My goal was to pass all the architecture licensure exams (AREs) by my birthday last September.
That didn’t happen.
After my two-week whirlwind of taking all six exams last May, I took a week or two off and restarted studying on weekends starting May 31st, lasting until July 8th. As the days lengthened and the weather got warmer, my motivation faded. My weekends were at the beach instead.
As summer turned to fall, I moved into an apartment in Brooklyn, pouring my energy into enjoying the new location. I started dating someone, and the motivation to study was nonexistent, even though the pressure never really left.
Studying Again
I don’t know what prompted me to start again. Maybe it was coming back from Palm Springs with nothing ahead but endless cold winter days. But on January 25th, I decided to start. I had two exams left.
My initial plan was to study only for Construction & Evaluation (CE). It was the easier of the two, and I am heading to South Africa at the end of March. I didn’t want to spend every moment studying and didn’t think I had enough time. I didn’t want to split my focus.
About three weeks in, I decided to add Project Planning & Design (PPD) and take it before the trip. I figured that if I didn’t pass, I’d still have another shot before summer. You have to wait two months between attempts.
Usually, when I decide to do something, I can’t do it halfway. I fully devoted myself to studying, the same way I had when I was preparing for all six. I studied during my lunch break, after work, on weekends. Every moment I had.
That meant I couldn’t see my girlfriend much. We went from spending multiple weeknights and weekends together to only once a week. The pressure I’d been carrying, constant like a weight that never lifted, wasn’t good for us or for me. I didn’t think it was affecting me, but I got annoyed easily over things I otherwise wouldn’t have, and created problems where there shouldn’t have been any.
We broke up two days before my CE exam on March 7th.
I didn’t know how I was supposed to sit for an exam when I couldn’t focus on anything other than the loss. But I passed. I just didn’t have her to share it with, so it felt hollow.
Two weeks later, on March 21st, I took PPD. I failed.
I put everything into studying, lost a relationship, and gave up eight weeks of my life. I wanted to pass so badly to put it and the exams behind me. To start enjoying things again without the constant feeling that I should be studying. Part of me had also held onto the idea that if I passed both exams, maybe things could be different between us. I’ve since talked myself out of that. But whether I passed or failed, failing means these exams are still part of my life. The time. The money. Each failed attempt is $257 and a piece of my life.
Eight weeks. Approximately 141 hours, around 17.5 hours a week and 2.5 hours a day. What’s frustrating is that I don’t know what I’d do differently. I knew the material. But the PPD exam felt like it was testing something else entirely, asking about topics that never appeared in my study materials, framed in ways I didn’t recognize. I took the official practice exam two weeks before and passed it easily, even after forgetting to answer five or six questions.
At the end of it all, I’ve passed five out of six exams in just over a year. That’s something. It doesn’t feel like much right now, but one exam left is a good place to be. It’s a muted feeling, buried under everything else.
I’ll retake PPD in two months. I’ll study again. And I will pass it, whether that’s the next try or the one after that.
The Costs
Previous exams and study material – $2,321
Heating, Cooling, Lighting book – $52.28
Prof Practice book – $21
Elifs Questions CE – $55
Elifs Questions PPD – $55
Elifs Questions ADA – $30
CE & PPD exam – $514
Total money spent so far on materials and exams: $3,048
My previous two posts on the AREs: