Don’t Let Life Get in the Way, (if possible…)
By Richard Lyew
Licensed 2011

During my architecture internships, I heard stories from other architects who waited too long to take their exams and ultimately never did because life got in the way. Once I started my first job out of grad school I was determined to pass the exams as soon as possible. I settled down in Atlanta after my studies in Illinois. I was never one to study in groups, but it just so happened that I ran into a fellow UIUC grad, Thomas Allen, who had also moved to Atlanta. We never formally met in grad school because we were in different programs but I remember seeing him there. We decided to study for the exams together at a little coffee shop between our apartments called Inman Perk and this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, fueling us with added motivation and accountability. At that time, testing was allowed, in some states, before the completion of your internship so I took advantage of that and registered to test through Texas because Georgia did not allow testing prior to completing internship hours.

I decided to take the Structures exam first as this was my strongest subject. Prior to studying architecture I received my undergrad degree in Civil engineering and was a structures teaching assistant throughout Architecture school. Not surprisingly, I passed the Structures exam in April 2009 which was a big confidence booster to start the series of exams. Summer came and there was little motivation to study, so I ended up taking and passing Construction Documents later in August. Looking back at that stretch from May to August in closer detail there were a couple of distractions on my calendar that wiped out solid study weekends – a modern house tour in May, and two trips to Charlotte & Champaign in July. By far the most distracting event – and rightly so – was my trip to Charleston in June, where I got engaged to my girlfriend of four years.

After that Construction Documents pass, I scheduled exams for the next two months to keep the momentum going, passing Site Planning & Design and Programming, Planning & Practice in September and October. I made sure to practice the graphic vignettes multiple times beforehand, familiarize myself with the testing interface, and also take the practice multiple-choice exams to gage my level of knowledge. I also read two prep books, the Kaplan and Ballast, in addition to textbooks from school. I used the flashcards during my train commute to and from work as well.

In December, I moved from Atlanta to DC with my fiancé, who landed a fellowship there. I continued to study that winter, which was perfect as I’m usually homebound when it’s cold. It took me a couple of months to take the “Building Systems” exam as this was my weakest subject area and on top of that I was now involved with planning our wedding, which we scheduled to happen just nine months later, in September 2010. I ended up failing this exam in February 2010, but decided to stay on schedule and take another exam the following month, passing Building Design & Construction Systems in March. After that exam, I postponed studying to focus on the wedding planning and take a break. Fall came and we had the best time celebrating our wedding milestone with family & friends. We also enjoyed a much needed respite honeymooning in Costa Rica, admiring majestic outdoor sights like the Arenal Volcano.

It wasn’t until over a year later, May 2011, that I took and passed the Schematic Design exam. At that point I only had the one exam that I had failed left, which I took and passed a couple of months later in August. I recall scheduling and rescheduling this final exam at least once, maybe more, as I never felt ready for it. Plus sure other competing summertime activities were distracting as well.

Having my license and maintaining an NCARB record opened up a couple of opportunities for me. My next job paid significantly more since I was licensed; this allowed me to purchase my first home. After 13 years of practicing architecture, I decided to open my own firm and was able to easily obtain reciprocity in MD and VA to expand business opportunities. For young architects that are just getting started, make sure your internship hours are well rounded, then start testing as soon as you can. Study with a partner for added motivation. Carve out a couple of months in your year and schedule all your tests – you can always reschedule if you’re not adequately prepared. I found that the winter months were great for me because there were less distracting events to compete for my attention. You’ll be relieved that you got your license out of the way early, which will make room for other growth opportunities in your personal life and career.
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Photo courtesy Richard Lyew.