Architecture Registration Exams Story: Jonathan Gould

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:

Jonathan Gould, AIA

As an architect and educator, Jon has a passion for advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion in our built environments. As a part-time professor of architecture at Kennesaw State University, Jon encourages students to incorporate diverse thinking into every project to make sure the next generation of architects thoughtfully engages with EDI issues. As a way to encourage minority high school students to pursue architecture education, Jon has successfully led the AIA Atlanta High School Design Competition for over 10 years, growing the program to reach more than 200 students annually, and awarding over $75,000 in scholarships. Jon co-founded AIA GA’s LGBTQIA+ Alliance in 2022. He lives in Smyrna, GA with his husband, Aaron.

“Motivation is always hard to find, but the main point here is: it won’t get easier.”

January 13, 2014	In Person	SD (4.0)	Pass
April 21, 2014	In Person	SS (4.0)	Pass
February 15, 2015	In Person	BDCS (4.0)	Pass
April 26, 2015	In Person	BS (4.0)	Pass
June 21, 2015	In Person	SITE (4.0)	Pass
September 27, 2015	In Person	CDS (4.0)	Pass
October, 25, 2015	In Person	PPP (4.0)	Pass

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

Short answer: I paid a lot of money and spent a lot of time to get my degree. The entire point of that was to be licensed Architect.

Longer answer: Everyone was right, getting licensed is good for your career. Principals in my firm stressed licensure, and I was a little skeptical, why would I need to be licensed? I don’t stamp drawings, and I plan on working at a firm where I will probably never need to stamp drawings. But getting licensed helps you navigate the professional field in ways that have opened a lot of doors.

When I introduce myself, I can say “Architect” and not have to stammer out some form of “architectural designer”. It really helps with business development, getting opportunities to go to conferences, and interacting with firms and leadership across the industry. It makes a difference, just like everyone said it would.

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?

Motivation is always hard to find, but the main point here is: it won’t get easier. Projects, responsibilities, and life will NOT get out of your way, and to take your exams you must make the effort and time to do so. Taking tests will never be easier than it is right out of school when you are used to studying and taking exams. The longer you wait, the more those skills will deteriorate. With that said, a small break is worth it.

You are in a time of transition from full-time school to fulltime work. But know that you need to start studying at some point, and the sooner the better. For me, I timed my exams with the timing of my AXP hours, so I would finish my exams about the same time as my AXP. I knew I wanted to take about 2 years to do the exams, and I had 3 years of AXP left, so I took a year off and focused on work, and then started taking the exams. I think I finished AXP about 6 months before I finished my exams.

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

This was ARE 4.0, but I found practice exams to be the best way to study. They would tell me what I needed to study, and prepare me for the exam. If I missed a question, then I could go back and study up on that topic. If I got a question right, then I knew the topic well enough already.

For reading: Ballast and Kaplan. I actually liked Kaplan better, but it was a little more surface level. Ballast practice exams were better. My friends and I also bought an on-line lecture course to help to study for structures that was helpful, but not sure how that will work for 5.0. But get with your friends, and split some costs.

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

I would study for a little bit every day after work. At 5:30 I would close my email and Revit then read and work at my desk. I knew if I went home, I would be distracted and not study. Dedicating a set amount of time each day helped me stay on track.

 I would schedule my exams for Sunday Mornings. I did this for two reasons: 1. If was really stressing, I would take Friday off of work and use Friday and Saturday to study/cram. Otherwise, I would use Saturday for last minute studying 2. After the exam I could celebrate with mimosas at brunch.

Find a time and day that works best for you, and stick to that. Work your life around the exams, they should take priority. Don’t try to cram the exams into your life.

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 Jonathan Gould for sharing your story!

Edited by

Katelyn Rossier, AIA, NCARB, LSSBB