PA Fail... where to next?
I'm on the same path as many others here: passed PjM, PcM, and CE in 6 weeks. I think that gave me a false sense of confidence, even though I've been reading on here for weeks that PA is a very difficult exam. I've done a Bootcamp and I have a lot of study materials, and I was passing the Ballast ARE practice problems and mock-exam (albeit, barely passing, but that was my experience with CE and the real exam was easy to me).
I had one of those experiences where the myriad of materials at my fingertips could not have prepared me. I didn't understand half the questions and felt like some weren't even appropriate for the theme of this exam (I hear there is overlap). I don't know how I can even study further in the future: 1/2 the questions were so foreign to me and then 1/2 the questions I felt confident I got right.
Do I move on to PPD? Overall I'm feeling discouraged and just need a little pick-me-up from others who can relate.
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PA bounces around to various topics. You also need to be prepared to solve problems quickly and skip crazy questions. If you don't understand the questions, that needs to be resolved first. Reread it...
Be advised that PA is a newish exam and lots of the ARE providers and book authors out there have no personal experience with this exam if they've been selling ARE stuff for more than 4 years. The Ballast Exam Review guide 2nd edition from Aug 2020 is better, but not perfect. Is that the book you used? Read the PPD section too.
If you'd like personal advise, feel free to contact me.
Hope this helps!
Rebekka O'Melia, Registered Architect, NCARB, B. Arch, M. Ed, Step UP, Step Up - Pass the ARE 5.0
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Yeah I don't know how some people here also studying for AREs pass multiple exams in weeks that's very surprising, my process has taken 2 years so far and I've really studied a lot. I have the PA exam in a couple weeks, and I'm using multiple sources like ballast, Ncarb and more.
I'm gonna listen to Rebekka's advice and others too.
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Wanted to circle back to this post and thank everyone for even commenting, and then extending help. This community is real!
I passed PA yesterday, second attempt. Don’t give up! I focused on the areas I was scoring poorly and really dove into the topics deeper. Another read of ballast for general information review, I did the Ballast practice problems and exams again (even though I find them so flawed) and lastly the NCARB practice exams definitely helped - but don’t use it as a crutch! The exam is different and much harder.
Like all my second attempts, I seem to pull a pass when I 1. SLOW DOWN AND READ the questions correctly. A lot of the time the answer is actually obvious. This time on PA I was second guessing myself because the questions almost seemed too easy as times. This is also how I get into the 2. “Groove” of the exams as I call it. If you read the questions slowly and repeatedly, you can read between the lines to reveal what they are asking for. Also, carefully read the multiple choice answers: if the question prompts you to select multiple answers, find the 1-2 you know to be correct and try to find a pattern - you can usually eliminate 1-2 wrong answers right away, so when you’re debating between 1-2 remaining answers, look for a pattern or similarities between the answers that makes sense. I definitely had a couple of ‘AhA!’ moments during the exam in questions I was initially stumped on. Good luck everyone!!!
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