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:
Katerina Burianova, RA, NCARB
Having grown up with two cultures, Katerina has had the fortune of learning and experiencing the world through a unique perspective. Born in the Czech Republic and raised in the US (living in Colorado, New Hampshire and Orange County, CA), Katerina chose to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an architect by studying at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, Illinois.
After having completed her architectural degree at IIT she stayed in Chicago for a few years but the cold winters had her dreaming of sunny California. In 2022 Katerina became a licensed architect in the state of California. Shortly after attaining her license, she established Katerina Burianova Architecture Inc.
When not immersed in the world of architecture, you can find Katerina on her yoga mat, hiking along the California coast or swimming in the ocean.
Katerina is also the founder and podcast host of From the Honeycomb podcast, a weekly podcast where she discusses architecture, travel and connects with other like-minded women to share their story.
“Short term pain over long term gain. It’s only a short time if you put all of your focus on passing.”
Exam Order
When ARE version 5.0 was released and I was one of the first 200 people to take the exam. The incentive was that we got a free retake and $100 debit card.
| February 25, 2017 | In Person | P&A | Fail |
I quit my job in Chicago, moved back to California.
| February 9, 2018 | In Person | P&A | Fail |
| April 20, 2018 | In Person | PPD | Fail |
| June 8, 2018 | In Person | PDD | Fail |
| July 23, 2018 | In Person | PPD | Fail |
| August 18, 2018 | In Person | PDD | Fail |
Felt completed defeated and had some family issues come up so I took six months off.
| May 4, 2019 | In Person | C&E | Pass |
| July 8, 2019 | In Person | PjM | Fail |
| September 13, 2019 | In Person | PjM | Pass |
| December 23, 2019 | In Person | PcM | Fail |
| February 21, 2020 | In Person | PcM | Fail |
COVID happens and test centers shut down so I had to wait to retake the exam in July.
| July 6, 2020 | In Person | PcM | Pass |
| September 21, 2020 | In Person | P&A | Fail |
I got engaged.
| November 30, 2020 | In Person | P&A | Pass |
| February 12, 2021 | In Person | PPD | Fail |
| April 19, 2021 | In Person | PPD | Pass |
The computer at the testing center froze and crashed mid exam.
| May 4, 2021 | In Person | PDD | Fail |
| July 12, 2021 | In Person | PDD | Pass |
I had my destination wedding on the island of Madeira in Portugal.
| December 6, 2021 | In Person | PDD | Fail |
The closest testing center to me closed and so I had to travel to one that was over 1.5 hours away. I ended up booking an Airbnb close to this testing center but it ended up not being a very clean place. Third fail in a row so I had to wait until May 2022 to retake. That was mentally a hard time.
| May 16, 2022 | Virtually | PDD | Fail |
I took this exam virtually since I didn’t want to go back to the testing center 1.5 hours away. The virtual exam was exam was a terrible experience. I don’t wish on anyone. It took over two hours to get into the exam because it would keep kicking me out when I answered a question. I finally managed to sit through the whole exam without stopping.
Went on Honeymoon to Belize but it was emotionally, mentally exhausted and felt like I would never finish the exams.
| July 16, 2022 | In Person | PDD | Pass |
| October 29, 2022 | In Person | California Exam (CSE) | Pass |
I studied while getting COVID for the first time, while working over 40 hours a week. Extremely demanding month but I pushed through.
Learn MORE of Katerina’s ARE Experience on her Podcast :
To learn more about Katerina’s story she has talked about it a few times on her podcast FromTheHoneycomb.
Episode 29
The Road to Architectural Licensure
Episode 35
The Journey of Perseverance and Making Your Dream A Reality
Episode 53
Spilling The Tea About The CSE
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?
I decided to get licensed because I wanted to have my own firm and stamp my own drawings.
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?
If you don’t know where to start with the exams, I would reach out to some of the amazing ARE test prep resources out there and see what looks like your way of studying. Is it video lectures, reading material, listening to podcasts. See what programs interest you and sign up right away.
When I first started with my exams it was at the beginning of 5.0 and there was hardly any material out there.
What type of study materials did you use? Any particular ones that you’d recommend?
Resources I would recommend: Bryn Young Mind over ARE, Ben Norkin’s HyperFine, AmberBooks, Architect Exam Prep the Whole Enchilada (they also have a CSE course which I took) Although I did not use Mind over ARE, I found Bryn once I was studying for my California exam.
How did you fit study time into your schedule? Was there anything in particular that worked well for you?
My study schedule was to wake up at 4:40 and get an hour of studying in before work. At lunch I would read through notes or take practice tests. Once I got home, I would work out or get on my yoga mat and then study until dinner time. After dinner I would either study more or do flash cards with my husband.
On the weekends I did longer study periods, mostly studying in the morning and stopping at 2pm.
I owe a lot of my success with the exams to my husband who was extremely supportive from the beginning. Poor guy had no idea what he was getting himself into. But during the exams he would take over all house chores, including cooking all meals. He would sit and do flashcards with me or go for walks to study.
Do you have any other advice for someone studying for their exams?
Short term pain over long term gain. During my studies I had to miss birthdays, holidays and fun events but I knew that passing the exams was most important for me. It’s only a short time if you put all of your focus on passing. The exams I didn’t focus on as much I failed; these exams require you to be all in.
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 Katerina Burianova for sharing your story!
Edited by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, NCARB, LSSBB
Want to share your ARE Story?
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