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:
Kristen Stout, AIA
Allow me to introduce Kristen Stout, a talented and dedicated architect with a profound passion for design and a commitment to nurturing aspiring professionals. In May 2013, Kristen earned her Master of Architecture degree from Ball State University, marking the commencement of a remarkable career journey.
Kristen’s path to success was not without challenges, as she embarked on the demanding endeavor of completing the Architect Registration Exams (AREs) in February 2015. After a grueling journey, she conquered these exams in August 2018, solidifying her expertise in the field. Currently, she serves as a Project Architect at StudioAxis, an architectural firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her scope of work encompasses a wide array of projects, including civic, interiors, healthcare, office, and headquarters developments.
Beyond her professional commitments, Kristen is deeply invested in inspiring and guiding the next generation of architects. For the past eight years, she has assumed a leadership role at the Architecture + Planning Camp @CAP Indy, a transformative one-week summer camp designed to introduce high school students to the diverse realms of the design professions.
When she is not immersed in the world of architecture, Kristen finds solace in spending quality time with her family. As a proud mother of an energetic four-year-old and a two-year-old, she cherishes the joys and challenges of motherhood.
Kristen’s approach to architecture revolves around creating thoughtful, functional, and inspiring spaces that enhance the overall human experience. She believes in the power of collaboration, problem-solving, and detail-oriented design to craft unique and purposeful environments. Kristen’s unwavering dedication to her clients’ visions and her ability to foster a sense of community through thoughtful design make her a highly sought-after architect in her field.
“The fails will happen (to most of us), they suck – but it doesn’t mean you are a bad graduate architect or will be a bad architect you just need to keep at it.”
Exam Order
| February 21, 2015 | In Person | SD (4.0) | Fail |
| April 24, 2015 | In Person | SD (4.0) | Pass |
| July 30, 2015 | In Person | SITE (4.0) | Fail |
| October 17, 2015 | In Person | SITE (4.0) | Fail |
| December 07, 2015 | In Person | PPP (4.0) | Fail |
| February 27, 2016 | In Person | SS (4.0) | Fail |
| April 29, 2016 | In Person | SS (4.0) | Fail |
| June 14, 2016 | In Person | CDS (4.0) | Pass |
| September 26, 2016 | In Person | BDCS (4.0) | Fail |
| November 01, 2016 | In Person | PPP (4.0) | Pass |
| February 27, 2017 | In Person | BDCS (4.0) | Fail |
| May 6, 2017 | In Person | BS (4.0) | Fail |
| June 19, 2017 | In Person | SITE (4.0) | Pass |
| December 04, 2017 | In Person | BDCS (4.0) | Pass |
| February 26, 2017 | In Person | BS (4.0) | Fail |
| April 9, 2018 | In Person | SS (4.0) | Fail |
Transitioned to ARE 5.0
| July 9, 2018 | In Person | PPD (5.0) | Pass |
| July 28, 2018 | In Person | PDD (5.0) | Pass |
Programming, Planning & Practice (PPP)
Construction Documents & Services (CDS)
Site Planning & Design (Site)
Building Design & Construction Services (BDCS)
Structural Systems (SS)
Building Systems (BS)
Schematic Design (SD)
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?
Becoming licensed was always the goal – I looked at it as another item on the resume that would only help give me the most options down the road. If I wanted to go out on my own or move up to a leadership position in an office those moves would be more of a possibility by being licensed. You have been going to school for a long time, it’s nice to have the title of licensed architect. Also, as you can see in my Exam order – I did awful on the testing, but kept working hard and never giving up made accomplishing this goal all the more special.
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?
At this time, you could not start the exams while in school, so I found it beneficial to take a year off after school to focus on getting settled in my new job and new city. I thought it was helpful to take a year off before starting down the ARE path. Once I was ready to start, I found having a friend from grad school starting at the same time was helpful for encouragement and a resource. Then early on in my test taking a fellow colleague was starting the ARE process and we would find time to get together at our favorite coffee shop on the weekends to study – it was helpful to have a study buddy to vent with and keep you accountable.
Do you have any other advice for someone studying for their exams?
My advice for studying for exams is to find others to study with, in addition to studying on your own. Sharing study material is helpful and getting together to work through questions and debate helps you retain the material. It can be hard to study after a full day of work but try to carve out chunks of time on the weekends or lunchtime and chip away at the studying.
Also, just keep at it – the fails will happen (to most of us), they suck – but it doesn’t mean you are a bad graduate architect or will be a bad architect you just need to keep at 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 Kristen Stout for sharing your story!
Edited by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, NCARB, LSSBB
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