PDD failed twice - Passed all other divisions on 1st try
Hi all, I failed my 2nd try of PDD yesterday. My 1st try was last December before all the changes took place. For my 2nd try I got some additional materials like Hyperfine and other mock question books while not spending too much time revisiting Ballast book.
It is quite frustrating as this is my last division. Should I schedule my next test - 3rd try as soon as possible (60 days from now), or should I dive into the study materials first and be confident enough then schedule the test?
Any suggestions will be welcome. Thank you!
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My advice would be to sign up to retake the exam in 2 months. I would re-read Ballast. Watch industry standard youtube videos of any construction types or systems that you don't fully understand.
Have you read ASC? I found that really helpful (but more for PPD). Read BCI.
Go thru the demonstration exam extensively.
I would buy some new practice exams too. I liked ppi because theirs had more graphics and were affordable. Sit and do 1/2 length exams (timed in 2hrs), then do a full length one. You also might want to try group coaching if you want a structured approach and/or more personal attention.
Try to move thru the actual exam quickly and confidently, yet read the questions and answers carefully.
Keep your chin up & keep studying! You are almost there!
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Thank you! Yes, I have both ASC and BCI. But I didn't read through them before, maybe I should. This time my preparation was quite fragmented as I was basically doing mock questions only and then read several pages in BCI or ASC for the questions I thought I didn't quite understand.
Thanks again!
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I am in pretty much the same boat! Just failed PDD yet again. Something I am personally doing differently this time is reaching out for help with support groups, I happened to be lucky enough to find friends who were studying PDD at the same time and bouncing questions and getting support off them has been great. I realized I don't have to do this alone in a vacuum. I would've loved to sign up for Young Architect's ARE bootcamp but the timing didn't work out for my test, but I hear wonderful things about it being a great support group as well.
Other than that, I have started reading Building construction: principles, materials, and systems by Pearson Madan Mehta, Walter Scarborough, Diane Armpriest (2013) and it has really brought my knowledge to a deeper level. Where I had just been studying what I thought I needed to pass, I am now going as deep into the details as I possibly can.
Though I haven't passed this is just my 2 cents as it seems we are in the same boat! Feel free to reach out if you ever want to bounce any questions/concepts off of me as well!
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Alison, my friend and I are in the same situation. We took the test once before the online version and once again after. The questions are similar in many ways but require fewer calculations. Would love to connect and hear your take on the exam. Let me know which way is best to connect.
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Hi Bom! You can email me at 4alichen@gmail.com
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I’m in the same boat! How strange. Looking at my third retake of PDD, it’s the last division for me also. Other than the ppi practice exams, is anyone using anything else? I used Black Spectacles to practice and thought they totally missed the mark on subject matter. So, if you’re preparing and using that - don’t rely on it. I’m still trying to decide if I want to schedule the retake in two months, so I appreciated reading the advice in this thread. Good luck everyone!
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Don't give up! You can do it!
This is definitely one of the most difficult exams, so don't be discouraged. I made a YouTube video explaining everything I did in order to PASS this exam in two months. Check it out here https://youtu.be/hXHFKlN-Bx4 and be sure to subscribe to my channel so you don't miss out on any future videos.
Note: I made a video for each of the ARE 5.0 Exams and how I was able to pass each one. Check out my channel for more.
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