Finished all 6 on the first try - here's how I studied

Just wanted to share my experience with Elif Bayram's AREquestions practice exams. Her tests were the only paid material I used to pass my exams, all of which were passed on the first try. The only other materials I used were free materials offered through NCARB and google as a supplement for very specific questions.

Before beginning I first thought I would try Architect Exam Prep's "Whole Enchilada" but found it to be extremely text heavy and dense, focused more on memorizing details rather than understanding concepts. I quickly made the switch to AREquestions and didn't turn back. The practice exams had clear explanations, explained concepts, and conveyed appropriate information without flooding my brain. 

I found the best way to study was to take one practice exam roughly every other night depending on what exam I was studying for. If I got a question wrong I would either google to better understand the correct answer or look into the NCARB material. I would only move on to the next practice exam once the previous was passed. Once I passed all of the AREquestions exams, I would then move onto NCARB's exams and do the same.

Doing it this way allowed me to retain the concepts more than the exact information and helped me spread out studying a bit so it wasn't as taxing. I gave myself about 1 1/2 - 2 months from beginning to study, to my testing date. While it could be done more quickly, I tried to make sure I wasn't stressing out about it and just stuck to what was working and made sure I left time for other things in my life.

Hope this can help some of you, good luck!