PA Exam Failed - exam felt random
Hi!
I recently took the PA exam, on Oct. 21, and failed it by about 3 questions. I was just really surprised by the exam, I did not see a lot of content that I had spent most of my time preparing for, like program adjacencies, site drainage, soil boring logs, and soil remediation methods. I was surprised to not have any questions about these topics since Amberbook really stressed these. This is my fourth exam so I have gone through a lot of material already I think. Some of the questions just felt very random about terms and procedures I have never heard of while preparing. I also did well on the NCARB practice test but the actual test I took felt nothing like the practice one. The practice test a lot of intuitive questions but I feel like I didn't any similar ones on the actual test.
Anyone else took the exam around this time and felt something similar?
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Hi Radhika,
I took the PA test on Tuesday (11/05/25) and I failed. I haven't received the report yet. Although, I felt like I knew all the content. I use Amber Book study, practice exam, flashcards - all of it. I believe that Amber Book cover all I need to know about this exam. Amber Book flashcards are very rich with videos and explanation. I felt this exam is more about solving puzzles than testing the knowledge. Case studies were too long, and it took me long time to go back and forth to the documents provided and figure out the question. So, in a very small screen I had to open calculator, paper pad, scenario, and have the question in front of me to solve it. Very inconvenient I found.
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If you hadn't for this attempt, I would recommend reading the Site Planning and Design and Problem Seeking textbooks, as those are two of the main pillars for this exam and its content. While the topics you mentioned will show up on the exam, you want to have a greater understanding of the general topics that the exam revolves around (soil types, foundation types and how they work with soil types, zoning restrictions and setbacks, FAR limitations, site orientation and climate types, etc) and knowing the applicability of them for questions.
Having the knowledge of the broader ideas and topics helps then to understand which options are correct for a situation presented in a question. Primary resources outlined in the ARE Reference Matrix go far in preparing for these exams.
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I felt the same way as well. Very random and very unorganized type of test, could have just been me as well. I agree too the Case studies were too complicated, and made worst that the interface is horrible. Documents do not go back from your recent spot, are too zoomed in so you constantly need to make adjustments.
I think however I need to approach PA the same as CE and PcM. Its not what is practical at times, just what is the better of the bad solutions. Much like CE and PcM, don't overthink practical and just answer what they want. Soil remediation and adjacency diagrams both fell into this category, and looking back, I would have answered things differently.
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I took the PA test a week ago and, as many others have said, found it extremely unpredictable. I went in feeling prepared, especially since I’d taken it before, but the case studies were overwhelming—lengthy, dense, and constantly sending me back and forth through the material just to answer a single question. It was discouraging, especially in the final 15 minutes when confidence is already shaky.
The spot marker questions had content that was so light in lineweight, I could barely find lines on the plans shared. I mean, come on, these aren't meant to be presentation sheets. There was no way I was going to score on the questions I could not see!
The rest of the test did align somewhat with the NCARB practice test, Amberbook, and Black Spectacles, but the questions often forced you to pick 4 out of 6 nearly identical options—sometimes it really was like choosing between white and off-white.
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I took PA in September and didn’t pass, then shifted my focus to PPD/PDD. I’m planning to retake PA soon, but I’m struggling with how to approach it differently this time.
On my first attempt, I was really frustrated with the content. The mix of questions I received didn’t resemble the NCARB PA Practice Exam at all. I also encountered several math‑heavy or puzzle‑type questions that didn’t feel connected to architectural practice. The case studies were especially challenging—they required very involved calculations on subjects I hadn’t seen in any of the study resources I used (Amber Book, YA’s PA 101, and Black Spectacles’ free content).
There were multiple points where I guessed just to avoid spending too much time, but since I didn’t pass, I’m now rethinking how I prioritize questions and decide when to move on.
I’d love to hear how others have handled those left-field, complex calculation‑based questions and also if there is anywhere I can access practice material that more closely reflects what PA is currently testing.
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I'm so sorry to hear that so many of you have taken PA recently and did not get the result you had hoped for. I do agree that PA can be very unpredictable and especially if it's your first technical exam (after taking the professional practice divisions), it definitely requires a mindset shift!
For all of you, I recommend that you take a moment to reflect on your specific exam experience. Ask yourself these questions: What types of questions did you struggle on? Which topics were completely unfamiliar to you? Which topics were familiar on the surface-level, but could have used more in-depth understanding? Your answers to these questions can help guide your studying for the next round so that you are targeting specific areas, while keeping your strong areas consistent. The ARE is such a gamble in the types of questions you get, so don't rely on the practice exams giving you an exact replication of content. Focus on strategy and approach rather than memorizing answers - understand why answers are correct or incorrect so that you understand the concepts thoroughly and can apply them to any type of scenario you may encounter on the exam.
Our team wrote a blog about How to Approach Each Item Type on the ARE 5.0, and I highly recommend you all check it out! Those check-all-that apply items can be very tricky, so we offer some tips on how to approach those (and the other item types) so you can feel confident when answering.
I know it's frustrating, but you got this! We're rooting for all of you!
Kiara | Black Spectacles | Community
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