Category: ARE

Where have I been this past two months?

I just realized the other day that it has almost been 2 months since I last updated this blog. Who would have thought that I would be able to keep a normal writing schedule while I was working 50 hour weeks, but once I became unemployed I would struggle to write something ever few weeks, let alone months?

So what have I been up to? Well, I have been writing an architecture criticism column for DC Metrocentric (check out the ArchiCritic category) and while at first it was every week that seemed to be nigh impossible to keep up. Now I have settled into a new post every other week, which is totally doable. I just wish that I didn’t wait until the last minute every time to write my article.

The next big piece of news is that tomorrow is my last ARE exam, at least of this go-around. So far I have taken 6 exams and passed three. I am waiting on my scores for the rest. Tomorrow is Schematic Design. If the exam is anything like the practice problems I should be OK. Hopefully, with this one down, that means all I have to do is wait 2 more months and I’ll have my license.

And the last big event (and the one that is most likely going to get me back into the saddle of writing on this blog) is that a good friend and colleague of mine, Andrew Merlo, and I have started our own design firm — studioSML. For right now our website is just a splash page at studioSML.com but in the next few weeks I hope to get it fully flushed out and start the daily chore of posting to a blog there and here as well as updating multiple twitter feeds. At least I have my facebook status repeating my twitter status, otherwise that would be one to many social media updates for me to make each day.

So, if you are looking for design work in the DC area and want to give a new design company a much needed break please think of us. In a few months I hope to be able to say that we are Architects, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with my test results.

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.

ARE – Construction Documents and Services

I am now scheduled to take the Construction Documents and Services exam on Thursday March 26, 2009 at 5pm.

Now that I have a firm calendar date, this should put the heat on my studying.