ARE – The first of seven

So I’ve been sworn to secrecy that I cannot divulge any information about the licensing exam section I took yesterday. But I can discuss my preparation, my opinions and the testing center.

I’ve spent the last few weeks splitting my time between looking for work and studying for the Construction Documents and Services ARE section. My studying consisted of the NOVA AIA study sessions, Kaplan prep books, and the NCARB study materials available on their website. As I was told at the AIA NOVA roundtable, the NCARB study questions were the most helpful, they focused more on content and less on tricky grammar hang-ups which seemed to be similar to what I experienced. The Kaplan book was really helpful as a kind of general overview and primer for the exam, but its questions were very much the opposite of the NCARB questions and were more helpful as a general kind of review of each chapter. The study session I attended focused on the AIA documents and while duplicated a lot of the information I read in the book, was very helpful because it was organized in a much easier to understand way. As far as the vignette was concerned I have to say that the Kaplan sample problems just don’t stack up to the NCARB software. Drawing by hand is very different from the drawing program and the Kaplan problems included things like doors, windows, and clerestories which were not a part of the NCARB software.

The testing center itself was an interesting experience. I had no problem finding the place and it wasn’t very busy. I was able to start my exam almost an hour earlier than scheduled. The weird thing is the whole sign-in and sign-out during breaks and the fact that each time you have to show your ID, also the absolute silence of the testing room save for the clicking of mice and keyboards can be quite disconcerting. I did have the testing program crash on me, but the proctor was able to restart the program without a problem and I didn’t loose any time. Luckily I was just checking my answers when it happened, if it had happened mid-vignette I think it could have really affected my performance.

All told, the experience was a lot less stressful than I imagined that it would be. I was worried that it would be as nerve wracking as the AP and SAT exams I took in High School, but instead it was almost relaxing. I’ve scheduled for my next exam – Building Design and Construction Systems – in three weeks.

Author: spencer

I am an architect in the Washington DC metro area. View all posts by spencer