Welcome to the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE) experience stories series! This series is to share experiences, timelines and advice of professionals that have completed their AREs. 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:
Ksenia Nation, NCARB, AIA, WELL AP, LEED BD+C
Ksenia is currently a licensed architect working for Gensler in Austin, TX where she also plays a role of licensure champ helping young architects to realize their potential. She moved from Russia in 2011 looking for better job opportunities, and quickly realized that even though she was an architect in her home country, she couldn’t refer to herself as one in the states before going through the long licensure journey.
As time went by, life got in the way, and what was supposed to be an easy next step turned into years of not having a single minute to deal with all the extra work required to receive a license. Looking through different path possibilities, it became apparent that it was easier to just go to grad school in Texas and start the licensure from the very beginning other than trying to transfer and validate any information from abroad.
Ksenia graduated with a master’s degree in architecture and a graduate certificate in historic preservation from UTSA in 2015, and finally had everything set in place to begin the journey. That of course didn’t stop life from happening! After having one set back after another, it really took some time to start testing after realizing that there is no better time than today to start anything.
“The main thing that got me my passes was not a book, but the support of my community.”
Exam Order
To talk about my test timeline, let me start by saying I didn’t know exactly what I was doing when I started my ARE journey. I was in a very unsupportive environment at the time and didn’t know anybody else who was planning on getting licensed. Everyone around me kept saying that it was not worth it and there was no way I was going to go through with it. Little did they know, my stubbornness only made me want to get licensed more.
I read through NCARB’s website; chose a couple of things I could read for PPD that I selected as my first exam since it sounded like the closest to my work experience. I also purchased the Architect Exam Prep bundle and studied it religiously. I failed PPD gloriously, and the questions I encountered on the exam were a complete shock for me since they were like nothing I was prepared for and didn’t resemble my work experience at all. I could swear that the word FAILED was written in all caps in red color across the entire screen when I saw it.
| April 05, 2017 | In Person | PPD | Fail |
I decided to take PDD as my next exam since it was the next closest thing to my professional experience. After digging deep into the list of books referenced in the handbook for PDD, I scheduled the exam. About a week from the test, I had a conversation with a co-worker who, as it turned out, had been studying and taking tests in secret. He introduced me to The ARE Facebook Group. After browsing through the group, I was mortified to find out that I started to take the tests in the worst possible order, but I chose to take PDD at the scheduled date.
I spent that week reading through everyone’s posts and advises. The day before the exam everything that could go wrong went wrong. I showed up at the test center without having had a single minute of sleep the night before, and of course the test crashed about two hours in. It took the test center employees 30 minutes to bring it back up, and the time on the timer was lost together with any momentum I may have had. It was unbelievable to see the PASSED letters on my screen at the end! I learned that day to go through the tests no matter what happened or how I felt.
| December 29, 2018 | In Person | PPP | Pass |
I relied heavily on the Facebook group from that moment on. The community was what made a huge difference in my strategy and approach. Seeing that the proprac exams are highly recommended to be taken first, and with overlap in study materials, I started studying for PcM, PjM and CE.
My main resource for the three was Young Architect Academy materials, Hyperfine, I also participated in some free weekend events at Pluralsight. The best discovery was the @VoiceAloudReader app that turns pdf documents into an audiobook – that was how I started studying Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice.
I listened to the robot voice reading it to me during my commute and during performing the tedious tasks at work. I failed Project Management at first, the questions that I saw were very different from the ones I was prepared for and I started panicking early on. What helped me get back on track was spotting a few people in the Facebook group who all seemed to be in the similar spot in there are journey and organizing our own little chat that was more of a support group than a study group. Someone was always available for a late-night panic conversation, and it made a huge difference in the overall process.
| June 10, 2019 | In Person | PcM | Pass |
| October 14, 2019 | In Person | PjM | Fail |
| November 25, 2019 | In Person | C&E | Pass |
| December 21, 2019 | In Person | PjM | Pass |
I was going to take a little break before studying for PA and PPD together due to the overlap in resources. All of my plans soon proved to be laughable since 2020 started, and covid-19 pandemic hit. Both me and my husband were out of work, and still awaiting a major surgery for him with endless hospital stays and months-long recovery period.
The test centers shut down; the morale was at its lowest.
The only thing that motivated me to start studying again was Amber Book. Michael Ermann offered the subscription to Amber Book to be free until the test centers would open. I had already seen PPD and was terrified of it, and never thought I could afford the resource that so many people swore by. With unprecedented situation in the world, I decided that it was a great investment in my future because no matter what was going on, it couldn’t last forever so I signed up and was studying for PA and PPD as if it was my job. That was back when NCARB announced that they were removing the pen and paper from test centers and replacing them with Whiteboard software.
It served as an additional motivation for me: “Better pass them all before NCARB changes anything else!” – I thought. Tears filled my eyes when I saw that I passed PPD, my personal Monster, and that meant I was done with testing.
| November 14, 2020 | In Person | P&A | Pass |
| December 7, 2020 | In Person | PPD | Pass |
Advice for you!
I often get asked “why do I need to get licensed?”. Why did you decide that you wanted to be a licensed Architect?
It’s already tough enough to be a woman working in construction industry, and having moved from across the world is not helping with that perception. Although everyone can benefit from a professional licensure, it is extremely important for women and immigrants to have that extra strength to their voice for it to be heard. Being licensed validates you having the right knowledge for the job without having to prove it over and over again.
Often people don’t know where to start, do you have any advice for those looking to start their exams -or- how did you start?
Figure out what kind of an animal you are dealing with first. Spend some quality time scrolling through The ARE Facebook Group, see what others are saying, find your crowd of like-minded individuals. Make a strategy.
You already have gone through so much studying in school, you know what works best for you. Often, it’s not just reading, it’s probably more visual approach or audio material, or just talking through the concepts with a study group. Take some time figuring out what works best for you.
What type of study materials did you use? Any particular ones that you’d recommend?
I recommend starting with Young Architect Academy for the first three tests – PcM, PjM and CE. Amber Book is the best resource for the technical tests. Elif has the best mock exams. I think I may have used almost every resource out there, and all of them contribute in their own ways to the overall preparedness for the tests. There are some amazing people like Erik Walker and Kevin Griendling that made their own resources that are better than the industry standard ones.
But the main thing that got me my passes was not a book, but the support of my community. I met amazing people through my ARE journey, some locally by attending a random lecture, and some from miles away by spotting people in the Facebook group leaving comments similar to mine and having similar questions. I strongly believe that You can’t do this on your own staying in isolation and just studying.
How did you fit study time into your schedule? Was there anything in particular that worked well for you?
Life will get in the way! It takes most people at least a couple of years to get through the licensure, and a lot of things will happen – happy things, sad things, things that will take up all of your time and leave no room to breathe. The truth is, there won’t be a better time to get licensed later, everything will only get more complicated as life progresses. So, you need to start now and be strategic about your approach.
I barely had any time during weekdays at all. 90% of my studying was done on the weekends. I practically barricaded myself inside the bedroom with some water and snacks, and studied for hours to compensate for lacking time during the week. I took advantage of long holiday weekends when I could do nothing but studying all day long. Monday through Friday I used @VoiceAloud Reader app for all of my digital resources and listened to them like to an audiobook every time a normal person would listen to music – on my way to work, while working and walking my dog.
Do you have any other advice for someone studying for their exams?
You need to have a strong support network.
Your friends and family need to understand what you are doing is important and they need to give you some time and space (and food!). Maybe your great-aunt doesn’t necessarily have to know the details about your career, but just the fact that this is what you do for the most part of your day, and it is your dream to advance in your field. You may not be curing cancer, but you as an Architect can create the best environments in which healing happens so your career is not just a paycheck, and it’s ok to spend some extra time on it right now knowing that it will pay off later. Surround yourself with support, and help everyone around you understand that you need their help and understanding to get through this rough patch.
These tests are as much psychological as they are information-intense so you need to take care of your mental health. You can read all the books in the world, but fail a test if you start panicking or rushing yourself. Get comfortable! Get that beautiful notebook and that super cool pen that feels just right in your hand to make notes, wear those fluffy socks that always put you in the good mood, light your favorite candle while studying, get that miniature desktop water feature (ok, this one may be a bit of a stretch, but if water sounds is what makes a difference…) – just do what you already know feels right, and add a splash of studying to go with it, you got it!
We hope that this information helps you through our ARE journey, setting goals, and giving you some insight on how to get started.
Thank you again to Ksenia Nation for sharing your story!
Edited by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, NCARB, LSSBB
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