Running the NCARB Forum, I founded this point about CE: Seems to have an important part of Technical Content of evaluating construction site through plans, sections or details. I found no content of this in CE videos of BS neither the slides. Can someone advice on where to anticipate or look, at least a bird´s eye on this type of questions?
Hi @ussbea! Thanks for your question.
While we do not have specific videos in our CE series about these topics, we do address that CE also has technical content and suggest that members review relevant PA/PPD/PDD content so that you are adequately prepared. Specifically, our CE Section 2 Intro video mentions that some questions in this section might require knowledge covered in PPD or PDD.
The ARE 5.0 Guidelines may give the impression that CE does not include technical content, even though it does. However, NCARB practice exams includes these types of questions, so we include them in our practice exams as well.
Hope this helps. Happy studying!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles
There is a huge discrepancy between the material needed for the CE exam, and the material available in the CE series. Is black spectacles planning on updating their material to include the required material any time soon?
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Welcome to the ARE Community, @hallie! Thank you for your question.
We align our study materials with the NCARB objectives outlined in the ARE 5.0 Guidelines, so that you know you are studying the right thing to pass the exam.
Specifically, our CE study materials were revamped in 2021 to align with the latest guidelines. We are constantly refining our materials to ensure that they are up-to-date with the current ARE standards - both content and format.
The ARE divisions overlap with each other quite a bit, which is helpful but can be overwhelming when determining which topics to focus on for a given exam. CE has a lot of overlap with PcM and PjM, especially as it relates to the AIA contracts. It would be beneficial to dive into some of the PcM/PjM sections also relevant to CE (i.e. contract types, delivery methods, project schedule, communication lines/protocol, etc.) so that you have a comprehensive understanding of the topics.
As mentioned in a previous comment, you may find that some technical content covered in PA, PPD, or PDD are relevant to CE. Have you taken any of these exams yet? If so, it might be helpful to revisit some of those sections (i.e. codes & regulations, project costs & budgeting, construction documentation, project manual & specifications, etc.).
I know it can be a lot and you aren’t expected to know every aspect of every division in order to pass a single exam, but having a base understanding of key topics in various design phases could help you better understand the construction phase (just like how it would in real life).
Is there specific topic(s) you are looking for? If so, I can direct you to areas in our study materials where they are covered.
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles