Architecture Registration Exams Story: David McGrath

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:

David McGrath, RA, NCARB

David McGrath started the path toward architecture in the Fall of 1995 at Delta College in Bay City, Michigan, and after two short years transferred to Lawrence Technological University earning the Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 2000. Having already landed my first professional job the prior semester, I spent the year working and applying to LTU for the graduate program. In the Fall of 2001, I was on the path toward the master’s degree. Life can throw you curve balls occasionally and in 2002 I had to put graduate school on hold. Years went by and second chance presented itself. LTU agreed to let me start where I left off, with some slight modifications. So, in the summer of 2019 I was back in school taking one class at a time. Before I knew it 2021 arrived and I found myself holding the elusive Master of Architecture degree.

To satisfy the experience portion I was instructed by NCARB to complete the AXP Portfolio which I had completed just before reentering graduate school. The final hurdle was requesting NCARB to approve my ARE exam eligibility, which they did in August 2021.

“It is ok to struggle through this, these exams are not easy, just stay consistent and connected with others doing this as well, and you will reach the finish line.”

October 25, 2021	In Person	PcM	Fail
March 22, 2022	In Person	PcM	Pass
May 12, 2022	In Person	PjM	Pass
June 25, 2022	In Person	C&E	Pass
October 8, 2022	In Person	P&A	Pass
December 13, 2022	In Person	PPD	Pass
December 20, 2022	In Person	PDD	Pass

I often get asked “why do I need to get licensed?”. Why did you decide that you wanted to be a licensed Architect?

Having the license removes so many barriers in the field of architecture in terms of work positions or the ability to practice on your own. I like the idea of having as many options as possible with my career.

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?

Take a serious look at group study formats verses self-studying. I tried self-study for my first exam and failed, after 2 months of looking at one source. While reflecting on what to do next I reached out to an organization called Young Architects.

What type of study materials did you use? Any particular ones that you’d recommend?

Initially, I purchased the Ballast 5.0 study material for all six sections and the yellow Amber book. However, after joining the Young Architect’s Bootcamp, I was introduced to several other books. The Architect’s Handbook for Professional Practice was the most helpful. Other books listed on the NCARB website specific to each section can be useful.

Most importantly get access to as many practice questions as you can. The three that I used the most were: Designer Hacks, Elif ARE questions, and WeARE. I would say that I spent about 20% of my time reading/watching videos and 80% of my time on practice questions (with groups (aka meetups) and on my own).

How did you fit study time into your schedule? Was there anything in particular that worked well for you?

The Young Architect’s Bootcamp has a 10-week schedule set up to get you started on the ARE’s. Using the study time tracker spreadsheet was the easiest way to make me log time in every day. Whether it is ¼ hour or 6 hours, time toward studying is paramount to learning the material the fastest. For me lunchtime practice questions and evenings worked the best, with weekends absorbing most of my time. Over the 49 weeks I tracked my time I was averaging about 20 hours per week.

Do you have any other advice for someone studying for their exams?

Most ARE candidates want this over as soon as possible, and if that is you, then set everything you can aside temporarily to free up the time required to learn this material. I still worked my fulltime job and reserved my remaining time to studying. Family and friends will get frustrated with you for not attending or participating in the events you used to before this difficult task. Ask them to get on your side before diving into the ARE’s, it can help you get the through the hard days that you will encounter. It is ok to struggle through this, these exams are not easy, just stay consistent and connected with others doing this as well, and you will reach the finish line.

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 David McGrath for sharing your story!

Edited by

Katelyn Rossier, AIA, NCARB, LSSBB