AIA Denver ARE Study Group

I attended the study group for AIA Denver last night. I liked the energy in the room, and there was a good range of test takers. Some people have already completed some of their exams, others are starting their first test just like me. We discussed best ways to communicate among the group, and different seminars for those interested. This study group is a free service of AIA Denver, but is limited to AIA members only. For those interested in either the group or membership contact Emily Ewing.

The group meets every Monday at 5:30 - 7:00pm in the AIA Denver office.

For the first 7-8 weeks, the group will focus on the following exam sections.
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
BUILDING SYSTEMS
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
PROGRAMMING, PLANNING & PRACTICE.

I will study with the newbies for Schematic Design for the first couple weeks, hopefully take the exam and then start studying for Building Systems.

Additionally, AIA offers a Review Seminar Schedule. The next session is Saturday March 13th, Programming, Planning & Practice

AUTHORIZATION TO TEST

I got my authorization to test on January 15th, 2010. It came in the mail from Prometric.
I submitted my Council Record to be reviewed on December 7th, 2010. It took about 5-6 weeks, which is close to what they predict. As I have mentioned I will begin studying after the conclusion of the winter olympic games. I also receieved word from AIA Denver of a new study group for any of those intereseted. Contact Emily at the AIA Denver Office.

On the Road

I will bo on the road with work over the next couple weeks. I will get to the blog and studying in mid February. I apologize for the gap in posts, but I still have to wait for my lovely Authorization to Test.

Cheers

Merry Christmas NCARB, I left you a $185 present under the tree just for you.

I just submitted my Council Record to be Reviewed. They are prediciting a turn around time of 6-8 weeks until I get my Authorization to Test. I will take a break from the blog, until I get the green light. Just a reminder, you have to pay the remainder of your IDP fees before you can submit...get ready for a possible $185 remaining fee. Just in time for the holidays, Merry Christmas.

Site Planning and Design 0-2 Weeks

I have officially switched my first test to Site Planning & Design. I couldn't muster the energy to re-study Building Systems after hitting the speed bump with NCARB. One reason I wanted to take Building Systems, was to regurgitate my Sustainable Design knowledge from when I took the LEED exam. Good news is, there is a Sustainable Design chapter in Site Planning & Design. I checked out both the Kaplan Study guide and flash cards, the flash cards are about 1/3 the size of the BS set. I will spend about 4-5 weeks studying for this. I hope to take the test in early January. I will document both the time spent studying...and my results from all the quizzes I take. This way, if I pass, you can see about what quiz score is appropriate for a pass.

I'm already bored with Building Systems.

I might be tweaking my testing order, more to follow. In my quest to find more Building Systems material I stumbled upon this. Yes, it is corny, but only Architects can procrastinate this efficiently.

Youtube :
Seducious - MEEB Like This

Building Systems 0-2 Weeks - ORDER CHANGED

UPDATE - I SWITCHED MY FIRST TEST TO SITE PLANNING AND DESIGN. I went to the local AIA and checked out Kaplan - Building Systems and retained the Ching - Visual Dictionary of Architecture. I like the visual connection that Ching provides. I went ahead and bought the PPI ARE Review Manual to use on all sections. From the forum I've read that PPI's book is good to familiarize yourself with each section, but far from complete. To fill the gap, I will also use Kaplan's book and then move onto flash cards. I have no bias towards PPI or Kaplan's material, and when it comes time for practice tests, I will take any material I can get. Just the act of applying your mind to retrieve ARE info is invaluable. When it comes time for memorization, I will share a secret learned from a classical pianist. Happy Thanksgiving.