The Cost [and Time] of ARE
I have used this forum throughout my studying journey, and there is an incredible amount of posts on content, useful study material, post-exam debriefs and lessons learned. However, I haven't seen a post on what was the total monetary cost of the ARE process or the specific amount of time people studied, despite the frequency of the question from candidates embarking on the journey (myself included).
As a prelude to my answer, I want to emphasize that this is what it took for me. I know some candidates leverage existing resources/material of offices they are working at, or didn't subscribe to any third-party test prep material and were still successful. Likewise, candidates differ in their experience level and may need more or less time to study. But for those that want an idea of the cost and time required as they are looking to plan out their path, this might be helpful.
The Cost:
The Time:
A little background for context on my experience: I worked at an architecture firm for about five years upon graduating, then worked in construction for less than two years, and now work in Commercial Real Estate Development for the past 1.5 years. The advantages: I've seen the role of the architect from the perspective of a contractor as well as an owner. The disadvantages: I haven't worked in an architecture firm for 3 years. With that said, the time required for YOU might be less than what it took me, but I knew I didn't want to fail an exam and that I wanted to complete the ARE in 2019.
Hope this helps, Aloha!
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Hi Justin,
Great post, thanks for this! I'm about to embark on this venture and am wondering if you have an opinion on the most/least helpful study materials and prep courses you used? I've heard Amber is pretty great - it seems very informational, but I wonder if it's directly helpful for exam prep? And I'm wondering if the PPI material was very helpful, the hard copies versus the eTextbook?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you care to share!
-Eric -
Eric, great to hear you're starting your journey! All the material I bought, I found helpful.
In particular, Amber Books is my favorite as far as the presentation of content and depth of it. PPI (Ballast) is great and it seems to hit the level of depth that is aligned with ARE and it is a vetted resource over decades. I bought the hardcopy and then PPI said there was a promotion for the etextbook with hardcopy for $50 which I found helpful because I could easily search the book for particular content but still enjoy the ole' fashion hardcopy. Black Spectacles is a must for the practice exams. AHPP is necessary for PcM, PjM, and CE.
The only material I did not find helpful (or rather, was likely outshined by the other material) was the Exam Prep.
Good luck, you got this!
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