The Best New Year’s Present Of My Life:
Surviving the Architecture Registration Exams.
Garfield Peart
Licensed 2009

As I think about the Architecture Registration Exam (ARE) process, there is only one word that really comes to mind;”STRESS”; Oh and one more – “PAIN”! I got licensed in May 2009 in the state of Virginia after starting three years prior while we were living in Williamsburg for a short period of time. I took the test when it was still nine sections with the three graphics sections – Site Design, Building Construction, and Building Planning – the only ones with vignettes.

I started off strong by passing Construction Documents (CDs). As with most of the tests, CDs has so much information, 50% I had never seen before, that I am still shocked with passing it the first time. After that momentum, I feel like I could have these tests licked! I went on to fail the next two sections, Material & Methods and General Structures; studying for both consumed much of the previous 6 to 8 months. I was absolutely crushed and wondered why anyone would put themselves through all this pain for a piece of paper!! It took all of me not to go back and retake those tests before proceeding with the others – almost a year in and only passing one test! I picked myself up and somehow got the courage to continue on with my original plan. I went on to surprisingly pass the next one – Lateral Forces – along with all three graphic sections on the first tries!! By that time I was back in Atlanta and transitioning into a new firm with all the confidence in the world.

With all of that momentum and being the back in the ATL, it was, time to tackle my previous nemesis – M&M and General Structures (GS). First up, M&M, this time I only focused on areas that I was unfamiliar in and collected as much information from previous tests as possible; the key was that I just did not put as much pressure on myself this time and just rolled with it. This time, I had better luck and got through M&M the second time. Then came one of the hardest tests in the ARE – GS – it has prevented many a candidate from passing all together. At this time, I will mention that I took David Thaddeus’ structures class back in Virginia and would not have passed any of the structures sections without him. He does such a great job getting you into the mind of NCARB and focusing you on just what you need to know – none of which is related to what we learned in school. I got through GS the second time and wanted to celebrate like there was no tomorrow – but I had two to go, one of which is the second hardest in ARE process.

Now, it is well known one of the hardest tests in the ARE process is the MEP test and I was scared to death. Besides, in November the pressure was on because I was coming up against the deadline for ARE 4.0, and I had only two months to finish MEP if I was going to give myself a second shot at it before the deadline in June of 2009. Needless to say, I was going to try and do one of the hardest tests within two months and over the holidays when it usually takes over 6-months to prepare for it. So I consulted the most experienced expert I could find, my buddy that has taken it 3-times without passing it at the time – he later passed it and he is registered today. He was able to show me specific materials and calculations that you can only know from having such extensive experience with the test – with so much out there it was material that I would have never found on my own. Even with all that great information, with the holidays fast approaching, I felt like I was cramming for a test that was almost impossible to pass on the first try.

The holidays came and went with nothing on my mind but MEP!! I had to schedule the exam in Macon, Georgia, just three days after Christmas because it was not available in any of the three testing centers in Atlanta. So the whole two months culminated in a few days after Christmas and I felt like I didn’t know the material enough to go into the test. My plan was to disappear for a couple of days, lock myself in a hotel room and do one final cram session for the test – this is usually what you DON’T want to do with the exams because you run the risk of losing information mentally. Those two days were two of the longest days of my life just trying to stuff as much information in my head as possible. Test day came, and, with a final prayer, I went in and took the test first thing in the morning. When I came out, I had mixed feelings because I saw some of what I managed to remember and did some quality guessing on others; but it was anyone’s test at that point. They say if you felt you passed, most times you didn’t and vice-a-versa; I was good then because I felt almost the same way I did going in. A couple of weeks later I got the best New Year’s present in my life – I had conquered MEP and passed it on the first time!

I later went on to take and pass Pre-Design a few months later and the rest was history. The ARE process was one of the most stressful and rewarding experiences that I have had in my life. However, I think every architect needs to experience because it gives you a much greater appreciation of what other professionals – doctors, lawyers, and engineers – have to go through to be licensed. The process really takes you to the brink and shows you what you’re made of. It truly took every ounce of me to survive and it will forever shape my professional and personal life. Good Luck.

Garfield Peart, MBA, AIA, NOMA
President, Syntony Design Collaborative, LLC
Originally written March 2012
Image: Clipart Library
———————
Share your story.