What Order Should I Take My ARE NCARB Architecture Exams?
When young architects begin preparing for their ARE architecture exams for licensure, they begin with a quick overview about what the 6 Exam Divisions are all about.
The 6 current exam divisions that you need to pass are the following (in no particular order)…
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Project Management
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Practice Management
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Programming & Analysis
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Project Development & Documentation
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Project Planning & Design
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Construction & Evaluation
There were not always 6 Exam Divisions. Not too long ago in a galaxy not far from here, there were 7 exam divisions that architects needed to pass to obtain their official license as an architect. However, even though it is quite interesting how times have changed over the decades, this is irrelevant to young architects today who have their sights set on becoming licensed. 6 EXAM DIVISIONS MUST BE TAKEN. 6 EXAM DIVISIONS MUST BE PASSED. It’s as simple as that.
However, what is not simple is the complete freedom you have as an architect to take these 6 exams in any order you would like to take them in. “With this freedom comes great responsibility” in choosing which order is best.
Maybe we can help in the exam division selection process…
Of course everyone studies and tests differently and of course everyone’s brain works differently. For some of us the left side of our brain is dominant, for others the right side of our brain dominates our daily thinking; there is a wide spectrum in the population and it is no different among architects.
The point being, we are not trying to tell you we know which exam order is best for you….. all we can do is give you our best aggregate opinion based on several architects that have taken and passed the 6 exams.
Here is our preferred test taking order, which is also the same exam division order that is listed in the top navigation bar here on our website.
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Practice Management
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Construction & Evaluation
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Project Management
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Programming & Analysis
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Project Development & Documentation
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Project Planning & Design
Take Practice Management first.
While not an easy test by any means, it is one of the easier exams of the 6 and has less study material than several of them. The concepts to study for this exam are quite straightforward, alot of them relating to legal jargon having to do with contractual relationships and the duties and legalities that come with running your own firm. This exam material covers insurance types, financing, bonds, ethical delimmas, project delivery types and all the legalities that come with starting and managing your own architect firm.
Take Construction & Evaluation second.
These following two exams, (Construction and Evaluation & Project Management) are arguably the most similar to eachother out of the 6 exams. Both of these exams delve into AIA contracts and the inter-connected relationship between the Owner, Architect and Contractor on different types of project delivery types. Construction & Evaluation tends to focus more on the bidding, pre-construction and construction process with the Contractor, as well as project completion/close out and all the steps involved with that. This exam tends to focus more on the General Contractor and the role they play throughout a project’s timeline. The only reason we advise taking this one before project managment is because it gives more of a broad understanding of the entire bidding and construction process from beginning to end, which might be helpful when you go to take project managment.
Take Project Management third.
These two exams (Project Management and Construction & Evaluation) are arguably the most similar to eachother out of the 6 exams. Both of these exams delve into AIA contracts and the inter-connected relationship between the Owner, Architect and Contractor on different types of project delivery types. Of course, all parties involved on a design & construction project are important, but OAC are the 3 major ones that the different major AIA contracts tend to focus on. Project Management maybe tends to focus more on the management side of things from the architect’s perspective. It starts to delve into how healthy architect firms operate during the design process, including how an experienced architect should manage a project and the ethical decisions they may have to make. That said, there is a decent amount of overlap between Practice Management, Project Management and C&E study material.
Project Management is third on the preferred exam order here because the material closely follows the Construction & Evaluation exam. We advise taking these two exams back to back within a few months of eachother if possible for your schedule. If you would prefer to take Project Management before Construction & Evaluation, we say go for it. While we do strongly suggest taking these two exams back to back, for this case only, which of these two exams comes first is not super important.
Take Programming & Analysis fourth.
This is arguably the most fun exam to take, so enjoy yourself. It is a good mid-way point for you as an aspiring study warrior architect on your way to completing your licensure. A study break from all the contract and legal stufffff, where you can reset your mind and focus on what it means to be an architect. Programming and Analysis is a big part of being an architect. There is a heavy focus on the project site and the context surrounding the site and what that means for your building and it’s best position and orientation on the site. This exam is quite different than the others in a good way.
Take Project Development & Documentation (PDD) fifth.
PDD is arguably the second most difficult exam. Arguably. The study material does seem to overlap quite significantly with Project Planning & Design. You will want to know how to read and interpret architectural details and other drawings in an efficient manner. You are always on the clock for these exams, so be sure to move through what you already know quickly and effectively, saving your time for the really difficult guesses that you may have to make for several of the questions at the end. Taking this exam second to last gives you sufficient time to study this material in the background while you are taking breaks studying for the Practice Management and/or Project Management exam. We suggest PDD prior to PPD because it is slightly easier than PPD and studying for this exam will only help you build toward PPD at the end.
Take Project Planning & Design (PPD) sixth.
It is a close battle between PPD and PDD on which exam is more difficult. PPD (Project Planning & Design) is likely the most difficult because you need to interpret building code the most for this exam. Reading the IBC is one thing, but interpreting it correctly is something different altogether. It is written in a legal way, not necessarily in a way that makes the most clear sense to the most people. The writers of the IBC love double negatives and they love to confuse you while supposedly clearly defining the rules. Nevertheless, get used to reading small sections of the IBC on a weekly basis. Taking this exam last gives you plenty of time to prepare for it, as there is alottt of study material. Alot! Time spent actively working as an architect in the meantime will definitely help you when it comes to these last two exams.
Shared Contradiction:
Whether you choose to take PPD or PDD first is up to you. We do suggest taking these two exams back to back. However, it has been argued by some recently licensed architects amongst us that it would be more helpful to take Project Planning & Design directly after Programming & Analysis and prior to Project Development & Documentation. The reason for this being: PPD should come right after P&A because they both frequently cover zoning and code. P&A focuses more on the overall site and zoning regulation and PPD focuses more within the actual building, building code and the IBC. Taking these in tandem can be more effective since you are already in a zoning/code mindset.
Then the other side would come back to say there isn’t that much code stuff on the P&A exam… etc etc.
In the end, we cannot tell you what exact order to take your exams in. It is completely up to you.
Our goal is just to help in the decision making process.
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Written: Study Warrior Staff