My final two ARE exams were PDD and PPD, in that order. I took them 10 days apart, so I was studying for both at the same time. This page shows my 8-week study plan, which ends with the PDD exam. This was a pretty enthusiastic plan and I did not follow it 100% because life. It did work for me though, so I wanted to share the exact resources I used to pass these exams.

This is the original, unedited study plan. There is additional information throughout the site. Make sure to see the PPD/PDD Book Review, or the ARE 5.0 FAQ or the PPD/PDD Practice Test course I have created. You can also download a PDF of this PPD & PDD Study Plan to take with you.

Legend and Links

K = Kaplan PDD Study Guide • BS = Black Spectacles Videos • B = Ballast 4.0 Study Guide • HCL = Heating, Cooling, Lighting (Lechner) • PEA = Plumbing, Electricity, Acoustics (Lechner) • AGS = Architectural Graphic Standards • AHPP = Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice • BC = Building Construction Illustrated • ASC = Architect's Studio Companion • Q = Quiz • IBC = 2015 International Building Code • ADA = 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design

KEY

K2 = READ Kaplan Chapter 2
BS45 = WATCH 45 minutes of Black Spectacles (Pro Tip: Watch on 1.5x speed)
Q20 = STUSY 20 questions from any online or book quizzes to which you have access

Week 1

M .    K2 – BS45 – Q20
T .    B27 – B28 – BS45 – Q20
W .    HCL15 – BS45 – Q20
R .    HCL16 – BS45 – Q20
F .    HCL16 – BS45 – Q20
S .    HCL16 – BS45 – Q20
Su .    REVIEW – Q25

Week 2

M .    K3 – BS30 – Q20
T .    B18 – BS20 – Q20
W .    B32 – BS20 – Q20
R .    HCL12 – Q25
F .    HCL14 – Q25
S .    PEA2 – Q20
Su .    REVIEW – Q50

Week 3

M .    K4 – BS40 – Q25
T .    B31 – B28 – BS40 – Q25
W .    Q25
R .    Q25
F .    PEA3 – Q25
S .    PEA4 – Q25
Su .    PEA6 – Q50

NOTES: This is also included sprinklers and fire protection. I also stopped scheduling watching the Black Spectacles videos at this point. I thought they were very good for general HVAC stuff but the structural chapters and professional drawings standards stuff wasn’t as helpful.

Week 4

M .    REVIEW – Q30
T .    K5 – B12 – BCI – Q30
W .    K5 – B12 – B2 – Q30
R .    BC
F .    K6 – B13 – BC2 – Q30
S .    K15 – B14 – BC – Q30
Su .    K12 – B15 – BC – Q50

NOTES: This is when I first started looking at structures, a topic I felt generally familiar with. I did not spend any time memorizing formulas with cosines, vectors, or how to solve trusses, etc. I did make sure to understand basics like deflection, bending moments, slenderness ratio and tributary areas.

Week 5

M     K7 – B18 – Q40
T     AGS8 – Q25
W    AGS8 – BC4 – Q30
R     BC – Q30
F     K16 – B23 – BC5 – Q30
S     K17 –  B22 – BC6 – Q30
Su     REVIEW – Q75

NOTES: I do mostly residential architecture, so I was most familiar with wood as a structural system. Though it’s not listed here, I spent a lot of time reading FEMA 454: Designing for Earthquakes to learn about lateral loading.

Week 6

M     K9 – AGS5 – Q30
T     B20 – BC7 – Q30
W     K8 – BC8 – Q30
R     AGS – Q30
F     B19 – BC9 – Q30
S     K11 – B16 – Q30
Su     AGS – Q75

NOTES: I spent more time reading FEMA this week as well. Focus on Chapter 5. There were questions on PDD and PPD that I answered correctly specifically because I read that chapter.

Week 7

M     PEA5 – AGS13 – Q40
T     PEA7 – Q40
W    AGS7 – Q40
R     Q40
F     AGS11 – Q40
S     BC7 – BC8 – Q40
Su     REVIEW – Q100

Week 8

M     IBC3 – IBC4 – Q40
T     IBC5 – Q40
W     IBC6
R     BCo
F     IBC7 – IBC10
S     ADA2 – ADA3 – ADA4
Su     REVIEW – Q75