Approach for PA and technical exams
In the months since January I've had the good fortune of passing the PcM, PjM and CE exams relatively quickly. I recently had my first fail with PA, and would love to hear some other perspectives from those of you who've passed the technical exams (PA, PPD, PDD). What's worked best for you, studying for these individually or grouping them? For anyone who's been in a similar situation as me, did you move on to take PPD and PDD before coming back to PA, or focus on nailing PA before moving on? Thanks for sharing in advance
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Hi Michael,
What's your 3-digit scaled score from your score report?Remember that 50% of all ARE tests taken score within 4 questions either side of the cut score question - you likely passed and didn't pass by about the same number of questions either side of the cut score. If your score report shows a scaled score over 500 for PA, that's almost certainly the case. There are all kinds of ways to prepare for PA, PPD, PDD, but the most efficient paths all recognize the shared content those exams (and CE) all have as they test on their phase of the progression of a project - whether or not you actually study for and take them close together. The absolute fastest paths take full advantage of the topical overlaps, but requre 15-30h/week of dedicated study for 2-4 months - difficult to nail down for someone working full-time at a firm. The next-best acknowledges the overlap but still studies for each more or less independently, weaving necessary retakes in to maintain your overall schedule.
When it comes to retakes, by far the biggest mistake I see people make is not appreciating the amount of time it takes to maintain the knowledge you already have that got you to your current score in the 2 months till your retake eligibility opens back up - once you're over a 500, you want to spend far more time reviewing and maintaining what you already know than you spend expanding your knowledge into new or additional topics.
Best,
Ralph, the Amber Book Team -
I took PA and PPD together. Failed PA and passed PDD. My scaled score was 524 for PA. I felt defeated after feeling like I really knew all that I could know. I moved on to PDD and passed. Now I only have PA and have to restudy /refresh PA again. I regret not just doing a retake as it delayed things and slowed my momentum. I used Amber Book subscription course (2 months then pause did it all again 3 months) for all technical exams. I take PA in a month. I guess my advice is make your plan with what will keep you focused on these exams and not get discouraged. Amber Book suggests grouping them; I wish I would’ve done this from the beginning.
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Ralph Hale Thanks for your long reply. I scored a 525, so close to the threshold; my plan is to follow the Amber Book method and take the three exams together in a few months. This is good to know regarding maintaining knowledge for PA rather than letting it go and beginning from scratch later
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Hi Michael,
A 524/5 is one question from passing best we can tell. Very close indeed! A score that high means you didn't make a mistake, you just didn't quite answer enough questions correct. That's close enough that getting especially unlucky on the questions you guessed on can make the difference. Know that the scoring is much more like an ACT or an SAT than a university course midterm or final where everything on the final was covered in the course and everything on the course could be on the final - you're going to miss about a third of the questions due to the broad scope of topics tested, and that's okay - don't let it break your stride, know that testing when you did wasn't a mistake, plan for your retake in a way that accounts for maintaining your current knowledge, and go into your retake with confidence in your judgement as a practicing professional - trust your instincts, don't second-guess yourself at the end of your exam!
Best,
Ralph, the Amber Book Team
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