Passed AREs First Try! & CSE Second Try
Hi y'all! Now that I've officially passed the California Supplemental Exam and am all done test taking I wanted to offer my advice on passing the AREs (and CSE for my California folks) as quickly as possible. Please keep in mind that I dedicated a huge amount of time to studying and put my social time on the backburner for a good few months to make this happen. For those of you studying while taking care of kids, or traveling for work, or any number of other things, be patient and realistic about what you can achieve in a short amount of time.
ARE
- Used only Amber Book & NCARB Practice Tests
- Focused on truly understanding the material and the “why” behind everything, not just memorizing content
- Studied all the main AB content first, then before each exam I studied the AB flashcards for that section and the NCARB Practice Test
- Quizlet is an underrated tool! I wrote my own flashcards and used their “Learn” tool for quick study sessions throughout the day. I paid for Quizlet+ and found it well worth it.
- Practicing your test-taking strategy is very important. This will vary from person to person but take your practice tests how you intend to take the real exam. (I took 1-2 breaks to go to the bathroom and for the longer tests ate a quick snack to keep energy up)
- Take all the exams as close together as you can
My test dates (I went on vacation in March and May, otherwise I would not recommend a big break between them).
- PcM: 2/10/25
- PjM: 2/11/25
- CE: 2/24/25
- PA: 4/7/25
- PPD: 5/27/25
- PDD: 5/28/25
CSE
- The only test that took me 2 attempts!
- Do not take a big break between the ARE and CSE! I did and I regretted it.
- I tried Amber Book and Black Spectacles, and I didn’t love either of them as much as I did AB for the AREs, but of the two I would recommend AB because it’s cheaper
- Supplement AB by reading the actual reference material from the CSE Handbook
- This test is only multiple choice and is most often about picking the best answer when there is more than one answer that is not explicitly wrong. Study the NCARB provided practice questions to learn their logic. You should understand why these are the correct answers like the back of your hand.
- There is plenty of time to get through 130 questions in 3.5 hours, so practice moving slowly and methodically through the exam. If you have multiple questions that reference CEQA, for example, they may give hints within the questions that you can go back and reference.
- You do have access to scratch paper, but there are no digital highlight and cross out tools like the ARE (which I used a lot). Instead, I used my scratch paper on every question to think through my options.
Break a leg everyone! You've got this!
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Kpeppas,
Congratulations!! We're so glad we could help you on your journey to licensure - go celebrate with all the people you ignored while you were studying!
Glad you found the CSE course helpful - the material isn't as fun as the ARE's either unfortunately. Did you use it after the flashcards and practice exam were added recently?
Cheers to your license!
Ralph, the Amber Book Team -
Congratulations on passing all your exams and officially becoming licensed! 🎉 What an incredible accomplishment! Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful breakdown of your experience and study strategies. I especially appreciate your reminder that everyone's timeline looks different and the importance of understanding the "why" behind the material. Wishing you all the best in this next chapter of your career!
Kiara | Black Spectacles | Community
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Yours is some of the best advice I’ve yet seen posted ever…everyone on this forum should take note of the following:
“Focused on truly understanding the material and the “why” behind everything, not just memorizing content
Do not take a big break between the ARE and CSE
This test is only multiple choice and is most often about picking the best answer when there is more than one answer that is not explicitly wrong.
Study the NCARB provided practice questions to learn their logic.”If you are ever looking for a job, reach out to us!
Michael Ermann, Amber Book creator
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