Architecture Registration Exams Story: Emily Williams

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:

Emily Williams, AIA

Emily Williams is a registered architect and planner based in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Kent State University with a Master of Architecture & Urban Design. As a dual-disciplined practitioner, Emily contributes to master plans, community-focused projects, and mixed-use developments such as Van Aken District, Crocker Commons, and Cleveland Public Library’s Facility Master Plan, which laid the framework for the for the institution’s strategic growth across their 27 branches over the next decade.

She has since developed strategic master plans and assessments for both public and private clients including Cleveland Metroparks, Beaumont School, Laurel School, and Cass District Library for phased developments and community investments. Emily is a servant-leader entering the role of Co-Director of the Young Architects and Associate Members of AIA Cleveland starting in 2024. She has uplifted the chapter with essential programming for early professionals to support their licensure and career development. She has volunteered and fundraised for many nonprofits including Berea Animal Shelter, Cleveland Kid’s Book Bank, and St. Clair’s Design [Re]build.

“Architects are adept procrastinators. If you don’t give yourself a deadline, you’ll never really be invested in the process.”

I started my examination process one year out of grad school. I knew it was a gamble, as I wouldn’t have several years of experience to gut check my answers, but my parents raised me to be resilient and with a lot of dedication and perseverance and in the midst of a global pandemic, I passed my exams two years after I started testing.

May 2019	In Person	PcM	FAIL
August 2019	In Person	PcM	PASS
October 2019	In Person	PjM	PASS

I failed my first exam, knowing that I was failing as I was taking it. I dusted myself off for another attempt later that summer. As I was taking my second attempt at the PcM exam, I knew I was failing it once more, except this time, I passed. That feeling of imminent failure would persist through the next few exams, regardless of whether I passed or failed the exams.

December 2019	In Person	C&E	FAIL
March 2020	In Person	C&E	FAIL

After back-to-back failures on the Construction & Evaluation exam, I started to feel disheartened. Then the global pandemic came through, closing testing centers across the country for months. I set aside my studying to pursue other passions, since it became increasingly unclear when we’d even be able to start scheduling exams again, let alone actually take the exams.

September 2020	In Person	PA	PASS
October 2020	In Person	C&E	PASS

Later in 2020, testing centers re-opened and the wait must have paid off. Testing conditions were fluctuating dramatically. When I passed my PA exam, I knew I wanted to give Construction and Evaluation one more shot before they rolled out the new testing requirements as they switched to the virtual testing options. I knew I’d have to switch up my test taking strategy with the removal of the scratch paper and the inability to go back to previous questions once you’ve taken your break. Fortunately, I was on a winning streak and was able to get one last test under my belt before the new rules were rolled out. I decided to take the rest of the year off while NCARB and the test takers adjusted to the new rules.

March 2021	In Person	PPD	FAIL
March 2021	In Person	PDD	PASS
May 2021	In Person	PPD	PASS

I started fresh in 2021, and I scheduled my final two exams 2 weeks apart. I was tired of studying at this point and desperately wanted the testing process to end. After several successes and failures, I felt that I better understood how to take the test, which is half of the battle for someone who struggles with standardized test taking. When I left the PPD exam with a failure, I was incredibly anxious about the PDD exam I had scheduled two weeks later. By this point, I was well versed in brushing it off and refocusing for the next test, but two weeks was not a lot of time to pivot. I analyzed the deficiencies I encountered in my PPD exam and decided to focus on filling in the gaps and focusing on materials I hadn’t gotten to in preparation for the first test. When I passed the PDD exam, I knew in my soul that I would pass PPD the next time I took it. I was merely frustrated that I wouldn’t be allowed to schedule the exam for 2 months. After two months of maintenance studying, I left my final exam with the full relief of knowing the process was over, and having completed my AXP hours the month before, I had achieved my architectural license.

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

I wanted to get licensed to help fill in the gaps in my education. College had laid the groundwork, but I knew that there was a lot that I didn’t know. I wanted to be able to step into the meeting room or talk to contractors in the field and know that I was meant to be there. For me, licensure was part of the process required to achieve the confidence I needed to practice architecture.

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?

My best advice is that you can’t really be in the exam process until you have scheduled your first exam. You can study indefinitely and never really get there.

My advice – schedule your first exam and work up to it. Architects are adept procrastinators. If you don’t give yourself a deadline, you’ll never really be invested in the process. You might pass that exam, or you might fail, but at least you’ll have the starting block and a knowledge of what it’s really going to take.

Also, build on the experience of those who have already taken the exams. People are ready and willing to help guide you through the process, so don’t go it alone.

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

I used a variety of sources, both digital and physical. I was fortunate enough that my firm sponsored a license with Amber Book, which was a huge help in my later exams. I also took practice exams from just about every source that offered them, including Elif Bayram, Hyperfine, Amber Book, Ballast, and Architect Exam Prep. For me the practice exams were a method I used to help gauge where I was in my studying and topics that needed improvement. No practice exam will be a substitute for the real thing.

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

I studied on evenings and weekends. I typically scheduled the exams two months out and spend the first month generally assembling all of my resources and getting an overview of the material and then spending the second month doing intensive studying. As I got more confident with the structure of the exam, I started spacing them closer together. Everyone who passed will tell you something different. Learn what works best for you and go for it.

We hope that this information helps you through your ARE journey, setting goals, and giving you some insight on how to get started.

Thank you again to Emily Williams for sharing your story!

Edited by

Katelyn Rossier, AIA, NCARB, LSSBB