Firm structures, delivery methods, programming, massing, wall sections, drawing sets, bonds and contract types: in your notes it's a wall of text. Here all six divisions fit in 68 drawn pages, one topic per page, with the drawing and what you need to remember. 68 drawn pages.
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One topic per page, the drawing that shows you how it works and the boxes with what you need to know:
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These are real pages from the book. The table of contents is the full one: 8 parts and 64 topics.
Three times now, you've read how design-bid-build, CM at risk and design-build differ. You close your notes...
...and you can't say who holds which contract. It was just lines of text.
Here project delivery is one drawn page, three ways side by side: two owner contracts in design-bid-build, the CM holding the trades in CM at risk, one contract in design-build.
And on the pages around it, each topic gets its own: integrated project delivery, the project team, fee budgets, design phase schedules and owner-architect agreements.
First you understand why it's done that way. Then who answers to whom sticks on its own.
The exam and how it works, Practice Management, Project Management, Programming and Analysis, Project Planning and Design, Project Development and Documentation, Construction and Evaluation, and the final review: 68 pages, all drawn
What if every ARE topic fit on a single page?
Instead of rereading half a page on building massing without being able to see it...
...you open the page and find 40,000 sf drawn two ways: 29,200 sf of envelope on four floors, 34,400 sf on two.
And firm legal forms, programming, drawing sets, bonds and look-alike terms become drawings and tables you can read at a glance.
You stop memorizing and start understanding.
That's exactly what The ARE Exam Sketchbook does: 68 drawn pages in 8 parts, 64 topics, and at the end look-alike terms side by side, the most frequent mix-ups and an exam day checklist.
Because what your brain sees organized, it remembers.
How the six divisions are built, the item types, how to work case studies, retakes, rules and the free practice exams.
Firm structures, business planning, overhead rate, multiplier and profit worked step by step, staffing, risk and insurance, ethics, licensure and the boards, quality and leadership.
Know who holds which contract and who answers to whom: design-bid-build, CM at risk, design-build and integrated delivery, the project team, fee budgets and hours, phase schedules, owner-architect agreements, scope changes and the project management plan.
Client needs and programming, adjacency diagrams, climate, sun path and topography, zoning, utilities, surveys, sustainability analysis, cost estimating and preliminary code review.
Form and massing, structural systems, envelope control layers, egress, accessibility, HVAC, plumbing and electrical at a glance, daylighting and acoustics, fire protection and materials.
Follow one wall through the whole set: organizing a drawing set, plans, sections and elevations, wall sections layer by layer, flashing, specifications, schedules, roofing, interiors, consultant coordination and code compliance in the documents.
Bidding and procurement, contract administration, submittals and shop drawings, RFIs, change orders and CCDs, field reports, pay applications, closeout, testing and post-occupancy evaluation.
Look-alike terms side by side, the most frequent mix-ups and the exam day checklist.
At the end of the book: Look-alike terms side by side, the most frequent mix-ups and an exam day checklist.
12 wall assemblies drawn layer by layer, with blank labels to fill in and the answer on the next page, so you can test what you remember.
300 printable cards with the term on the front and a one-line definition and tiny sketch on the back, so you can review in short sessions.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
PDF by email: The ARE Exam Sketchbook reaches your inbox as a PDF, and the two free books come by email too. One-time payment, no installments or hidden costs.
All six divisions in one book, one concept per page, so you can see the whole exam before you pick your first division.
A review of each division you can read at a glance, and at the end the look-alike terms, the most frequent mix-ups and the exam day checklist. Retaking one? Go straight to that division's pages.
Short study sessions after work, one page at a time, including the topics your firm doesn't touch: other delivery methods, firm finances and construction administration.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
30-day guarantee: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You have 30 days to try The ARE Exam Sketchbook and the two bonus books. If it doesn't help you study, if the content isn't what this page describes, if a file won't open or if something doesn't arrive, tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100% of what you paid. One-time payment, no subscription.
You get The ARE Exam Sketchbook as a high-resolution PDF by email, at the address you enter at checkout, to read on your phone or print. The two bonus books, Wall Sections Workbook and ARE Terms on Cards, also come as PDFs by email.
A one-time payment of $27 for the book and the two bonus books. No installments and no subscription. You'll also be offered optional extras at $9.90 each: you only pay for them if you add them.
For anyone preparing for NCARB's ARE 5.0, the same exam across U.S. jurisdictions, whether you're starting out, have already passed some divisions or are retaking one. Licensing rules vary by board, so check yours. The table of contents above shows every topic.
It's based on NCARB's Your Guide to ARE 5.0 (April 2026 edition) and the ncarb.org division pages. The ARE is a national exam, but adopted codes and licensing rules vary by jurisdiction. So the book teaches the logic, and where a number depends on the adopted code, the page leaves it for you to fill in, with a CHECK THE ADOPTED CODE box that says where to look it up. Your board has the final word on its requirements.
No. It's an independent study aid, not affiliated with or endorsed by NCARB or PSI. It doesn't give you a certificate, AXP hours or continuing education credit. Your licensing board and NCARB have the final word on the rules.
No. It gives you roughly 10 pages per division, one concept per page, so it won't go as deep as a full prep course. It's the map: it shows how the pieces fit, so NCARB's guidelines, its free practice exams and any prep you already use are easier to follow. Keep using them. It's a study aid and it doesn't guarantee passing.
No. The workbook, the cards and the optional practice tests are written for this book. They aren't official questions from any exam: they're there to help you practice.
Yes. It's a PDF, so you can read it on a screen or print the whole book or just the pages you want.
30-day guarantee: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You don't have to reread the same page hoping this time it sticks.
You don't have to memorize concepts you can't picture.
And you certainly don't have to walk into the exam not knowing where to start.
One last thing before you decide: the pages, the table of contents and the two bonus books are all on this page. Look them over. It's a PDF by email, with a 30-day guarantee: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
One-time payment: US$ 27 · Guarantee: 30 days · PDF by email
YES, I WANT THE ARE EXAM SKETCHBOOK FOR US$ 27📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
