7 and 0: An Undefeated Year
By Thomas A. Allen
Licensed 2010

Winding down the Spring of ‘06, I moved to Atlanta, GA after finally being done with several years of college. Thru the decade of my twenties I earned an Associate’s degree in Radio and TV Broadcasting, an Associate’s degree in Architecture, a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Masters of Architecture degree and was now burnt out on school. I was ready to start my new life as a young architect and my aim was to get my license and become a registered architect as soon as possible. In the mid-2000’s, most states required completion of all of your IDP hours before you could even get approved to take the exams. Only a few states allowed you to start the ARE while working on your IDP and Georgia was not one of them.

Not to put things off any longer than necessary, a few friends and I got creative. Knowing we could get licensed in one state and then get reciprocity in others, we looked at nearby states and their systems for getting licensed. Unfortunately, Alabama didn’t even have a website and did everything on paper; Florida had additional requirements for hurricanes. I ended up selecting Texas as my first state, mostly because everything was done electronically, and they appeared to have a speedy turnaround on test scores.

I’m firm believer that the best way to stay focused when taking the ARE is to build a system of accountability to keep you on track. Life WILL get in the way of getting licensed; an accountability partner will help get you back on track when that (inevitably) happens. My former classmate from grad school Richard Lyew was that person for me. Rich and I would study at a great coffee shop called Inman Perk in Atlanta. It happened more than once that I’d be home relaxing and Rich would text me and say he was heading to the coffee shop to study… so I’d pack my bag and head over. We kept each other from slacking off.

One Saturday at Inman Perk, Rich and I were studying, and I just decided to register for my first exam. I didn’t feel entirely ready but wasn’t sure I ever would; I walked over and told Rich, “I just booked my first exam”. He said “Really? I’m going to book mine too”. And just like that we were on our way. I spent about 6-7 weeks studying for the first exam, Construction Documents and Services (CDS). On the morning of April 20, 2009, I felt good going into the exam. I had studied all I could and felt I had a good handle on the study materials. Coming out of the exam was another story. There were questions from WAY out of left field that were not included in the study materials; questions about site design, pre-design, mechanical systems, etc. Feeling frustrated and bewildered, I decided I would wait for the results before taking my next exam. I might need to revamp my entire study approach. Who knew?

I waited and waited and waited. Weeks turned into months and by late June I just couldn’t wait any longer and booked the Site Planning Exam for early August hoping I passed CDS. I called NCARB every week for my results with no luck. The results took FOREVER!!!! Apparently, since I started to take my exams in the new v4.0, my first exam got caught in the transition window between v3.9 and v4.0. The normal four-week turnaround time for test scores had turned into twelve weeks and counting. FINALLY, in late July I got my result – I had passed! I was both relieved and exhausted from the suspense. One down, six to go.

I scheduled exam #2 for a Friday and decided to take a practice exam mid-week. BAD IDEA! I did horrible on the practice exam and this fueled doubts and fears that I thought I had under control. I freaked out and called in sick for work on Thursday to hit the study material hard for the full day. I came out of exam #2 feeling better than exam #1 and ultimately concluded two things that were key to the rest of my exams: (1) Don’t take practice exams and (2) Schedule all exams on Monday morning so I’d have the full weekend to study.

These two decisions served me well. I was able to run through the last five exams in 8 months, including taking two exams (Materials & Methods and Schematic Design) the week of Christmas. After a rough start, I took all 7 exams in exactly 1 year with no retakes. I finished the last one on April 20, 2010. It wasn’t easy. I dedicated many weekends at Inman Perk going over the study materials even on beautiful Atlanta summer days. It was all worth earning my initial architecture license and becoming an Architect. A few months later I got reciprocity in Georgia and eventually Illinois when I moved to Chicago.

As you continue your process to prepare for the A.R.E. you’ll ask architects, How should I study? What should I study? You’ll get many contrasting points of view and differing of options. Each of us had to find our own way to study and prepare. You CAN become a registered architect. The key is to find your own way to prepare. It took me a couple of exams to find my groove and once you find yours the challenge to pass won’t seem that hard.

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