ARE: Building Systems

I realized I never made an official post dedicated to the Building Systems exam.  Unfortunately, I have already forgotten much of what I probably would have posted.  But here  goes anyway:

I think I put in over 60 hours of studying.
I believe I gave myself 4 weekends to study for this one.

With this being my first multiple choice exam, I came up with a system for determining my study intensity, which I still employ currently.  I take the NCARB sample multiple choice questions first.  If I do poorly, I study a ton, if I do well, I study a little.  By the end of the studying, I retake the quiz (because I am quite forgetful, it's almost like a new exam) to see how I score and if it is satisfactory (85%+) I cease studying.

For BS, my first crack at the NCARB MC was 69%, ergo serious studying was required.  I ended up reading all of the Kaplan 2009 study guides, and I believe all or most of the Ballast study guide?  I read through some code information, I think it pertained to the fire protection aspect of the exam.

I averaged 75% on the Kaplan Lesson Quizzes, got a 74% on the Kaplan Practice Exam, got a 63% on the Kaplan Sample Questions booklet and I'm not sure about the Ballast exams as I neglected to hang onto those notes.

When I was done studying, I retook the NCARB exam and scored an 80%.  Not stellar, but good enough for me at the time.

I believe I did one practice vignette besides the NCARB one.  I don't remember anything tricky about that vignette, I think it was pretty straight forward and I think I did it in like 15 minutes or something ridiculous like that.

Anyway, that's all I have in my notes, so hopefully that helps anyone who is studying!
(Oh and in case you stumbled onto this post before reading the others, I did in fact pass this exam on the first try.)
My advice with this one and with Structural Systems is to just relax and be confident.

Oh and if you encounter any ... objectionable questions on the exam, don't freak out.  I remember feeling rather irate after the multiple choice because some of the questions seemed subjective and I know at least one had the answers in the incorrect units.  Enjoy!