WHEN

Best Practices for the ARE 5.0 – Study Habits

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How to Build Effective Study Habits for the ARE 5.0 Life gets busy with family obligations and work responsibilities. It's natural to get distracted when pulled in many directions. Establishing good ARE 5.0 study habits is crucial to navigating these challenges effectively. Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday. - Napoleon Hill Understanding the Best Way to Study for ARE 5.0 There is no... Read More

WHAT

Statute of Repose vs. Statute of Limitations on the ARE 5.0

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WTF is the difference? Inquiring minds want to know. There’s a lot of confusion regarding the Statute of Repose vs. the Statute of Limitations. One reason is each state sets its own limitations regarding the start date, the duration, and the end date. Furthermore, these change over time as each state sets a new precedent and updates the law. There is no absolute time limit for each statute, they both generally vary from 1 to 10 years depending on the state, and there isn’t one specific... Read More

WHAT

Joints in Architecture: Understanding the Terminology and Differences for ARE 5.0

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PDD — Section 1, Objective 1.1 or Section 2, Objective 2.3 Terminology in architecture and construction carries a lot of weight. Subtle distinctions in meaning make a big difference among common materials, assemblies, and practices, and using the appropriate terms (especially when writing test questions) is essential. Sill plate vs. sole plate, rift sawn vs. quarter sawn, vapor barrier vs. vapor retarder, to name a few. The terminology used in one practice test... Read More

WHAT

Nuts and bolts of moment and torque: What you need to know for ARE 5.0

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PDD — Section 1, Objective 1.3 Here's an illustration to help you understand the similarity between moment and torque. Bending moment & torque are measured as force ✕ distance The force acting on a beam/column connection is similar to that on a nut/bolt connection when it's tightened by a wrench. They are dimensionally equivalent, i.e., the product of the force and its distance from the connection. In architecture and structural engineering, moment and torque are... Read More

WHAT

Shading Devices According to the NCARB References

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Project Planning & Design  Section 1 — Environmental Conditions & Context. Objective 1.2 — Determine sustainable principles to apply to design. Or Section 4 — Project Integration of Program & Systems. Objective 4.4 — Integrate environmental and contextual conditions in the project design. Candidates are entitled to rely on the NCARB references for accurate information. So, what if the references are contradictory? For shading devices, when and where to use... Read More

WHAT

Rift sawn or quarter sawn? It depends.

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Depending on who's talking, the meaning of rift sawn and quarter sawn is quite different. Both terms refer to log cutting methods AND the boards those methods produce. Let's sort it out. Project Planning & Design  Section 3 — Building Systems, Materials, & Assemblies Objective 3.4 — Determine materials and assemblies to meet programmatic, budgetary, and regulatory requirements Wood — Log Cutting vs. Board Identification Log Cutting There’s a lot more on... Read More

WHAT

ARE 5.0 Acoustics Formula — Frequency vs. Wavelength

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The wavelength formula is among the four ARE acoustics formulas listed in the NCARB ARE Guidelines (page 126). Let's check out the relationship between wavelength and frequency. Project Planning & Design  Section 3 — Building Systems, Materials, & Assemblies Objective 3.3 — Determine special systems such as acoustics Excerpted from the CLARE article, Acoustics and Design Strategy. Through design, we can influence the sounds we want to hear and eliminate those... Read More

WHEN

Lying About the ARE Exam Could Help You Pass, Seriously

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Few people outside the world of architecture can understand the scope, difficulty, and challenges posed by the ARE 5.0 exam. Tackling the licensure process and passing all six exams is a major commitment of time and money, not to mention the inevitable injury to your self-esteem along the way. You know it's a herculean task, but not many others will get it. And all those questions, smirks, and expectations only add to the pressure you and most ARE candidates feel. The fact is, even... Read More

WHAT

ARE 5.0 Practice Exams – How To Use Them Wisely.

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There’s a ton of ARE 5.0 practice exams out there. But, a solid test question is hard to write. With the help of psychometricians, NCARB relies on an army of volunteers to write, review, revise, and test ARE exam questions before they’re unleashed on candidates. The fact that candidates still have issues with NCARB’s exam questions is evidence of the writing challenge. I’d argue that no third-party ARE 5.0 practice exam questions have been as thoroughly vetted, and forget about... Read More

HOW

ARE 5.0 – Don’t Forget about Time, Strategy, and Guessing

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Passing the ARE 5.0 isn't just about knowing the content, it's also strategy. You've got to apply multiple test-taking strategies to boost your odds. The truth is, time management is critical to squeeze every point out of this exam. There's no time to spare, especially when you get into the Case Study questions, which account for 10% to 20% of each exam. So, lock yourself in a quiet room, log in to your NCARB Record, and spend some quality time with the ARE 5.0 Demonstration Exam. Don't... Read More

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