Welcome to the ARE Post Series! This series is to share experiences, timelines and advice of professionals that have completed their architectural registration exams. We know it can be a daunting task to get started and overwhelming on the number of resources out there. We hope you find this information helpful in organizing how you proceed through your exams. Good Luck!
This is the experience, timeline, and advice from :
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, LSSBB
**Please note that my experience is from the 4.0 version of the AREs**
What type of study materials did you use? Any particular ones that you’d recommend?
To limit the amount of money being spent, I looked up as many free resources as possible. I purchased the “Kaplan” books which were helpful but free study guides from blogs I could find very useful. There were also various materials I used for example exams such as Ballast. I remember the Amber book being very helpful for structures.
How did you fit study time into your schedule? Anything in particular work well for you?
I was pretty disciplined with studying most work nights while taking Fridays off. Then including some type of studying on weekends depending on other activities.
It was helpful to find audio responses to listen to during my bus commute. And digital flash cards created on an app. I believe it is called “cram”. I could type of cards on a computer then access it on a computer OR on my phone.
Do you have any advice for someone studying for their exams?
Take one step at a time! There is a lot of information and multiple exams. Don’t feel you need to purchase EVERY material possible to pass.
Find an accountability buddy or mentor to help you remain accountable! This can help lift your spirits if you fail an exam and keep you on track for your exam goals.
If you are looking for general advice on ARE 5.0 take a look at a few other helpful posts:
Tips & Tricks – ARE 5.0 – mentorArchitect
| Exam | Pass Test Date | Fail Test Date | Number of Days Between Exams |
|---|---|---|---|
| PPP | 2015-01-30 | 90 ** | |
| Site | 2015-03-30 | 59 | |
| CD | 2015-06-27 | 89 | |
| Schematic | 2015-10-19 | 114 | |
| Site | 2015-12-18 | 60 | |
| BDCS | 2016-03-21 | 94 | |
| SS | 2016-07-12 | 113 | |
| BS | 2016-09-16 | 66 | |
| SS | 2016-12-12 | 87 |
**This is estimated since it is unclear when I started studying after graduation from college.
At the time I took the architectural registration exams, version 4.0 was the primary version. Version 5.0 was released in 2016 but I decided to finish with the 4.0 version since I was familiar with how the exams were structured. This version included seven exams: (1) Programming Planning and Practice (2) Site Planning (3) Construction Documents (4) Schematic Design (5) Building Design and Construction Systems (6) Structural Systems (7) Building Systems
| Stats | Days |
|---|---|
| Average number of days between exams (Excludes first exam estimated study time) | 85.25 days |
| Estimated number of days to complete the AREs (This is the time from first exam taken to last exam passed) | 682 days |
We hope that this information helps you through our ARE journey, setting goals, and giving you some insight on how to get started.
Written by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, LSSBB