decisions are based on a total score, not individual sections scores - these are basically to tell you what you need to focus on for your retake. With the finances and risk section being the highest percentage of total questions, there is a good chance that i bombed that section so bad that it sunk my whole test average. Which is possible. I was that lost.
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HI Shaun,
Hyperfine does have sample questions for the financial math problems in their study guide, financial workbook, and practice exam. And what I appreciate about Hyperfine is that they are clear in guiding you how they break down the steps to solve the math.
I'm sorry to hear about how you lost time on the exam from the math problems. Did you work on those questions throughout the length of the test or saved them from the end? Some people advised to save the math problems for last to allocate as much time as possible to work on them. While it's okay to be nervous about the math section, I think you have a better chance at tackling it for your next attempt since you know what is expected. Remember to stay calm and focused when you get to those questions, and make sure you give yourself some time to check the work.
Best of luck on your exam!
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