Preparing for the Architectural Registration NCARB Exams1. Motivation
Motivation is the biggest challenge to studying and completing these nine exams. The best way to initiate and sustain the process is to:
a) Sign up for an exam. Nothing motivates like a deadline. Don’t expect to study first and then sign up for an exam - this strategy doesn’t work. You may be surprised after studying slowly for two months that there are no exam slots available for the next three months! By then you will have forgotten everything and will have to study all over again. Our advice: check exam availability online and book the date before you start studying.
b) Attend the preparation seminars at the AIBC offices presented by the Intern Architect Committee. The seminar schedule is posted in the Intern Architects section of the AIBC website.
c) Find someone to study with. Even if you don’t study with someone, find someone to work through the exams with. It is more fun and you can motivate each other throughout the process.
2. The ARE Forum
The biggest resource for exam preparation can be found on the ARE Forum, a web-based bulletin board (
www.areforum.org). For example, if you are wondering which exam to write first, you might search ‘exam order poll’ and find that Materials and Methods is the exam of choice to begin the sequence. You can find a lot of information here for questions you may have about what to study, how much to study and what to expect. For instance, you may read a posting like this on what to expect for the M&M exam: “…much of what I studied was ‘types of’ such as types of cement, types of metal treating, types of lumber, etc. I memorized all the lumber dimensions, types of tile, brick, the galvanic series, even the entire fire door chart, but none of that came up on my exam. Still, I can’t see how anyone can go into this exam not knowing the ‘types of’ and that just takes a lot of studying because it’s so broad…” Be warned however, that the majority of comments on the forum are negative and tend to be over the top. Do not let these comments scare you. Much of what you need to know is covered in the study guides (available at the AIBC). If you work through these a few times, flip through the flash cards and read some extra materials (as recommended on the Forum) you should do fine.
3. Eric B.
A great place to start on the Forum is to review the postings by Eric B. He has shared his experiences of studying and writing the exams in a comprehensive, constructive and motivating manner. Click the ‘username’ button under the search menu and type ‘ericb’. Don’t miss his summary of the process at
www.areforum.org/forums. The ARE Forum is a free and an extremely useful resource. Please be respectful of the requirement that specific exam information is not posted as this would undermine the exam process, the Internship process and jeopardize the Forum.
4. How long to study
It is difficult to put an hour figure to this question. We find that three weeks to study for an exam is fast paced but doable, while four weeks is comfortable. Five weeks, unless you have commitments during this study period, is too long. Before you start studying it is helpful to count the chapters in the study guide and assign yourself a set number of days per chapter.
Planning your time in reverse from the test date will let you know if you are falling behind as you study for the exam.
5. Order
If you don’t want to read postings on the ARE Forum and just want to sign up for the exams, here’s our recommendation on the order:
1. Materials & Methods or
2. Construction Documents
3. General Structures
4. Lateral Forces
5. Mechanical Electrical
6. Site Planning
7. Building Planning
8. Building Technology (6 hr exam)
9. Pre-Design
If you have a lot of contract administration experience you may want to begin with Construction Documents because there is less to study for. Whichever one you start with, we find that Materials & Methods and Construction Documents have a lot of overlap in questions so they are good to take back-to-back.
Materials and Methods (Building Design)There is a lot of material to study for in this exam. The good thing is that the material is interesting and pretty straightforward. Also, content from this exam appears on many subsequent exams. There tends to be a few Contract Documents questions on this exam. It is therefore prudent to at least know what tasks are typically completed in which phases of the project (Pre-Design, Schematic Design, Construction Documents, etc.).
Construction DocumentsMost of what is tested on this exam comes from the contracts that govern the Architect, Client and Contractor. Before reading the Kaplan and Ballast study guides, read the actual contracts themselves. This will give you a better and quicker understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Architect, Client and Contractor than the study guides will. Read the study guides to reinforce, not replace the information from contracts to which the guides refer. When the exam questions refer to a contract, the equivalent Canadian contract will be referenced. From our point of view the Canadian contracts are shorter and clearer than their American counterparts. Also, since we practice in Canada they are more useful in our everyday work. There are elements on the exam which are not ‘bilingual’ however. For example, it is important to understand what the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is (a law? a guideline?, a regulating body?) and how it informs local codes and what binds architects to design buildings so that they meet the ADA. This material will be covered in the study guides. You can (and should)also read it firsthand in the ADA Guidelines which can be found on the ARE Forum under ‘downloads’.
General StructuresYou can bring your own non-programmable calculator to the exam. An on-screen formula sheet is provided. A lot of the material seems too detailed to be useful to an Architect at any stage of their career which makes studying for this exam frustrating. After doing a quick study of the
chapters in one or both of the study guides, go through the 300 practice questions at the back of the Kaplan Study guide. It seems like a lot of work, but we have found these questions to be a useful tool for learning what is required on the exam.
Lateral ForcesYou can bring your own non-programmable calculator to this exam. No formula sheet is provided. A lot of study material overlaps with General Structures so it is good to take General Structures first.
Mechanical & ElectricalThis exam covers a broad subject area with a great deal of study material. It is good to take this exam before attempting the Building Technology exam. Do not forget to study elevators (covered in Materials & Methods) and escalators. Both elevators and escalators are covered well in the MEEB textbook which you can find in the library. University libraries and College libraries will also have this book or similar Mechanical and Electrical text books.
Graphic Exam GeneralAlthough the study guides are somewhat helpful, it is important to do as many practice exams as possible on the computer to become familiar with the questions, solutions, and pitfalls. Practice exam question analysis is available on the ARE Forum website and in certain documents on the ARE Forum FTP site. One should also keep in mind that the solutions to these exams are quite synthetic and generally bear little resemblance to good real-world solutions.
Site Planning (Graphic Exam)This is a good graphic exam to begin with since it is the easiest of the three. It is also best exam to learn the ‘unique’ graphic software used in the exams. The most recent Kaplan study guides are of some use.
Building Planning (Graphic Exam)
The study guides again are of some use in this exam, but the ARE Forum questions and answers are much more enlightening. Time management, especially in the Office Layout (double check the name of the vignette) is essential. There are a lot of critical dimensions to keep track of.
Building Technology (Graphic Exam)This is the longest graphic exam. It is best to have had some experience with the software to avoid time pressures. There are a lot of vignettes, many of which have rather lengthy programmatic requirements. It is essential that you read these requirements carefully, as a missed element can mean the difference between passing and failing that particular vignette.
Pre DesignThis is not a good exam to begin with because it overlaps with many other exams, and does not necessarily cover just pre design topics. Be prepared for a wide variety of questions, and try to study the Architectural History materials before writing. It is also good to study for Construction Documents prior to this exam.
6. Study Guides / Flash Cards
Did you know that your Intern Library is the only library of ARE study resources in Canada? It is organized and maintained by the Intern Architect Committee. Materials for loan include: Kaplan and Ballast study guides, question and answer books and sample exam questions on CD. Items are available for a one week loan from the AIBC Reception Desk. If you live outside Vancouver, please call the AIBC Reception Desk at (604) 683-8588 (or 1-800-667-0753 outside of the Lower Mainland) and talk to Frankie to make arrangements. Please respect the return dates so that other Interns have timely access to the resource.
7. NCARB web site
The NCARB web site (
http://www.ncarb.org/) hosts downloadable, free up-to-date practice software for the three graphics exams. In addition, frequently asked questions regarding the ARE process and announcements can be found on the site.
8. NCARB Preparation Seminars
Over the years the Intern Architect Committee has developed a series of seminars to help prepare interns for the AREs. The aim of these workshops is to give an understanding of what to expect in the exams and to review some basic material. Each workshop runs lasts two hours.
9. Getting There
Where is 454-4800 Kingsway? This address actually refers to Metrotown shopping mall. Once inside you may have trouble locating 454. That’s because 454 isn’t shown on any shopping mall orientation maps or store listings. If you ask at the info desk (unless you booked an 8:30 a.m. exam and the info desk is closed) you will be pointed to the ‘Grand Court’. Take the neon wrapped elevators to the fourth floor. Next to Jellybean Park Child Centre you will see a place called ‘Cambridge College’, which is the Test Centre.
10. Feedback
As a courtesy to your fellow Interns, if you encounter a problem in the exam process please
report it to NCARB and do your part to improve the quality of these exams. Note that the NCARB 800 number does NOT work from Canada, and it is best to send your concerns in writing via their web site. Also, if you are sitting in front of a flickering screen at the Thompson Prometric Test Centre, please point it out to the staff. Also send your concerns in writing to Thompson Prometric via their web site. Remember, if nobody bothers to make an effort in these respects, nothing will change for the better. From the interns in your Intern Architect Committee, good luck in your exams!
