Passed PA today! I didn't know ARE's were chill like that?
Passed PcM, PjM, CE, and now PA on first attempts.
My background:
- BA in Real Estate Development and Environmental Sustainability
- MA in Architecture
- 3 years of work in a small office in New York City, with an emphasis on apartment renovations, but my role is more managerial.
I've learned a lot from this community and want to share some tips!
I've been studying for about 3 weeks in total for each exam, roughly 60 hours. My approach is to optimize the time spent so I can pass without having to "read books cover to cover" for a perfect score.
Study Plan:
- 1st week: Light review, familiarize with material, attend lectures.
- 2nd week: Medium intensity, complete lectures, begin quizzes, maybe an exam or two as a diagnostic.
- 3rd week: Hardcore review (back-to-back mock exams), thorough post-mortem of all exam failures. This is full grind mode, except the day before the exam, which is completely off and relaxed.
I prefer testing around 2:00 PM as I feel this is when my mind is most robust. I take the exams off-site at my office, which alleviates the pressure of driving, and I appreciate using my own bathroom, etc.
Resources:
- NCARB Mock: S-Tier. Dissect every question to understand what ARE expects from you. It's important to recognize the question structure and the depth of knowledge required. Aim for ~70% on practice exams.
- Black Spectacles (Basic): A-Tier. Phenomenal mock exams and a solid general overview of the content. Aim for ~70% on practice exams.
- Kaplan PPI: B-Tier. The questions do not require much reasoning but cover the breadth of content fairly well. I aim to complete all Q-bank questions or at least 400Q and get ~70% on practice exams/quizzes.
- We ARE/Elif: C+ Tier. These are very good for extra practice but they sometimes delve too deeply into content so I reach some study inefficiency here. Also the style and precision is not as sharp. Nonetheless, very good, especially since they explain all answers well, I see these mostly as last resource reinforcement, especially when I don't perform well on BB and NCARB Mock. Aim for ~50% on practice exams.
Overall, I believe the NCARB ARE questions are very well-made, fair, and well-rounded. Some claim they try to trick you but this is not very accurate; if you understand the core content answers are inevitable. Only if you are hazy on key ideas do all answers appear to be correct. I did not see any wordplay, funky unit play (still double-check all though), no obfuscation, all was straightforward.
Sure they will add non-important info and have many long pdfs and plans to reference for case studies, but they are testing your ability to seek info, synthesize, and be an perform as a problem solver. Use search bar, read question, and get to it! The margin for error is more than generous. Don't fear the exams or let fear-mongering get to you; just get your reps in, improve test-taking stamina, and understand quality prep material! We got this!!!
Recommended Readings PA (in order of impact for me):
- The Architect's Studio Companion: Rules of Thumb for Preliminary Design is a great resource for PA, got it the day before the exam but wished I saw sooner!
- Site Planning by Gary Hack, great for programming and urban design related chapters.
- Building Construction Illustrated, great for earthwork chapters.
- Problem Seeking was okay, a little to theoretical to make a dent on PA. Kind of a flop but its what is recommended by NCARB *shrugs*.
- Sun Light and Wind was a waste of time for me, I don't know who thought it was a good idea to publish this book, incredibly dense and full of self-referential systems. Okay if its your niche as a professional, but non-starter for study prep.
None were intensive reads but good to peruse for weak points in my knowledge.
Onto PPD and PDD!
Good luck to all!
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Congratulations nik f! Passing an ARE division is no small feat, and to pass them all on the first attempt - very impressive! You are past the halfway mark of this endeavor and you should be very proud of your accomplishments thus far.
I'm glad to hear that Black Spectacles practice exams have been helpful to you. We are honored to be a part of your ARE journey!
It is awesome that you've found a study approach that works best for you, and outlining your plan here will definitely help others in their journey as well.
Keep the momentum going and best of luck as you tackle PPD/PDD!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles
ARE Community
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