what people say?

Hello,

I have helped thousands of people since the start of this website in August 2020. Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to mention my materials on different ARE forums; now, my materials are one of the most recommended ARE exam prep materials. If you are reading this page and considering joining the people who supplemented their extraordinary efforts of studying for ARE exams with my questions and video lectures, welcome!

Below you will find a few examples of their testimonials and stories. I really hope this encourages you and that you pass all of your exams very soon too. Best of luck!

Elif Bayram, AIA

These quizzes are next level for PDD/PPD studying. These quizzes dig deep into actual material and require you to really know the material past the standard “what definition is this?” that most practice questions ask. Elif has really made a quality product that helped me get to the finish line when other practice problems could not get me there. I really appreciate her time and efforts on this product. Did I mention it is affordable too? After studying and working for about two years, it was so nice to find a quality, affordable product that works in a sea of endless, expensive study material. Thank you, Elif! 

— Arianna Hawkins RA, LEED AP BD+C

For anyone thinking of taking PPD and PDD or having been struggling with these two to pass, Elif’s study materials are definitely a way to go!  Her study quizzes are absolutely spot on, not only guiding you what to study but also helping you what to focus for the exams!  PPD was my last and the hardest exam I’ve ever studied for.  However, when I was studying her quizzes everyday over and over as well as following her recommended reading resources, I was unquestionably more than prepared for the exam on my test date!!  Thank you, Elif, for all of the work that you put in to make these awesome study questions to help us out!  Cheers!”

— Jenny K

Elif’s practice exams challenge your brain, your architectural knowledge and your ARE testing skills. She put her heart into all these questions, and they are far more valuable than all other available practice exams / study materials on the market. If you are struggling with the exams, and don’t know what your weaknesses are, if you’ve already tried every study material and STILL see a huge fail on the screen, it’s a no-brainer to get Elif’s practice exams.

— Susan Crockett AIA, LEED AP BD+C

I used these Elif’s quizzes mainly for PPD and it was so helpful for me to pass this test after two fails.

What I like most about these quizzes is that she asks the questions in a way to see how deeply you understand the concepts and it gives detailed answer referred to books and even to chapters so you can read more about them. Most of these questions come mainly from  NCARB suggested books, like MEEB, Heating Cooling and Lighting and Architects studio companion.

These quizzes were one of the most important source for me and prepared me very well to finally pass my last exam and finish the ARE journey.

— Muna Shahrori

I had initially started my ARE Journey under ARE 4.0 and transitioned to 5.0. I was able to pass 3 exams (CDS, PPP, SPD) in 4.0 with 2 weeks between each from March 18’ and April 18’ and passed all three exams which gave me a hope in 2018 that I will be done with ARE in 2019 because I just had 2 exams (PPD & PDD) left in 5.0. Also, I had to make a move to a new city for a new job and it took me a year to get adjusted to the new job after which I started preparing for my first PPD & PDD attempts between May and April 19’. I failed both and felt that the 5.0 is something different from that of 4.0 in terms of understanding the content.

I had joined ARE Bootcamp which is where I met Elif and we had started to study together every other day and her passion towards helping others with her knowledge was something that motivated me to help others through hosting meetups. I was reading a lot during my second attempt but was doing less practice tests and again failed both PPD & PDD in February 20’.

I took a break from the exams and focused on my health. I had scheduled for both the exams for the end of July. By this time Elif had completed her exam had started preparing questions and hosting live sessions to help others with their exams. I had joined multiple of her live sessions and started practicing with her questions. Her questions were so much aligned with the exam content not only in the knowledge but also with the style of questioning which is what was hard for me to pass 5.0.

If any of you who transitioned from 4.0 is wondering why we are not able to crack 5.0 you should know that PPD is made up of about 75% of the A/E type of questions and PDD is made up of 50% A/E. ARE 4.0 did not have any A/E questions it was completely U/A questions. The difference between U/A vs A/E is that A/E doesn’t test only your memory but you’re in depth understanding and your ability to analyze the subject. After reviewing and practicing various other exam prep materials. I found Elif’s questions as the only tool that had helped me to practice A/E type questions.

On a personal note I am amazed with her energy levels and her fighting spirit. She is a very hard worker and has put in so much effort and time to come up with the best material with an affordable price tag that aligns with ARE and which has helped me PASS the ARE 5.0. 

— Manoj Venkatesan, LEED AP BD+C

“I discovered Elif’s materials as I was preparing for PDD, my final exam. As my exam was rescheduled four times during the shutdown, I was trying, during this time to  A. learn new material as available, B.. reinforce/remember what I studied earlier, and C. Stay engaged with the process during the long waiting game.
 
Elif’s questions were very helpful with my own ‘zoom in-zoom out; approach to the huge body of material being covered.  The questions were pertinent in many areas, with a good mix being provided in each quiz. With each quiz, she also provided a few ‘tricky’ ones, to try to emulate the challenge of many of the exam questions. This type of engagement is at least as important, at this step, as material content. By this point, we should be somewhat comfortable with the content, and be honing skills on recalling right content in context and on interpreting the question itself.  I believe that Elif’s bank of questions is designed to help us do exactly that.”  

— MB

Elif’s questions are absolutely the most worthy investment among all my ARE 5.0 study materials. It simulates the exam very well. These questions, unlike lots of other third-party materials who re-organize information in their way and teach the trickiest items, Elif’s is the only third-party source that teaches how to read the official-listed reference. The annotation after each quiz is amazing. She pointed out from which source I can find the answer. Reading the sources already cover over 50% of MEEB, Olin’s and B-Const and other important reading materials. Then it wasn’t too desperate to finish the rest of those big monster readings. I couldn’t have finished those readings without her questions. Those readings are really the keys to passing the exams.
To me personally, Elif also helped me out psychologically. She gave my strength and courage to win this war. As a father with a full-time job, I could barely find time between family and work. My kids are pretty demanding, and I almost lose my faith in this exam in April until I got in touch with her. She listened to me and encouraged me that a parent can also win this war.
I strongly recommend her questions. I wish I could have known her earlier so that I didn’t have to take PPD and PDD the second time to pass.

— JH. L

I am thankful that I used Elif’s mock exams. I had been struggling with PPD for a while. Taking both of her mock exams made me feel more prepared going into the testing center this time. While taking her exams, I was reminded to move at a steady pace one question at a time and stay level headed. Her questions are well written and make you think about what is being asked. The building code questions are good practice for navigating and locating the pertinent information, including the exceptions, needed to answer correctly.  I also found the reading references and explanations for each question she provides to be helpful.

She encouraged me to look deeper into different books when I first read her PPD/PDD post on the NCARB community. Reading consistently and taking her exams played a part in renewing my confidence and remaining calm come exam day to help me pass PPD. I really appreciate all of the hard work Elif puts into teaching us to learn the content on a deeper level and ultimately becoming more successful

—John Edwards