PcM Exam practice question

Practice Management
1

Hey everyone,

Can someone please help me understand why the first answer below is incorrect and the last one is correct? I thought the standard of care was defined as how professionals in the same locale would act at the same time.

QUESTION - A claim has been filed against an architect for negligence to perform duties in accordance with industry standard. The claim is for water infiltration due to heavy precipitation and alleged improperly graded slopes, which allow water to pool against the exterior foundation wall. The architect believes to have acted in accordance with the professional standard of care and is looking for precedent studies to support the case.

Which of the following projects should the architect review to determine the standard of care?

âś“chosen answer

A project located in the vicinity of the project the claim is being brought against.

Incorrect. Not enough information is given to properly assess if the projects are similar.

A project constructed with similar materials and a different program.

Incorrect. This suggests a different design process, based on a dissimilar program and would not be a good comparison for the standard of care.

A similar project by the same firm located in a different climate.

Incorrect. The standard of care should be measured against a third-party professional, not the architect’s firm.

A similar project in a high precipitation area, constructed with different finish materials.

Correct. The standard of care measures how another professional party would act under similar circumstances. There can be differences/deviations in materials and/or details, as these vary with design.

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2

I had the same “incorrect “ answer

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3

My guess is that if the first answer also mentioned that it was the same type of project/program, then it would be correct. However if you’re a single family home and your neighboring building that faced the same weather was a museum then the standard of care would be different. I think that that is why it isn’t the most correct answer.

Instead, the most correct answer is the same type of project and same type of problem (heavy rain). Maybe they’re not in the same neighborhood but they’re in the same area of the state so the conditions are still similar enough.

I also got the same wrong answer because I immediately went for vicinity and forgot about the program.

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4

Thank you, this all makes sense now! Standard of care is not limited to what happens in the same neighborhood but it’s based on what a reasonably prudent professional would know.

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