Archinect
anchor

Your ARE and LARE One Stop Shop

393
Gloominati

Most of the text of the Kaplan books (which were previously the ALS books) is absolutely identical to that in MUCH older books - as far back as the 80s in some cases. In the last two or three years there has been some information added to some of the books - mainly related to the topics of sustainability/green issues and office/project management.

For the multiple choice exams the Kaplan/ALS materials are fine to use even if they're several editions old. For the CD exam you probably want to find books that are from 1998 or beyond, because the AIA contracts you're tested on are 1997 versions. For the other books it doesn't much matter how old the books are.

For the graphic exams the ALS/Kaplan books are virtually useless. They're outdated and even give some misinformation. Go with Professor Dorf's "Solutions" book for the graphics - that's all you need.

The flashcards that are really useful are NOT the ALS/Kaplan cards that were introduced recently and are part of some of the study "packages". It's the ArchiFlash cards that you need - published by NALSA.

For the non-structural multiple choice exams I strongly preferred the Kent Ballast book over the Kaplan/ALS materials. But there are other people who feel the opposite about that.

I think the most important thing is not to rely on study guides alone. Always refer to the little ARE Guidelines booklet (that you get with your test authorization packet) to see the primary sources listed for each test. While you can't read every one of them - because some tests list 17 thick books and others list books that are out of print - you should read some. All of the tests are developed based on those sources.

Feb 23, 07 9:56 pm  · 
 · 
∑ π ∓ √ ∞

That being said, what needs to happen, and this is in regards to ALL study material, is that NCARB needs to perform a review of ALL study material marketed and sold to prospective ARE candidates, and force those companies to correct inaccuracies or outright incorrect and misleading answers. I can't tell you how often I have heard from candidates about absolutely mindboggling false answers cited as truth that Kaplan and Archi-Flash have as part of their packages. Not to mention Kaplan repackaging ALS without so much as an thorough review and edit of repetitive material.

Before anyone goes off, this is less whinning and more of a call to arms.

Feb 23, 07 11:09 pm  · 
 · 
Janosh

Fortunately, it was my experience that inaccurate information appeared more or less equally in the study materials and in the exams themselves. Call it symmetry.

Feb 23, 07 11:30 pm  · 
 · 
Gloominati

I don't think that NCARB has any obligation to review third-party study materials for accuracy. That's the obligation of the company creating and publishing the materials. It's sort of like saying that the developers of the SAT have an obligation to review and correct all the study books out there in the world about how to study for the SAT. All of the study materals (other than those that NCARB publishes and sells) are developed and published independently of NCARB. NCARB only recommends their own study guides and the primary sources listed in the Guidelines. With Kaplan or Ballast or ArchiFlash or any other sources it's a buyer-beware situation.

There are indeed some mistakes in the ArchiFlash cards - including some that seem to perpetuate through many editions even though many of us have written to the company to try to get these errors corrected. Kaplan/ALS and Ballast both publish addenda on their websites from time to time correcting known/reported errors. Of course most people probably never look there. Professor Dorf updates his materials constantly, but even he admits that there are things in slightly outdated editions of Solutions that he "would never reccommend today".

areforum.org is really a pretty good source for getting opinions about the accuracy and efficacy of the various third-party study options. There are also lots of old threads there about all the various mistakes/inaccuracies in these materials - and if you can't find one about your particular flashcard or book error you can always start one and see what feedback you get (there are some "mistakes" in those materials that are hotly contested, with plausible arguments for and against the purported answers given in the sources.)

If I were doing it over again I think I'd read fewer study guides and I'd start off with: Ching's "Building Construction Illustrated", "Visual Dictionary of Architecture", and "Building Code Illustrated", Allen's "Fundamentals of Building Construction", the structures books "Why Buildings Fall Down" and "Why Buildings Stand Up", the AIA "Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice", MEEB, and then I'd throw in some browsing of any architectural history survey book. That would cover at least 70% of all the questions I saw on all the multiple choice exams.

Good luck to all.

Feb 23, 07 11:44 pm  · 
 · 
some person

I received my Lateral Forces results letter today...


To quote the recurring character "Tank" from MADtv:

"PAAAAASSSS!!"

Feb 24, 07 5:35 pm  · 
 · 
∑ π ∓ √ ∞

suhweet!

Feb 24, 07 5:40 pm  · 
 · 
∑ π ∓ √ ∞

any tips DCA?

Feb 24, 07 5:41 pm  · 
 · 
some person

thanks beta:)

Didn't you already take and pass LF? (or perhaps you are asking for the benefit of others in this thread)

While I pulled all of my structures books off the shelf in preparation for studying, I only actually used the ALS cards. My husband (the math and economics major) helped me study some of the concepts and even had dreams about the formulas (reference a previous post about how the letters in the formulas were chasing him in his dreams.)

Even though I had three weeks between PD and LF, I procrastinated so long and only studied for a few nights before the exam.

I suppose my strategy of relating the exam questions to my current projects helped because I sure didn't memorize all of the formulas.

I guess the lesson learned is that if you have practical professional experience in the area of the specific exam (hopefully IDP will give you this exposure), you will have a good chance of passing the exam.

Feb 24, 07 5:56 pm  · 
 · 
WonderK

DCA, congrats.

And no offense, but in response to your post about me taking the exam, that strategy makes absolutely no sense to me. There are a lot of reasons I'm not taking it. The "deep" ones are the ones I reel off to people who don't - and shouldn't - know that I'm applying to graduate school. The real reasons are 1) money x 9.....my firm doesn't pay for it. Additionally if I started taking them and they did decide to support me financially in some way, that would put me in the position where I would 2) be beholden to them. 3) I'm not the least bit interested in taking the tests because someone else thinks I should. I've got the feeling right now that they want me to for purely self-serving reasons, and that's a big put off.

There are others but I'm getting tired of thinking about it and you all have probably stopped reading by now anyway.

Feb 25, 07 12:04 am  · 
 · 
Gloominati

I understand that if you're about to go to grad school it may not make sense to start testing right now. For one thing there's that 5-year NCARB rolling clock time limit, and you most likely won't be thinking about testing during grad school, so that would eat up chunk of the 5 years. Maybe better to wait until after graduation to start.

But about being turned off by your current firm's attitude and motives - I wouldn't consider the current firm to be a factor in (or beneficiary of) your decision to get the license. I'd only consider how it might help you as you move forward in your career path.

Many find that license status doesn't make much difference to our current firms anyway, but that it made a huge difference in moving on to the next job. Once I was licensed it seemed to make almost all potential employers automatically consider me at positions and salaries several rungs up from those I'd been considered for immediately before getting the license. Plus it made it a lot easier to pursue independent projects (previously I'd had some trouble with local building officials who made my freelance clients go pay an engineer to review and stamp my sections before they'd issue permits - which didn't make the clients happy about the delay and extra expense. Since I got a stamp I haven't run into this again, even on much more complex work.)

After I got licensed I got a new job in a mid-sized firm, where I was hired and inserted into the hierarchy at a level above a number of people who had been with the firm for several years and were essentially "exam-ready" but unlicensed. In that firm I never initiated any conversation about licensing status or anything like that, but I sure got an earful - repeatedly - from those coworkers about their various reasons for not testing and their opinions about how a license doesn't make a person more experienced/talented/etc. So my reading of that was that there was a certain amount of resentment that the employer had brought in someone from outside instead of promoting from within, and resentment that the employer was clearly valuing the credential above years of loyalty with the firm - an understandable point of view... Very soon after I got there two of those license-bashing people decided to finally take the tests that they'd been putting off starting for years.

I understand it's a personal decision and there are million life-factors and opinions that will affect whether people decide to test at all, and when.

I would caution though that if you think you will ever want or need a license that you start the process at the first practical moment. This is because even if you take all of the tests very close together and pass them all on the first try you're still looking at months of paperwork processing - in my case all the different wait times added up to longer than my testing process itself. So if you wait until the time when you "need" the license for some project or job then it will probably be too late.
As an example: it took NCARB four months to approve me for testing after my last IDP form was submitted, then 5 weeks to transmit my record to my state, then it took 3 more weeks to get state approval. Once the tests were done it took almost 3 months for my state to approve and issue my license. After that the processing of my NCARB-certificate application took 7 months (you need this to get reciprocity in many states).

Not trying to rush anybody - just relating my experience for your consideration.

Feb 25, 07 11:00 am  · 
 · 
some person

WonderK, I did not intend my enthusiasm and encouragement to sound like bossy-ness or nagging. We all know you're a smart cookie, and I would hate to see you miss an opportunity because of your employer's influence on you.

The TIMING of grad school is a good reason to defer the exams. However, personally, my graduate program focused so much on design, and it was not too relevant to the topics on the ARE. Which is fine - many have said that design skills do not mean much when you take the ARE.

I think it would actually be very cool (and super intimidating to your peers and professors) if you were to be a licensed architect in grad school.

_________

In the end, we are actually both saying the same thing: "Licensure is a personal decision. Don't let others negatively influence you."

Feb 25, 07 11:37 am  · 
 · 
WonderK

I was actually thinking of starting to take them in summer of next year. That would (presumably) be in the summer between my grad school years and by then I would be back in studying shape, and have all the necessary thoughts about systems and structure already floating around in my head. Granted I will be broke but it's a start.

I just want to reiterate that if you guys all knew the firm that I work at and what kind of work we do, I think that you might understand a little bit better why I'm not taking the test yet. The place just isn't normal. Trust me....

Feb 25, 07 11:42 am  · 
 · 
WonderK

PS. Since this group is a whole different crowd than the grad school thread, I just wanted to point out that I'm going back for my post-professional degree in sustainable design/building science. So I'm actually going to be taking very technical courses.

And then perhaps taking my exams in between school years. Ha, I'm funny.

Feb 25, 07 11:44 am  · 
 · 
∑ π ∓ √ ∞

dubk, the firms i have worked at STRESSED getting a license, but then provided no mechanisms for attaining the goal. no input on contracts, bidding, ca, just cad cad cad...finally i said fuck em, and decided that what i needed to do was take the exams and prove to them it was their loss, and you know what, so far it is their loss...i moved on. the best part is when you start taking them and passing, take pleasure in telling everyone in the firm you passed and they will get the hint that no thanks to them you are getting it done. when you leave the look on their faces will be priceless.

Feb 25, 07 11:48 am  · 
 · 
some person

WonderK: that sounds like a good plan. Please let us know how we can be supportive of your efforts. (And if your answer is, "Just stay OUT of my hair, PLEASE!" we will just have to accept it.)

You've never mentioned any lawsuits that your firm is in, so presumably the firm designs buildings that stand up and have decent systems. I can see where you're coming from, though: During the Construction Documents exam, my head was about to explode for a few questions when I was debating, "Do they want the answer of how things SHOULD be done or how things are ACTUALLY done?"

Regarding the cost of the exams...we've seen a tiny dip in our finances since I started taking the exams in December (to date, I've paid for 6 of them). It's not necessary to pay for all of the exams at once, just when you schedule each one. If you take two per month, it will cost you about $200-$300 each month, not the full $1,000+/- at once.

Feb 25, 07 12:06 pm  · 
 · 
WonderK

Oh, I'll DEFINITELY let you guys know when I start them! You will probably be my main support group unless I have some part time work at a firm or something.

I am starting to save up now for all of my upcoming expenses so I will include "exam fund" into the equation. It probably won't be too bad.

Oh, and my firm doesn't really design buildings. I get to travel a lot though! :o/

Feb 25, 07 1:49 pm  · 
 · 
∑ π ∓ √ ∞

well...the news came today.

let me say i studied for 3 weeks; i used MEEB, Kaplan, and other materials - Archiflash, areforum, wiki, and other crap. i went in with the best intentions, struggled like a mother fucker, guessed, tried to calc problems, didn't even have time to run through the entire exam after a first run. left feeling dejected, another six months to wait for this effing exam.

i did my best. resigned myself as each day passed that there was no way i could have passed, but that i would not fail the next one, fill in or not.

well...the news came today.


I PASSED ME, I PASSED THAT FUCKER!!! size=300

i passed, no more ME for me! color me stunned!

Feb 26, 07 7:06 pm  · 
 · 
treekiller

YEAH Beta, YEAH!!!!!!


I bit the bullet today - signed up for the LARE Section A - Project and Construction Administration to be taken on either March 13th or 14th.

Multiple Choice Section A:
This section consists of multiple-choice items that will test the knowledge used throughout the project development process which is associated with the legal and financial aspects of a project and the communication of issues. Section A consists of 70 items which address the following subcategories:
• Regulations
• Contract Administration
• Communication and Documentation



the passing rate over the past few years for this section has been:
74%, 62%, 65%, & 63%

So, I have the local ASLA chapter's study guide, the LA graphic standards, the ARE Pre-Design Study Guide chapter IV, and several meetings set up with the guys (yes, they are only men) at my office that actually do the contracts and most of the CA work to discuss the nuances beyond what all these texts will say.



to everybody - remember that being licensed only means that you are minimally competent. not an expert.

Feb 26, 07 9:03 pm  · 
 · 
some person

congratulations, beta! What's left for you?

Either no one here has admitted to failing recently OR the thread vibe is giving everyone good luck... I think we have a good thing going here.

Feb 26, 07 10:41 pm  · 
 · 
Ms Beary

Let's see if that good streak continues when I start taking them. I am so itching to do it already, I've been studying again tonight, even though it will be another fucking 2 months or something before I can actually schedule an exam. I know this shit like the back of my hand. On which I have a very cool mole on the back of my left naughty finger.

Feb 26, 07 10:46 pm  · 
 · 
some person

Strawbeary: What is the 2-month hold-up, if you don't mind my asking? Are you waiting on your state board?

Feb 26, 07 10:54 pm  · 
 · 
Ms Beary

i turned in my IDP, the last of it, in november. I just called last week to ask what the hold up is. NCARB says they need 30 more days. Then there will be 4 weeks to get my record transmitted to the state, and then I'm not sure if they will take any more time to review it or not to give me the OK to test.

Feb 26, 07 10:59 pm  · 
 · 
some person

hrmm... NCARB should have processed your forms within 30 days of receipt. Something doesn't seem right. But I guess there is nothing you can do to change the past. Did you get the name of the person you spoke with?

I dropped off my final IDP form at NCARB on 8/29/06, and my Authorization to Test letter is dated 10/23/06. I guess I'm fortunate that DC participates in the Direct Registration Program. According to NCARB's website, the following states also participate: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.

Feb 26, 07 11:13 pm  · 
 · 
Ms Beary

whoa whoa whoa. I'm in one of those states. I'm on the page on NCARB that request's transmittal. It says [i]"If you are applying for admission to the Architect Registration Examination in a jurisdiction which participates in the NCARB Direct Registration Program* and you have satisfied the NCARB Education and Training Requirements (e.g., you have a professional degree from an NAAB accredited program and you have completed the IDP training requirements), your Council Record will not be transmitted until after you have completed the examination process. Upon receipt of the request below, you will receive an Authorization to Test directly from NCARB."[\i]

What does that mean? Does it mean I have to request to test thru the state board and not NCARB?

Feb 26, 07 11:21 pm  · 
 · 
Gloominati

What it means is that once NCARB tells you that your IDP is complete (which typically takes 2 to 4 months after submitting your last form) then instead of hitting the "transmit to state" button and waiting th 5 weeks (30 business days) for NCARB to transmit to your state, and then waiting for your state to approve you - instead of all that you just hit the "transmit to state" button and in a few days you get a letter or email from NCARB saying that you're in a direct registration state so your testing happens directly through NCARB (no state involvement until the END of the process).

NCARB will arrange for the Chauncey Group to send your authorization to test. It will take a few days to a couple weeks.
Your test results will get to you slightly faster than if you were in a state where they have to go through the state's board.

The longer wait for you will be at the end, because that's when it will take NCARB the 30 business days to transmit your record, and then your state will usually take awhile, since up until that point they've never heard of you before.

Feb 26, 07 11:32 pm  · 
 · 
some person

a-ha...it's all starting to make more sense to me...maybe.

As I stood in NCARB's office last August, the representative explained the Direct Registration process to me (at least twice, I think). It still didn't make sense, but I walked away with her direct telephone number and email address and told myself that I would call back if things didn't go according to plan. Two months later, voila - I got my Authorization to Test letter and haven't looked back since.

To answer your question, Strawbeary, I did not need to deal directly with my state board, nor did I need to do anything special to my online account. I handed-off my final IDP form, and NCARB did the rest. (However, I do recall that the representative asked me to hand-write on a scratch pad that I wished for my record to be transmitted to the DC board. I'm not sure if that hand-written note was actionable that very day, or if it will be actionable when I pass all of my exams.) I'm not sure what your procedure would be, since you are dealing with NCARB remotely...

Thus, I think NCARB "manages" your record and test results until you've passed them, then transmits everything to your state board for final approval. (My test results come directly from NCARB approximately two weeks after the exam (for multiple-choice divisions) - I wonder how candidates with non-direct-registration-states get their results?) I'm hoping that the final approval is a simple pass-through that relies on the diligent record-keeping functions of NCARB. We'll see.

hrm...do you get the feeling like it's the blind leading the blind here?

Feb 26, 07 11:39 pm  · 
 · 
some person

Formerlyunknown: In what state did you originally seek registration? Was it a Direct Registration state?

Feb 26, 07 11:41 pm  · 
 · 
Ms Beary

Ok, thanks DCA and Formerly!
When I called last week, NCARB said they needed 30 days for them to look over my record and give me the OK to test. Which would be about 4 months after submitting my last IDP form (early november to mid march).

the hold up was that I had worked at a firm whilst in college but wasn't going to use any of the hours I had there as they were the oldest, hardest to track down hours, and I had plenty of units without them. NCARB was waiting for an employment verification form from this employer so had kindly deferred my record to the back burner.

Since I had neither given them any IDP hours, nor an em. ver. form for this employment, I'm not sure why they cared, or how they even knew. Perhaps I listed them when I established my record, I don't know.

Feb 26, 07 11:47 pm  · 
 · 
Gloominati

Yes, I got registered in a direct registration state.

I hit the "transmit record to state" button and then I got an email a few days later, followed by a letter, explaining basically what you and I explained above.

My experience at the end of the process was that it took about 4 to 5 weeks for NCARB to send my record to my state after I passed the last test. Then I had to submit an applicaion and application fee to the state. Then it took about 2 more months to get approved (because my state board only met 5 times per year) and then I had to pay the annual dues. Then I received my license a week or so later.

The people in the non-direct-registration states get their test results from their state boards after the boards get them from NCARB. Some of the states just stuff them in new envelopes and send them almost immediately, but others take up to 2 weeks or more to "process" results. Some of those states send their own letters to candidates instead of the original NCARB letters. Given that NCARB takes 2 to 8 weeks on average to process each test result in the first place, it's nice to not have that state-wait on top of things.


For me the most annoying wait was for NCARB certification (which you apply for after getting a first license) - I just don't understand why that takes 6 to 8 months when essentially all the information and forms are the exact same stuff you had to submit for IDP in the first place.

Feb 26, 07 11:48 pm  · 
 · 
some person

It's all about the red tape, Formerlyunknown. And DC - NCARB's hometown - loves it some bureaucracy.

Feb 26, 07 11:57 pm  · 
 · 
Pacific

I heard a rumor that the format of the ARE exams will be changing this year from multiple choice to fill in the blank. This could be a serious setback. Does anyone have any more detailed information about when and in what states this is happening?
thank you.

Mar 4, 07 12:41 pm  · 
 · 
Gloominati

It's not a rumor - it was announced quite some time ago by NCARB on their site, in their newsletter, and in postcards.
And the ARE is absolutely identical in every state.

The Mechanical/Electrical exam is supposed to be the first to switch to a format in which about 10% to 15% of the questions will be fill-in-the-blank or check-all-that-apply. The fill-in-the-blank questions on this test are calculation questions only, and the answers to be filled in are all numerical. The check-all-that-apply questions have 6 answer choices.

There is a FAQ and some examples of these question types someplace on NCARB's ARE site that corroborates the above.

The ME exam changes were supposed to happen at the end of February. It's unclear whether this happened on schedule.

All of the other multiple choice tests are also supposed to switch to a similar format (10% to 15% of the questions will be the new formats.) NCARB has announced that this should happen in summer 2008.

Another change that has been announced, but without a firm date, is that at some point in the future calculators will no longer be allowed to be brought into the testing room, and there will be an on-screen calculator provided in all multiple choice tests (as there was several years back.)

Mar 4, 07 2:25 pm  · 
 · 
Gloominati

Here are the links to the FAQ and the examples:

http://www.ncarb.org/are/AITfaq.html
http://www.ncarb.org/are/AITsample.html

Mar 4, 07 2:27 pm  · 
 · 
treekiller

ugh!

Mar 5, 07 2:21 pm  · 
 · 
JMBarquero/squirrelly

crap, more bullshit to deal with...............sigh............................

I just had the shock, that I sorta wasn't expecting.
That being the notion of the exam (mine was this past weekend and it was LAT FORCES) where the exam questions seemed to be in a foreign language. What I mean by this was that the questions were some convoluted in disjointed language that it seemed as if I was taking some sort of literature exam.

Has anyone seemed to experience this? And if so, does anyone have an inkling of knowledge as to how they go about developing the language for this exam?

I was surprised to find out as well that ARE nor NCARB are willing to share the percentiles (%) for the pass/fail aspects of the exam. I was treated as if i was asking for the answers to the test. Almost as if it was this secretive, top secret information that could not be released, for it would cause widespread panic and fear.....I mean......gimme a fricken break! It's just a percentile!!

Mar 5, 07 2:30 pm  · 
 · 
JMBarquero/squirrelly

sorry correction:

ARE & NCARB are NOT.....willing to share information

Mar 5, 07 2:31 pm  · 
 · 
joshcookie

CAB posts the california pass rates annually and by school, if you attended a california school, or the generic out of state school, or internationally educated.
http://www.cab.ca.gov/pdf/schoolreport2006.pdf
j

Mar 5, 07 2:40 pm  · 
 · 
JMBarquero/squirrelly

Sorry Josh...I didn't mean passing percentiles for schools. What I was speaking about was an average that would be calculated/tabulated from all exams taken by canidates, and what overall "cutoff" % would be. (ie: you would pass the exam if you correctly answered 73% of the questions).

That's what I was eluding to.

Sorry for not being clear!

Mar 5, 07 2:57 pm  · 
 · 
Dapper Napper

I failed BT, that's two in a row. Spent all of last week rethinking my life. But I'm all better now, just wish I didn't have to take that monster again and I felt really good leaving the exam. sucks.

Mar 5, 07 4:03 pm  · 
 · 
treekiller

this morning, after trying 6 different Prometric testing centers via the website, found a seat for the LARE Section A on March 13th... Should have looked sooner!


the moral is: don't procrastinate with finding a testing center for the ARE/LARE after you get authorization to test!!!!

Mar 5, 07 5:48 pm  · 
 · 
JMBarquero/squirrelly

here's your sign......hang tough mate, I know the feeling.

tree.....good luck/best wishes on the exam!
Just heed my words: be prepared for unusual language used in the way the questions are constructed.

Mar 5, 07 6:05 pm  · 
 · 
treekiller

Squirrel- CLARB evaluates each testing round/section independently, so there is no predetermined 'passing grade'. NCARB may have a similar floating evaluation that is determined after reviewing all exams...

Mar 5, 07 6:15 pm  · 
 · 
Gloominati

They don't publish the "cut score" that's necessary to pass. This is partly because there's a convoluted system of grading that converts a "raw" score to a "scaled" score. This is because not all questions carry the same number of points.

You might want to read these for more information about this:
http://www.archvoices.org/pg.cfm?nid=home&IssueID=335
http://www.archvoices.org/pg.cfm?nid=home&IssueID=344

Another issue is that a certain number of the questions on every multiple choice test are questions that are being tested for possible future inclusion in tests and don't count in your score. But you don't know which ones or how many.

For awhile the Texas board used to have a study on their website that they conducted in order to see if it was feasible to develop their own test (the decided it wasn't.) In that study there were "cut scores" from around 1990. Those numbers indicated that the passing scores were between 54% and 70% at that time (lowest for Mechanical/Electrical). But that was so long ago that those numbers probably aren't in any way indicative of what you need to pass these days.

Mar 5, 07 6:26 pm  · 
 · 
Gloominati

As to the question of how the questions and language of the tests are developed: there's a staff of test developers at NCARB that create the questions based on the material in the various sources listed in the "ARE Guidelines" for each test. There's a much larger volunteer corps of architects who get together periodially to act as guinea pigs by taking tests based on the questions, discuss the questions, etc. NCARB has explained some of this in issues of their newsletter. Apparently whether to include a question at all and how it's scored (it's difficulty level) are determined through this process. It's supposed to be about whether the average licensed, experienced architect should be expected to understand the question and know the answer.

Mar 5, 07 6:31 pm  · 
 · 
some person

here's your sign: bummer about BT. I am scheduled to take that exam on Saturday...I hope I have better luck :/ Without divulging any infomration about the exam, is there one vignette that you feel you should have practiced more?

I just got done practicing the ramp/stair accessibility vignette. I can't figure out how to make continuous handrails. Suggestions - anyone? Perhaps it doesn't matter, as long as there are no gaps?

Mar 5, 07 11:07 pm  · 
 · 
Pacific

Does anyone recommend getting the ARE flashcards as a good way to start into studying for the exams?
Also, does anyone have info on whether the format of the exams in california may be changing from multiple choice to fill in the blank this year?
gracie.

Mar 6, 07 10:48 pm  · 
 · 
Gloominati

The exams are IDENTICAL in every state. You don't even have to take the tests in your own state, because they are the same test everywhere. You're allowed to test in any test center in any state, regardless of which state you're registering through.

California has an additional, state-specific test that candidates must pass after completion of the ARE. It is an in-person oral exam. A few other states also have additional state-specific tests, though in most cases they're just open-book multiple choice tests or written summaries based on state statutes and regulations.

As I explained above, the Mechanical/Electrical section of the ARE is scheduled to have switched to the new format at the end of February. It's not clear if this happened on schedule. All of the other multiple choice exams switch to the new format in July of 2008.
The questions in the new formats will make up only 10% to 15% of the tests. The other 85% to 90% of questions will still be multiple choice.

As for the flashcards: many people find the ArchiFlash cards to be very helpful - though as has been mentioned in this thread there are some mistakes and inconsistencies in the cards. The flashcards that are marketed by Kaplan are not really as helpful, but are designed to accompany certain study guides and CDs sold by Kaplan.

Mar 6, 07 11:17 pm  · 
 · 
WonderK

Ok, that settles it....I am DEFINITELY waiting until Summer 2008 to start taking my exams. Why? I just got an email announcement saying that the ARE is going from ARE 3.1 to ARE 4.0 starting in July 2008.....which also means that the tests are changing. We are going from 9 exams down to 7! Woo hoo!

Of course the new 7 look like they might be harder than the old 9, but whatever. 7 is less than 9.

It also says that "candidates must have PASSED one division of the ARE by May 2008 in order to continue testing in ARE 3.1". It looks like 3.1 will be phased out by July 2009.

I don't know, this is big news to me, but you guys probably already knew this or something. Sorry if I am being redundant.

Mar 7, 07 10:07 pm  · 
 · 
some person

Crap. What?

Mar 7, 07 10:11 pm  · 
 · 
WonderK

No really. I just got the thing in email tonight. Email me and I will send it to you.

Mar 7, 07 10:45 pm  · 
 · 

Block this user


Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?

Archinect


This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.

  • ×Search in: