First and foremost, it can’t be only 5 study sources for ARE 5.0. I found that the exam material can get so broad that we sometimes stretch our-self too thin or get bogged down on certain topics. Below is the shortcut to make sure you don’t get overwhelmed and lost on your study.
- ARE 5 Handbook. I know it’s basic and everyone knows this, but you should first check on the corresponding sample questions in order to get a hold of the subject that you need to study.
- ARE Community Forum. Great resource from fellow candidates on study insights and strategies. Place for people to boast on finishing ARE exams in no time. Hey, time to get motivated.
- AIA Contract Documents x Schiff Hardin Lectures. I know going through contracts with legal jargon is painful! However, Schiff Hardin law firm has a great lecture to guide through the otherwise arduous foreign terms for architects. Let’s imagine lawyers reading through an architecture theory book. They’ll have the same feeling. I would suggest to play the lecture with 1.5x to 2x speed.
- Black Spectacle. Provide you with 4 mock exams per subject. Great way to familiarize yourself with the exam interface and pace yourself through the exam time. Definitely a must especially for larger exams like PPD and PDD. You need to pay for the subscription. However, if you happen to work in a larger firm, you’re covered. Usually they would provide employee with BS access.
- Amber Book. Holy grail of PPD and PDD study source. Study material is delivered in a form of video with animated diagrams. Very easy to understand. However, you need to pay premium for this, the monthly subscription can be very costly. I would suggest to enroll in group to get discount.
Bonus: Jenny’s Notebook. Jenny summarized thousand of pages into compact docs. Unfortunately it’s based on ARE 4.0 but still very handy and relevant for ARE 5.0
