A last (long) post - good luck to all of you!
A few words about my overall experience maybe it will help someone. There are so much good advice and intelligent people in this forum helping out, so I won't get into technical stuff, but highlight what in my mind helped me the most.
I am a "practical" Italian, with really lazy English knowledge (even if I have lived here 15 years). I dislike studying & memorizing very much, and there was no way I would remember all those bricks/mortar/concrete/screw/"obscure-name-of-parts" by heart or bother with complicated calculation (and formulas); this is why I found this exam the most "difficult." (and why do some people with good memory find it the easiest)
There are so many direct questions in this exam you wouldn't believe! (especially if you did the other 5 before where there is very rarely a real direct question) I would say between 33% to 50% are very straightforward applied-memorization (or calculations).
Here we go, my system!
1) FLAG PASS (Love your flags! )
I'll tell you when I did PPD. I marked probably only 10-15 questions (reasoning is my strength). Meanwhile, doing PDD, I flagged at least 40, 27 of which I had no "conscious" clue, and 13 that required calculation.
(105 min - 50/60 question you probably know or you think you know eh eh eh) Remember to skip the calculation question entirely, don't bother reading them! And don't read too much into the case study either; if you can't answer without looking for info hidden somewhere, flag it! Don't waste any time!
2) INTUITION PASS (remember to unflag each one after you answer)
In the second pass, I go for the "wtf-questions" (27 in my case). I turn off the brain and let the "feelings/intuition" answer those without second thoughts. Don't let the brain tease your first decision; read the question carefully, slowly let it sink inside you and let your experience answer it in automatic.
(40 min - 25 WTF questions) This goes fast. I don't "wait and think" I just read the question slowly, carefully, and then pick one answer right away (like a bandage Right-on!), no turning back!
3) CALCULATION PASS (+ some case study with information hunt)
Out of the 10-20 (i had 13) calculation questions, only 33% are honestly complicated and need a lot of steps; Spend a little more time reading the question carefully and ignore the complex one. Most of that calculation question can be done with just one simple and straightforward step; make sure you get those!.
Last you can spend some of your remaining time trying the hard one, but I honestly am too tired at this point to care. I give it a try; I wrote a number just in case I get lucky and don't even bother double-checking my math. (save a massive amount of time and headaches). I honestly don't think it is necessary to study for these questions. I didn't memorize any formula or even bother exercise with any "sample calculation question." some come quite natural and obvious some I will forward them to my engineer whenever I happen to face them again!
(40 Min- 9 simple math and whatever left, 4 hard-calc and 2 deep searching in cases study)
I finished it in 3/3.25-hours; at this point, you can go back and have a super quick review of all the questions follow your instinct (I did it and took me an extra 20 min Review (very quick by now I am very familiar with the questions), and I changed 3 answers over 100)
DISCLAIMER WITH THIS SYSTEM, YOU CAN'T TAKE BREAKS! IT WILL LOCK YOU OUT OF THE QUESTIONS, SO MAKE SURE YOU CAN HANDLE IT
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I see your point, Rebekka, and I know some people need those breaks and feel much better with them. I never got any in any of the six exams. I lose focus if I do. (the longest exam for me was 3.25h I can handle that much)
A valid strategy, I guess if you want, is maybe to do the first 50 questions with this system and then the last 50, but it's a little imbalanced as the last 50 have the 2 case studies. (and sometimes I got a hint from a question to answer another! I prefer to go all the way)
As I said, this system works for me, and the way I operate, I usually finish 30-45 minutes in advance because this system stop me from going over and over the same question or getting stuck or wasting time in long calculation and formulas), so if you take away all breaks and 30-45 minutes at most the most extended exam will take around 3.5h I guess
PDD questions are direct and generally shorter (less text to read), so I was pretty quick; PPD is longer (much longer questions, I am a slower reader than a native American). But I feel they are more manageable for the way I am, so overall, I go through them faster (fewer flags). I can handle it, but each person is different ^_^! Thanks for the congrats. Now I have to wait for the CSE.
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Interesting strategy indeed! I always like hearing about how different people approach the test taking strategy portion of this exam.
Chris Hopstock RA
Black Spectacles
ARE Community -
PDD for me was special. I weren't so thorough and strategic with the other five, just flagging questions I didn't feel answering right away and a second pass to answer all the flag.
But this, for me, was scary; too much stuff I didn't bother to memorize, having a strict strategy made me feel more relaxed and positive.
Luckily, I have been working for 15+ years, so I was very familiar with the master specs divisions, the code-related stuff, and the details. I may not know the exact English technical name of each part. Still, I know where stuff goes graphically how they work, and I have real-world experience on many different types of projects from Residential to Hospital museums or Airports.
I really have a terrible memory for names and words; in general, no matter how many years, I still can't remember certain names. It is like when you try to learn a new language, and the word won't pop in your brain at all.
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Congrats on the pass!
Wow, that's a strategy! You definitely cannot waste time on strange questions or long math calculations. Not taking a break could be exhausting. Though I do think you could take a mental break while still sitting at the computer. For me (I'm Italian too!) not eating or drinking anything for the duration of the exam would be difficult.
Congrats again on the pass!
Rebekka O'Melia, Registered Architect, NCARB, B. Arch, M. Ed, Step UP, Step UP ARE 5.0 Courses
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