PA Black Spectacles VS Amber Book
Good afternoon,
Anyone studied for PA with Black Spectacles and Amber Book?
I have one month till my PA retake, I studied with Black Spectacles and needed advise from those who used both on this exam if I should add Amber Book this time? Is one month enough for Amber Book? and is there an option to study only for PA with them?
Thank you
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Thank you for your response, I am still trying to find those replies but the link is not taking me there. I understand fro different comments Amber Book's concept is to study for all 6 exams together, is there an option to study for just PA ? and would 1 month be enough?
Thank you,
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Hi Yvette -
Thanks for being one of our valued customers! I wanted to provide some data to help you make your decision. NCARB reports a 50% pass rate for the PA exam, whereas we've collected data showing that candidates who study with our content pass at a rate of 67%. I hope this is useful to you in making your decision.
As for the statistic noted by Michael Ermann above, I just want to point out that the ARE Facebook Group is run by Young Architects, who have a business relationship with Amber Book. I'm not a part of that group so I can't say firsthand what was said there, but I imagine that many of the candidates in that group are subscribers to Amber Book, and may have never used Black Spectacles. All I am saying is that this may not be the best source of unbiased information to compare our two study programs. I would talk to people you know and trust, who have used both study programs, and get their opinions before you make a decision. At the end of the day, what matters most to us is that you pass your exams and become a licensed architect - we hope you make the decision that's right for you!
Chris Hopstock RA
Black Spectacles
ARE Community -
I'd like to chime in here and confirm that yes there are many members of the ARE Facebook group who have used both Black Spectacles and The Amber Book.
I agree with the guy from Black Spectacles, do your research and talk to people who have used both products studying for the test.
Yes, you can use Amber Book and just focus on the PA exam.
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Yvette, you can absolutely study for one exam at a time with Amber Book. We suggest studying for the divisions all at once (someone posted on this forum last month that they were expected to identify welding types on their PA exam!). . . but we know that this all-at-once path is not for everyone. And yes, you can study for PA in a month (though it'll probably need 20 hours per week to do it in a month).
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Here is the post. . . You can search this forum as well and find more of the same.
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Thank you again for all the information, I was mainly looking for advise from those who used both Amber Book and Black Spectacles together.
Chris Hopstock, I was not planning to give up Black Spectacles, but add to my study resources for my test retake, I am happy with the Black Spectacles and learning a lot from the tests, flash cards and live workshops.
Thank you
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I would like to thank everyone for their feedback and add my own opinion after trying the Amber Book.
Both Amber Book and Black Spectacles are definitely as important for the ARE's.
The Black Spectacles practice tests gives you the same environment of the real ARE's.
The Black Spectacles live weekly workshops are very informative and priceless to have a live person you can talk to and ask questions.
The Amber Book videos are amazing study tool for visionaries who have hard time memorizing information.
Thank you
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How did you find the Black Spectacles workshops helpful when you can't ask questions? every time I have joined one of them I can only type in something I don't know it's weird. I've joined a couple of their workshops and honestly they were not that helpful. The only thing I like about black spectacles is their practice exams because of how they are set up, not so much the content. I have used them for both PA and PPD and must say, the content shown in Black Spectacles was far from what was actually on the test. That has been my experience. I'm switching to Amber Book, hopefully It'll be more helpful.
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I was able to send questions every time before the workshop and they either answered in the workshop or later. I was able to ask questions live too during the workshop, if you are sitting in a private area with no background loud noise and your mic and speaker are working you should be able to do so.
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