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:
Sarah McCommon, AIA, NCARB
Sarah McCommon is a licensed Architect in the State of Louisiana and Texas. Growing up in a military family Sarah moved around frequently, allowing her to experience many communities. This landed her family in Louisiana where she attended Louisiana Tech University (Go bulldogs!) and graduated with a Masters of Architecture in 2016. For the first 5 years she worked at a small firm in Shreveport, LA that focused on Commercial, Government, and Residential work. This small firm environment provided early access to all aspects of Architecture that helped her begin the licensing process.
In 2021 Sarah was selected for the NCARB Think Tank. Through this opportunity she was exposed to a group of diverse individuals sharing opinions and providing solutions to better our profession. This program also helped her discover a passion for mentorship and the value of the resources we have around us. Sarah is currently setting down routes in Houston, Texas where she works for PhiloWilke Partnership, a health-focused firm specializing in healthcare design.
“It’s important to think your building a career toolbox. What skills, awards, certifications will be useful on your desired career path? Being licensed is one of the strongest tools we can put in our toolbox.”
Exam Order
| August 06, 2017 | In Person | P&A | Pass |
| June 06, 2018 | In Person | PPD | Fail |
After this exam my entire family called me, one by one to ask how I did, over and over I had to tell them I failed. At the time this felt like a big loss and I felt defeated. However, I decided to let this help feed my motivation for the next exam. It’s all about how you frame the situation, set back and reset!
| September 21, 2018 | In Person | PPD | Pass |
| March 21, 2019 | In Person | PDD | Fail |
During this exam I had repeated technical issues, everyone’s worst testing nightmare! The computer kept freezing, so the testing center employee tried restarting my computer, but the testing clock did not stop. I then had to move desks, frustrating to say the least. Luckily NCARB worked with me to refund my seat credit, but I still had to wait the full 60 days to retake this exam.
| May 24, 2019 | In Person | PDD | Pass |
| August 30, 2019 | In Person | C&E | Pass |
| September 10, 2020 | In Person (w masks) | PjM | Pass |
Covid shutdowns happened a week before I had this exam scheduled originally. This was a good lesson in learning how to shift gears and keep going despite obstacles. I made thorough notes on where I left off on studying and took a break while I waited for things to open back up.
Wearing a mask for this long was pretty new at the time, I remember leaving with the biggest headache. A good lesson in being prepared for things you can expect, i.e. taking Tylenol and hydrating the day before given headache are a common response to stress.
| November 20, 2020 | In Person (w masks) | PcM | Pass |
It was a goal of mine to keep momentum and finish before the holidays. Holidays are a busy time and motivation starts to falter, plan around this!
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 began my path to licensure to push myself forward and to prove to myself I had what it took. There is so much we must know that it’s easy to find yourself feeling inadequate. Each exam I passed gave me a little more validation that even if I didn’t know something, I had to skills to figure it out.
It’s also important to think about building your “toolbox” early on, what skills, awards, certifications will be useful on your desired career path? Being licensed is one of the strongest tools we can put in our toolbox. I often tell people to think of it as a spare tire, you may not need it now but one day you’re going to need it at a moment’s notice. It’s better to have a license in your back pocket when that moment occurs, especially when it comes to the job hunt.
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?
- I think it’s best to start by understanding the big picture, what does testing look like and how to submit hours for AXP? Browse NCARBs website, understand the resources they offer. I found the guidebooks, YouTube series, and exam community they offer to be great insights into the journey ahead.
- Truly understand what motivates you, it’s different for everyone and might surprise you! Do some research on motivation types, learn about yourself, and let that feed you.
- Find a mentor (or Two), I thought I had to go through this journey on my own. When I started at PhiloWilke, I quickly learned the value of mentorship and how it can change the trajectory of your career.
What type of study materials did you use? Any particular ones that you’d recommend?
- Architect Exam Prep – This is a good intro to what the exam covers and helped me wrap by brain around what I needed to know. The audio books are also super useful, listen to it during your commute or while your work.
- NCARB recommended books – I always made sure to see what NCARB recommended, as this is the direct source of their test questions and answers. Whatever I could get access to I used to develop a deeper understanding of topics I struggled with. Don’t worry you don’t have to read the entire book!
- Black spectacles – This is a good final study resource to really reinforce the material. The practice exams align the best with the real deal. If you’re on a budget like me, I would pay for one month of this at the end of my study period for each exam and cancel in-between.
- Always use more than one source, seeing the same information worded in different ways will help you apply knowledge to questions.
How did you fit study time into your schedule? Was there anything in particular that worked well for you?
- Plan ahead – know when life gets busy for you (major events and holiday).
- Be realistic – I did an hour after work, three times a week, and a little on the weekend. I knew I wasn’t going to want to study on Friday night or Saturday, so I didn’t even plan for it.
- Build a study plan before starting – I would always create a plan on a blank calendar, assigning material I wanted to cover to certain days. I also added in padding, time to gather resources, and marked off days I knew I couldn’t study. Work backwards from your desired test date.
- Schedule the test first – makes it real!
Do you have any other advice for someone studying for their exams?
- Mentors and peers are a valuable resource, use them.
- It ultimately comes down to you and is ultimately for you.
- Some small sacrifice to your sleep schedule and social life up front is worth the outcome.
- Keep going – give yourself time but not too much!
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 Sarah McCommon for sharing your story!
Edited by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, NCARB, LSSBB
Want to share your ARE Story?
Contact us!
