(February 19, 2026 @ 6pm ET) 40 Minutes of Competence PjM Study Session: Problem Solving - An Expert’s Process for Answering ARE Questions

Join us for our interactive quiz-style 40 Minutes of Competence, where you'll compete against one of our team members to see who can answer the most ARE questions correctly. You may come away with helpful insights about these exams whether your answers are right or wrong.

These study sessions are free and open to all, not just Amber Book subscribers, so join us this Thursday at 6pm ET: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83922907346

You’ll take the first five minutes of class to answer this week's question alone, but if you would like to get a head-start on that, here is the assignment:

An architect discovers that her drawings read as ambiguous. They intended to call out a floor acoustical underlayment above a gypsum concrete topping, but they could be reasonably read as situating the underlayment underneath the concrete topping instead. Concerned that the floor will not perform sufficiently in impact noise mitigation if the underlayment is in the wrong place, she asks the contractor the order of the underfloor layers. After speaking with his crew and subcontractors, the contractor is unable to confirm the underfloor assembly details with certainty. The contractor then opens a hole in the floor and discovers that the assembly was indeed put together correctly. Who is most likely responsible for the cost of cutting open and then repairing the floor?

 

A. The architect

B. The architect’s insurance company

C. The contractor

D. The owner