Passed - PcM (ADHD & Sched)
Passed the PcM on my second attempt.
I thought I would share my experience on the off chance it helps someone.
I have struggled with ADHD for my entire life and had a bad experience with medication previously. I have learned to deal with / work around ADHD to be effective at work. BUT, I found myself struggling mightily studying. I would say my study to break time was 50% study to 50% break. Because of this, as you can imagine, I would need to study 2x-3x longer than the average person and even then my comprehension / retention was not great. I decided what I was doing was not working so I visited the doctor / therapist and got a prescription for medication to help with ADHD symptoms. For me this made all the difference. My study to break ratio became 80% (or higher) study to 20% break and my comprehension / retention also greatly improved. For those of you on the fence about the medication (I was) I hope this makes you at least think about going to a professional to look at options.
Now on to what I did:
My Study Resources:
- Ballast ARE 5 - Review Manual only
- Black Spectacles (really only used this for the practice tests, they are really good, but it was more helpful for PPD and PDD)
- Hyperfine (6 assignments and financial workbook)
- Schiff Hardin Lectures (B101&A201)
- AHPP (used Pluralsight guide for sections to study, do not read the whole thing!)
- AIA sample contracts (B101, A201)
- Study Guide (I think the Amber one...I really only used this the last couple of days as a review and a quick reference of things I was not familiar with)
- PcM-PjM-CE Quick Study Guide by Evolve 4D (only 10$, be careful it has a few errors on it)
Schedule:
I studied for 6 weeks. What I studied and for how long is as follows:
1) General overview of Exam ( Ballast book 2-3 times, Black Spectacle videos; 2hr a day)
2) AHPP (2hr a day), practice test on Saturday and more AHPP (4hr)
3)AHPP (2hr a day), practice test on Saturday and more AHPP (4hr)
4)Contacts, Schiff Hardin Lectures B101 and A201, practice test on Saturday (~20hr)
5)Hyperfine - I did one week assignment everyday, and the financial and one assignment on Saturday (~35hr)
6) Review all material, test was on Friday (~40hrs)
I would also note I took the my scores from the practice tests and made sure to study my weak points (Black Spectacles makes this pretty easy) on the last week. I also took every Sunday off.
Total Study time: 133hrs, keep in mind that weeks 1-5 I did not have medication so its possible I could do this considerably faster now. I also think I should be able to pass the PJM considerably quicker because the information is so similar.
Hope this helps!
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Congratulations!
I think that is a great list of references for anyone looking for what to use to pass PcM.
I also recommend a book called The Business of Design - it is a quick read, visual, and breaks things down in an easy-to-understand way.
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Very inspiring! Your post is giving me motivation to keep going, and a path to try for sure.
I just started studying, no exam scheduled yet, but dealing with a son (16 y/o) that is struggling horribly with ADHD in high school. He has lost all hope in the future and that breaks my heart. But I will show him this so he sees that EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE, EVERY GOAL IS REACHABLE.
THANKS SO MUCH AND GOOD LUCK ON YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL STEPS!
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Maria,
I wish you the best with your son. I have younger children, but I can tell you for certain that my daughter saw all the time and effort I put into studying, and saw me pass and fail and how I dealt with both. She became a cheerleader for me, and definitely took in the lesson that - Things may be difficult, but with determination you can overcome and succeed.
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If anyone else is looking for advice on the Practice Management exam, I made a video explaining the best study materials and how I passed the exam in one month. Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/OTme7fsJBhw
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