Failed PDD Exam (last exam on my list)
I took the PDD exam for the first time yesterday and received a provisional fail, which was definitely discouraging.
In preparation, I've worked through the entire Amber Book program twice (and found it incredibly helpful for PPD), completed the Architect Exam Prep course, taken the PPD and PDD Elif quizzes, studied the Ballast materials and practice exam, watched numerous YouTube videos (many recommended through Amber Book), and completed the NCARB practice exams. I genuinely felt well prepared going into the test.
What surprised me was how much more detail-oriented and situationally specific the actual exam felt compared to the study materials I used. That's been particularly frustrating given that many of these resources are commonly recommended as effective preparation tools. On top of that, I have 12 years of professional experience working in an architecture firm, so I expected to feel more comfortable with the content than I did.
At this point, I'm honestly at a loss as to how to better prepare for a retake. For those who have passed PDD, are there any study strategies, resources, or areas of focus that made the biggest difference for you? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Sorry about the failure, but also congratulations on passing the other 5 exams.
PDD can be very technical and detailed, so I would recommend trying a different approach next time. Third-party materials can help to a certain point, and probably they helped you with the other five, but they are not always enough for many people to pass the exams on their own. That's why I always include references to the books in my study materials so people with different backgrounds and knowledge levels can study further if needed. For PDD, my all-time favorite advice is to read the Mehta book (Building Construction by Madan Mehta) and study the details in the Architectural Graphic Standards book, along with it. I would give it a try for the next round. Hopefully, it helps, and you pass it next time. Best of luck!
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Alex, How did you feel about this test compared to the PPD test? How much time overlap did you have between the test? I have been using BlackSpecatcles for all. Their PDD content is rather lacking (just older in nature), but their questions they provide for practice have been helpful. I agree that the PA and PPD test felt more situational than anything in question form. Took you to understand a little bit about 3 different topics to bring it together. Often was the best of bad answers, and more importantly not putting extra-curriculars in my head and only focused on the question and information given.
On the PPD test I tried to read the final line of the question, get an establishment of what they were asking me, then read the first part of the question. Much of it felt like fluff. If I had an answer in my head, I would search for it down in the answers and moved on. I did alot of hand motions trying to get visuals of the word question in front of me. PPD I had an hour left after the case studies to go back to the 12 I flagged and maybe changed 2 answers with additional time. I was very nervous to hit End Exam, but I took the pass. Just wish I knew what level of passing I was at.
Multiple colleagues tell me the PPD and PDD test are very similar test, but without taking it yet, its hard to make that judgement call. Congrats though on the other 5 test!
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Elif, thank you so much for the recommendation! I'll definitely look into that book, along with some of the other resources you've referenced throughout your quizzes.
Adam, I was originally scheduled to take PDD 13 days after passing PPD, but a scheduling issue at my testing center ended up delaying my PDD exam by about four weeks. Like many others, I had heard repeatedly that there is a significant amount of overlap between the two exams. However, after taking PDD, my personal experience was that the overlap was fairly limited. There were certainly similar concepts and overarching themes, but not enough that I felt taking the exams closer together would have made a meaningful difference in my outcome.
As for study materials, I tried Black Spectacles years ago when I first started this licensure journey, & to be honest, I didn't find it to be the most effective resource for my learning style. Since then, I've primarily relied on Amber Book, Elif's quizzes, and the other resources I mentioned above, and I've found those to be much more helpful and applicable across the other five divisions. They are definitely an investment, but in my experience, they've been well worth it.
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