Tips for the Practice & Project Management Divisions

With examinee Erik Walker’s help, we have compiled a list of useful tips to help you prepare for the Practice Management and Project Management divisions of ARE 5.0 more efficiently.

Erik is an ARE 5.0 examinee who has been working in the architecture industry for close to 10 years and holds a Master of Architecture from North Dakota State University. He sees obtaining the architecture license as a gateway to financial success and freedom to forge his own career path. Erik is on a fast track to completing all six divisions of ARE 5.0 and has taken the Practice Management and Project Management divisions. He studied for about three weeks before his first exam and plans to follow a similar review schedule before the other divisions.

"Completing the ARE exams is more important to me than any project that walks through the door,” he said. “Passing these tests changes your career path from a few possible doors to an unending number in the future—and if there is no door to open, just having attained the license allows you to create your own.”

“For this test I do recommend that you start with the case study because you don't know what you will find in the supplemental documents...You might get lucky and get an AIA contract document that could help you with other multiple choice questions," Erik said.

As you take on an architecture project, the AIA contract serves as the foundational guide to lead you through the project. One of the major topics covered in the Project Management division is “Contracts.” As recommended by Erik, the best way to prepare for this division is to visualize the contract—print out an actual AIA contract and review it with the detailed explanations provided in the ARE 5 Review Manual. This strategy helps to paint a solid picture of the contract, which further strengthens your memory.