Here’s a little about myself first. I put off taking the exams for years - I graduated in 2008 and worked at a small firm before they went under in 2010. I then worked for builders for years and was unable to get the required hours since I didn’t work for a licensed architect. In 2016, I worked my way back into architecture and in 2020 I decided it was finally time to take the exams.
Like the title says, I was able to pass all 6 divisions on the first attempt. This was my strategy:
I took an exam every 4-6 weeks and always on a Saturday so I didn’t need to worry about conflicts with work. I’m fairly certain I could have taken PPD & PDD closer together but I took those two last and my process had already been established so I didn’t feel like switching it up would be a good move.
This was my order: PcM, PjM, CE, PA, PPD, PDD. This order worked very well for me and helped my confidence grow as I went into each exam.
With the spacing of the exams, I was able to watch all the Black Spectacles videos as a good refresher (typically 1-2 hours every night). I would plan out the month so that the week prior to my exams I would have all the videos and flashcards completed and then I would start the practice exams: Sunday (Test 1), Monday (review), Tuesday (Test 2), Wednesday (review), Thursday (Test 3), Friday (review), Saturday (The Actual Exam). On the review days I would review the previous test and also watch YouTube videos from Black Spectacles and others relating the that Division.
I fairly consistently finished every exam with around 30 minutes left so I would go back and answer all the flagged questions with the remaining time. I would always read every answer then try to quickly select the answer I was most confident in. If I was not confident, I would still answer it, but I would flag the question. On the first 4 exams I did not use any breaks. On the last 2 exams (PPD & PDD), I took a break before the Case Studies.
That process worked for me. Hopefully it will work for others!
Hi @ianschnack and welcome to the ARE Community! Congratulations on passing and thank you for sharing your study strategy! This will be extremely helpful for other candidates.
It was mostly Black Spectacles content (that was definitely the heavy lifting). I also found these study notes that I enjoyed - I would usually read through the prior to taking the Black Spectacles Practice Exams:
this is helpful- Would you say 1-2 hours each day you were able to work full time with this schedule? how many hours did you study in total? can you share how it is best to get the resources for studying? I am so nervous as English my second language. And have been working in the field in the US with English only about 2 years. I also have kids and feel it may take me longer. But seems realistic to have other stuff in the background of studying. I am super impressed you passed all first time! what is your tactic for the tricky questions? thank you so much for all my questions!
Welcome to the ARE Community, @sbiran-shalom! We are happy to have you here and proud of you for embarking on this ARE journey
The amount of efficient studying time can vary from candidate to candidate, dependent on factors such as comfort/familiarity with the exam content, amount of work experience, personal obligations/habits, etc. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend 15-20 hours per week over 4-8 weeks is what we recommend for studiers. To maximize efficiency, these 15-20 hours should be spread out consistently over the course of each week leading up to exam day. If you aim for 1-2 hours per day during the work week, try to get some additional longer study sessions in on the weekends to balance it.
You should check out our most recent ARE Live episodes, where we discussed how to pass the ARE 5.0 - how much to study, how to utilize your study materials to their greatest potential, how to tackle tricky questions, and general tips for staying focused along the way.
Additionally, with English as a second language - give yourself grace and be sure that you are allowing extra time to understand the difficult content. NCARB also offers testing accommodations for those with English as a second language, so be sure to check out that resource and how to apply for the accommodations (ARE 5.0 Guidelines, pages 16-18).
