Passing the exams with NCARB recommended resources

I passed all divisions of the ARE using primarily the NCARB recommended resources, along with YouTube and whatever free third-party resources I could find. This is an uncommon strategy, so I'm writing this hoping it encourages anyone else following a similar path.

Starting out, my goal was to spend as little money as possible (my firm does not cover the cost of study materials). I decided to not use third-party study guides for this reason (except their free resources). In the end I did spend some good money on books, but these now live at my desk and will be valuable references moving forward. 

Here are my general take-aways:

Think of the ARE as two sections, each with three tests. The first section is PcM, PjM and CE. For these I read much of The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, studied the relevant contracts, and listened to Schiff Hardin lectures. These three resources were enough to get me through these exams. I took these three exams a month apart, with 2 months of study preceding the first one. 

PA, PPD and PDD can be thought of as the second section. To prepare for these, my primary resources were Architectural Graphic Standards, Building Construction Illustrated, Sun Wind & Light, Fundamentals of Building Construction, Heating Cooling Lighting, and Architect's Studio Companion (a LOT of reading!). Of course I didn't read everything in every book, but by the end had probably at least glanced briefly at every page of these. I studied for 2 months prior to PA, studied for another 2 months and took PPD and PDD 6 days apart. 

If this sounds daunting, remember these resources have a lot of overlap, which cuts down on reading time and also has the added benefit of presenting the same concepts in slightly different ways, or with different graphics. And you'll feel good knowing you're looking at the same source material NCARB is looking at, so literally anything you read in these books is  valuable info for the exams, especially anything generally affecting life safety or professional liability.

For PA, PPD and PDD I also relied heavily on YouTube videos. The Amber Book 40 Minutes of Competence videos are very helpful and interesting. NOTE: I personally did not have to do any actual structural / mechanical / acoustic / lighting calculations in the exams. Some of the Amber Book and other YT videos spend a good deal of time on calculations, which can be a great way to make sure you understand concepts, but I wouldn't spend much time practicing calcs if I were you (of course other exams may have more calc-heavy questions).

General tips:

-You are not an engineer and are not expected to be one. It's good to know technical concepts but the ARE is more interested in testing your ability to exercise professional judgment and the standard of care (i.e. do you know enough about structures / HVAC etc to protect the public in the practice of architecture not in the practice of engineering or other related fields). 

-When you are in the exam and are stumped on a question, ask yourself "which of these answers MOST affects health, safety and wellness?" or "...MOST limits the architect's liability?". 

-I did not use any practice exams. The free practice questions I found on YouTube (Black Spectacles and others) were not carefully worded and did not offer much benefit to my studying. Much of the challenge of these exams lies in the wording of the questions and answers. Generally NCARB is much better about how they phrase the questions than any study resources I came across. I chose to spend my time reading and digging into topics I wasn't comfortable with. 

-You can never prepare entirely for what you will encounter on the exam. The good news is many questions can be addressed with just some common sense and process of elimination. Others will be very specific. But if you have put in the work to understand the content, you should be prepared for many of these. 

- I took a 5 month break between the first and second sets of exams (we had a baby). Even if you don't have a major life event happen, taking a break in the middle can be revitalizing and give you a chance to recenter yourself and do some fun / relaxing things for a bit!

-Know your own limits and what works for you on test day. Maintain good sleep and exercise as much as possible...it's critical to give your mind space to retain all the information. Eat well prior to test day and know what food / drink gives you the best mental clarity and stamina. 

-I tried not to focus on the clock too much and on each test had time to go back over flagged questions at the end. For me it was best to stay laser-focused on the questions and not get distracted by the time or how many questions I had left. This may not work for everyone, but know what will minimize your anxiety and distraction during the test. 

-For me PDD was the hardest exam, even though I have 4+ years experience with CD sets. The questions seemed the most obscure and in some cases downright unrelated to what an Architect should know to enter the profession. But that's just my personal take and other versions of that test may be different. I hope moving forward NCARB can become more transparent and have a better system in place for making sure questions remain directly related to the standard of care and minimum knowledge / skillset required for licensure. 

Most importantly, study the content and study how to exercise professional judgement in applicable situations. This is what the test is all about. There's no test strategy or trick that will compensate for not knowing the content and not knowing how to use professional judgement. The above-mentioned resources should be enough to get you through these exams if you're willing to dig in and do the studying.

There's much more I could say but most of it is covered by others on here. Hope this is encouraging / helpful for others on a similar path. Good luck!