I've searched and searched but I've been unable to find anyone's experience with revising for and sitting these exams?
Even the main ExAC website claims to have no approved study guides.
Aside from revising the Canadian Handbook of Practice for Architects and the Building Code, are there any go-to-guides that people have used?
I'm aware of the principle reading list on the ExAC site, this contains some useful books but also some that are either no longer published or dating back to the '70s.
Can anyone shed any light on their experience?
Many Thanks,
David (Vancouver, B.C.)
Non Sequitur
Feb 27, 14 5:06 pm
David.
The ExAC, although a national examination, is primarily run through each individual provincial architectural association. For example, when I wrote my ExAC in ontario (first year they were offered I think), the OAA ran study groups, at least the advertised them, I never attended. What I find strange is that, given your signature indicated you live in BC, this is the only province in Canada, to my knowledge, that has yet to embrace the ExAC (they still have the ancient and American centrist NCARBs). Perhaps this is why your local association does not offer study groups. I could be wrong however.
The examination questions are secret and I would divulge any, especially in a public forum but if you understand both the CHOP and NBC throughout and have worked 3 to 4 years in a decent office environment, you should have no issues. It's 4 exam 50\50 scantron & long-answer. and you'll need all the time they give you to complete them.
darnott
Mar 5, 14 3:59 pm
Hi Non Sequiter,
Thanks for replying to my post. Luckily for me, BC embraced the ExAC two years ago so we are now able to take the exams. It certainly would explain why there are no guides in BC for sitting the exams, however I was hoping to find some Canada wide info. There seems to be no books anywhere that act as a guide for studying.
I'll just focus on the CHOP and NBC publications and hope it holds me in good standing!
Thanks,
Non Sequitur
Mar 5, 14 4:59 pm
David, thank you for the info, BC was the last province to withhold from ExAC but I guess that is no longer the case. There are no published study docs like they have for the AREs and I would suggest you avoid using those as they do not relate to the material ExAC aims to test.
There will be no design aspect to the tests and although there may be some subjective questions, most of the short/long answer questions will rely on practical experience rather than creative problem solving. Make sure you understand how the NBC is written and what an Operative Statement (OS) is for example. You are allowed your own copy of the code and you can mark it up as you wish prior to the exams (but not during).
It will also help for you to familiarize yourself with generic specification and make sure you are comfortable finding errors and/or omissions in them. The same applies to red-line wall sections and life-safety code review. The Canadian architect's exams are not designed to be passed on book knowledge (outside of the CHOP and NBC). Their intentions are to test a subject's competence which can only be gained through years of practical experience, not through memorization.
Think of them this way: Would you grant a full driver's permit to someone simply because they could explain to you how to parallel park having only read directions in one book? You get the driver's permit after successful demonstrations
Best of luck.
aim1
Sep 26, 16 8:46 pm
Hi,
Can anyone explain me how to calculate grade as per NBC 2010 for the purpose of determining the building height?
For e.g, If a rectangular building with slopes have the following:
East and West exterior walls: 10m in length; North and South exterior walls: 20m in length;.
Elevations levels at Corners of the exterior wall junctions are:
SE: 169.4, NE: 170, NW: 169.5, SW: 169.2
The NBC2010 says that the grade is the lowest of the average levels of finished ground adjoining exterior walls of the building; What is this "Lowest"?
(Please let me know what am I doing wrong: My calculation would be:
perimeter of the building will be 10+20+10+20 =60m; So average grade will be
So, if have only 1 number as an average of the building, how can I possibly find the "lowest" of the average levels as that would imply that there are more than one average levels or grade? What am I doing wrong?
Non Sequitur
Sep 26, 16 10:11 pm
I think you have it correct for building height but I don't have my NBC on hand at the moment. You also could simply have done (169.4+170+169.5+169.2)/4 for your average grade elevation.
bowling_ball
Sep 26, 16 11:08 pm
aim1, if you have your code book handy, can you cite the entire article for us? That's not something i studied for the exams, I only know that the AHJ will typically accept my proposed version of what I believe it to be. This is based on elevations taken at each corner, and then averaged just as you've done. But I wouldn't take that as the proper way to do things. I work in the prairies where we draw a flat line for our sections that never deviates from the horizontal, so it's actually only come up once in my 5+ years.
aim1
Sep 26, 16 11:18 pm
Thank you Non Sequitur.
I found a link online about grade calculations in Victoria (I do not know if Victoria has NBC2010 as I live in Ontario where we have OBC and I will be appearing for ExAC, because of which I am currently using NBC 2010):
Grade means the lowest of the average levels of finished ground adjoining each exterior wall of a building, except that localized depressions need not be considered in the determination of average levels of finished ground.
Non Sequitur
Sep 26, 16 11:47 pm
Bowling, I don't remember grade calculation in my ExAc either.
Hi!
I've searched and searched but I've been unable to find anyone's experience with revising for and sitting these exams?
Even the main ExAC website claims to have no approved study guides.
Aside from revising the Canadian Handbook of Practice for Architects and the Building Code, are there any go-to-guides that people have used?
I'm aware of the principle reading list on the ExAC site, this contains some useful books but also some that are either no longer published or dating back to the '70s.
Can anyone shed any light on their experience?
Many Thanks,
David (Vancouver, B.C.)
David.
The ExAC, although a national examination, is primarily run through each individual provincial architectural association. For example, when I wrote my ExAC in ontario (first year they were offered I think), the OAA ran study groups, at least the advertised them, I never attended. What I find strange is that, given your signature indicated you live in BC, this is the only province in Canada, to my knowledge, that has yet to embrace the ExAC (they still have the ancient and American centrist NCARBs). Perhaps this is why your local association does not offer study groups. I could be wrong however.
The examination questions are secret and I would divulge any, especially in a public forum but if you understand both the CHOP and NBC throughout and have worked 3 to 4 years in a decent office environment, you should have no issues. It's 4 exam 50\50 scantron & long-answer. and you'll need all the time they give you to complete them.
Hi Non Sequiter,
Thanks for replying to my post. Luckily for me, BC embraced the ExAC two years ago so we are now able to take the exams. It certainly would explain why there are no guides in BC for sitting the exams, however I was hoping to find some Canada wide info. There seems to be no books anywhere that act as a guide for studying.
I'll just focus on the CHOP and NBC publications and hope it holds me in good standing!
Thanks,
David, thank you for the info, BC was the last province to withhold from ExAC but I guess that is no longer the case. There are no published study docs like they have for the AREs and I would suggest you avoid using those as they do not relate to the material ExAC aims to test.
There will be no design aspect to the tests and although there may be some subjective questions, most of the short/long answer questions will rely on practical experience rather than creative problem solving. Make sure you understand how the NBC is written and what an Operative Statement (OS) is for example. You are allowed your own copy of the code and you can mark it up as you wish prior to the exams (but not during).
It will also help for you to familiarize yourself with generic specification and make sure you are comfortable finding errors and/or omissions in them. The same applies to red-line wall sections and life-safety code review. The Canadian architect's exams are not designed to be passed on book knowledge (outside of the CHOP and NBC). Their intentions are to test a subject's competence which can only be gained through years of practical experience, not through memorization.
Think of them this way: Would you grant a full driver's permit to someone simply because they could explain to you how to parallel park having only read directions in one book? You get the driver's permit after successful demonstrations
Best of luck.
Hi,
Can anyone explain me how to calculate grade as per NBC 2010 for the purpose of determining the building height?
For e.g, If a rectangular building with slopes have the following:
East and West exterior walls: 10m in length; North and South exterior walls: 20m in length;.
Elevations levels at Corners of the exterior wall junctions are:
SE: 169.4, NE: 170, NW: 169.5, SW: 169.2
The NBC2010 says that the grade is the lowest of the average levels of finished ground adjoining exterior walls of the building; What is this "Lowest"?
(Please let me know what am I doing wrong: My calculation would be:
perimeter of the building will be 10+20+10+20 =60m; So average grade will be
[{(169.4+170.0)/2}x10 + {(169.5+170.0)/2}x20 + {(169.2+169.5)/2}x10 + {(169.2+169.4)/2}x20}]/60
=[1697+3395+1693.5+3386]/60
=10171.5/60
=169.525 = average grade.
So, if have only 1 number as an average of the building, how can I possibly find the "lowest" of the average levels as that would imply that there are more than one average levels or grade? What am I doing wrong?
I think you have it correct for building height but I don't have my NBC on hand at the moment. You also could simply have done (169.4+170+169.5+169.2)/4 for your average grade elevation.
aim1, if you have your code book handy, can you cite the entire article for us? That's not something i studied for the exams, I only know that the AHJ will typically accept my proposed version of what I believe it to be. This is based on elevations taken at each corner, and then averaged just as you've done. But I wouldn't take that as the proper way to do things. I work in the prairies where we draw a flat line for our sections that never deviates from the horizontal, so it's actually only come up once in my 5+ years.
Thank you Non Sequitur.
I found a link online about grade calculations in Victoria (I do not know if Victoria has NBC2010 as I live in Ontario where we have OBC and I will be appearing for ExAC, because of which I am currently using NBC 2010):
http://www.victoria.ca/assets/Departments/Planning~Development/Development~Services/Zoning~Bylaw~Improvement~Projects/Grade/Display%20Boards%202.pdf
Bowling_ball,
NBC 2010 Div A, Section 1.4.1.2. states that:
Grade means the lowest of the average levels of finished ground adjoining each exterior wall of a building, except that localized depressions need not be considered in the determination of average levels of finished ground.
Bowling, I don't remember grade calculation in my ExAc either.