Finally done with ARE

After 4 years, 6 failed attempts (3 PA, 1 CE, 2 PDD) and 865 hours of studying (yes, I logged them meticulously), I'm finally done with the AREs. It was a long soul crushing and expensive ordeal for me but the friends, mentors and education I have gained along this journey was priceless and made this all worth it.

When I first started studying for the ARE, it was extremely overwhelming, lonely and frustrating. I hated studying while working 40 hours a week or sometimes more. I made a rookie mistake of starting with the PA exam and got utterly defeated 3 times straight. I took half a year off of studying, did some soul searching, and then came back for other exams. I made it through PcM, PjM and CE by myself in a span of 2.5 year but I just couldn't seem to pass the last 3. Tired of failing over and over, I ended up signing up for Young Architect bootcamp reluctantly in mid-March 2021. To my surprise, it was one of the best decisions I have made towards my career. Not only has it accelerated the testing process, I have also gained a lot of good friends and mentors. Their support and encouragement made the last stretch of the licensing process bearable, even enjoyable. I looked forward to studying after work, even before work and on weekends. I celebrated every time I took an exam regardless of the result and took breaks as needed.

Thanks to the amazing YA bootcamp community, I finished the last 3 exams in 8 months. I love everyone in the bootcamp community; especially Michael Riscica and Lorenzo, for creating the ARE drills for PPD and PDD. It's a game changer and an absolute necessity for studying PPD/PDD. I highly recommend either joining the bootcamp or getting the ARE drills!

Elif Bryan, the brains behind the Elif quizzes, is one of the best teachers/ mentors I have ever encountered during my studies. Her arequestions quiz is the most affordable and resourceful study material out there. Also, without Michael Erman and Amber book, I don't think I would have passed PPD on my first try and then PA right after. Thank you for being responsive to my endless questions and also sharing your immense knowledge during 40 minutes of competence zoom sessions every Thursday. Apart from these, I also used Ben Norkin Hyperfine, Erik Walker PA, Miguel Santos WeARE, black spectacles practice exams, Kevin G PluralSight whenever there's a free week, building science fight club for detailing and most of the NCARB recommended books.

For those still in the process, keep going, keep studying, take breaks as needed. It's a brutal mental and emotional adventure, but if you really truly want it, you've got to fight for it and it'll be all worth it in the end. Best of luck to you. We're all rooting for you here!

Finally done with ARE

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