Failed PDD today

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JB
Not the post I wanted to make today. I just took PDD for the first time and failed. This was my last exam and the first that I’ve failed. I’ve used pretty much exclusively Amber Book and the NCARB practice exams, and those served me really well for my first five, I even felt good during my PPD exam which I just passed last week. But this exam was HARD. The level of specific technical knowledge required was far more than anything on any practice exam I’ve done. I was getting consistently in the 70-80% range on my practice exams and felt prepared coming into this. Was this just a rogue super hard exam? Did anyone else experience good practice exams and then failed the real one? I haven’t gotten my score report yet obviously but I feel like I was very close. And I know practice exams aren’t gonna be a 1-1 match with the real thing, but it was still jarring to be doing well on every single one and then have this happen out of nowhere. Anyways, I’m mostly distraught about having to now wait 2 months to try again. Since I have no other exams, I don’t know what else to do between now and then. Does anyone have any suggestions for that? I’d really prefer to minimize the money spent on studying (my firm pays for Amber Book) but I will if it will absolutely be worth it. I think I’ll start with redoing the Amber Book flashcards. Ultimately, just really frustrated with myself. I know that I shouldn’t be, but I need to wallow just for today. I really wanted to have this done before summer took off. Oh well, life has other plans. Open to any advice or words of encouragement. Thanks all.
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    EBK2007

    Hello JB, Congratulations on taking the first 5 and passing them ALL on the FIRST try! That is something right there. Well I take this exam on Saturday and I don't feel very confident but I have high hopes. I have taken and failed MANY exams and I have taken and passed a few. I have passed everything except PPD, PDD and CE. I took PPD last month and didn't pass. I was disappointed. But you just have to take it with a grain of salt. I can't tell you how much money I've spent on exams and study material. I'm a terrible test taker and my memory doesn't work very well anymore. I'm a 20 year veteran of trying to take and pass my exams. I started this journey in 2005. Yes, there were many years where I did nothing. But those that I did, I would not pass and I tell you, the way that put FAIL in 48 point lettering so that you don't miss the fact that you FAILed it, makes me cringe every time. If you passed the others on your first try, then you are highly likely to pass PDD on your 2nd or perhaps 3rd. My advise is to study Building Construction Illustrated and Olin's. You can get these on Thriftbooks.com or any cheap book website. I got Olin's for $20 and it weighs about 20lbs it feels like. Both are really detailed and focus on the details. They are listed under NCARB's books to study and reference from (I think Olin's is?) I've used Amber Book in the past also. Sign up for Elif's website. It is monthly so you'll only need 2 months. She has great quizzes and practice questions. That is what I would do in the meantime of waiting for the 2 months to pass. Best of luck to you from an Unlucky Veteran ARE test taker.  

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    battjes2006 (Edited )

    This exact scenario happened to me.  I also studied the same materials as well. I kept the AB subscription and I took a few week break then eased back into it studying hand notes, flashcards, and practice exams. Not sure if this is still a thing, but I was able to schedule a free one-on-one zoom call with Michael Ermann. I found that to be helpful and encouraging. 

    I also spent a good amount of time going down Youtube rabbit holes on certain topics to expand on general topic terminology.  There is a PDD playlist on Youtube.

    PDD to me was about filtering content, fast identification, and terminology. It's more knowledge of superficial quantity of material than quality.  I think your rogue exam comment is spot on.  I found that to be true in my instance. Go in with a clear head and I'd bet you'll get the next one.

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    Ralph Hale

    JB, 

    Congrats on going 5/6!!  

    Don't languish over an exam you didn't pass any longer than you would celebrate passing an exam.  Half of all divisions taken score within 4 questions of the cut score.  It's very likely that when your score report comes in, you'll see something over a 500.  If that's the case, then you're in that 50% band - that's an exam you didn't quite pass much more than it is an exam you failed, and should plan to review your knowledge for the next two months and go into your retake with confidence as soon as you can.  

    If you've got any other questions about preparing to retake, email us - 20MoH are still a thing, and we can email too!

    Best,
    Ralph, the Amber Book Team

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    alexfaught

    JB: 

    I took this exam a few days ago and had almost the exact same experience. In fact, I said nearly the same thing to my husband afterward that you mentioned in your post (referring to the technical knowledge needed.. yikes). 

    I'm also in the same situation where this is my last exam, and now I'm waiting out the 60-day retake period, which really stinks.

    For me, one of the biggest challenges is getting back into study mode once I step away from it, so my plan is not to take much of a break. Instead, I'm shifting my focus toward studying assemblies and construction details much more intentionally than I did the first time around.

    I use Amber Book as well, but I've also found a lot of value in Elif's quizzes and a variety of YouTube resources. At the moment, I feel a bit unsure about how to best prepare for the retake, but my strategy is to spend more time reviewing the assemblies and details that I specifically remember encountering on the exam. I'd be curious to know what your plan is moving forward? -Alex 

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