What order should I take the ARE exams?

One of the most common questions I get goes something like this: “In what order should I take the six divisions of the ARE 5.0.” Man, I wish I had a good answer to this query. If the questioner seems nervous, I may make up an order just to shift their focus to more useful pursuits, because nervous people sometimes crave certainty. But that’s a bit paternalistic on my part. The better answer to, “In what order should I take the six divisions of the ARE 5.0.?” is a confident, “Yes.”

Because the overlap among five of the six divisions is so pronounced, the Venn diagram of them emerges almost as if it were a single, blurry, circle. (The sixth, more-outlying division is Practice Management, which still has significant overlap with the others, but less extreme.) Instead of six discrete tests, better to trick your mind into viewing these as a single, 600-question test—one that spans several days in a single week, and incorporates a familiarity with the unambiguous stench of a Prometric testing center.

This advice is embraced by some, but met with disbelief or dread by others. I am certain that, on-balance, for most people, an all-at-once approach is less disruptive, less expensive, less overwhelming, and both the fastest and surest path to licensure. Studying for three months, taking six exams, and even passing only two of them is still preferable to studying for three months, taking one exam, and passing it. Be generous with yourself if you fail and remember that re-takes are your friend. — Michael Ermann