#ArchiTalks 31 The Architectural Registration Exam

“The Architect Registration Exam”

I think that I have told this story several times, and if you want to hear it live, it’s in my EntreArchitect podcast with Mark LePage (shameless plug).

I have been licensed since March 1994.  

I started taking the Architect Registration Exams in 1990, I think, which was 2 years after I “graduated” Cal Poly, Pomona (minus College Algebra).  There was a big push at the Cal Polys to be prepared for and go for licensure, so it was never really a thought to me that I would not take the Exam.  By the way, I have never been a good test taker. I was not in a study group, my boyfriend, now husband, and I were both studying for it, but I really don’t recall studying it with him.  He had taken it the year before.  At that time, it was only offered once a year, so you just studied for it and took it with everyone else and you took them all a t the same time because it was only offered once a year.  We were living in Venice Beach and I took a couple days off and went to my parent’s house in San Diego to study.  Then we just went to the building in the morning (ours was in the ginormous building in the Pomona Fairgrounds) and for five days we took all the exams.  I forget whether there were 8 o r9, but I took all of them.  The last day was the Building Design one and it was a 12 hour exam.  It started at 6 am and ended at 6 pm.  I am not sure whether I ate anything or went to the bathroom.  All I really remember is  looking over that sea of tables in that building with all of those heads trying their hardest to become architects and the project: An Architect’s Office in a city in Texas that was by a river. (San Antonio) and it had a rubble wall that separated the site topography. I can remember one of my friends telling me beforehand, “you won’t pass it the first time, so just go into it for the experience”  At 5:30 pm, the silence of the hall was broken by the stippling of everyone’s pencils

Yes, it was all hand drafting!

A few weeks later, I found out that I had passed about half of them, including Building Design.

I took it a few more times to get General Structures completed and only after I took the advice of the guys I worked with at a Structural Engineering firm and had them tutor me.  They asked me, “how many points did you fail by?” and i said,”About 8 and they said, “well, you only have to study that much then”.

I passed the last exam and in California, we also have the California Supplemental Exam, “the Oral” as it was once known by.  It was an interview where a panel of three architects would ask you questions based on the Occupational Survey and you would have to answer them correctly.  

Well, in California, we not only have the CSE, we also have earthquakes. So, the week or so before I was to take the exam, the Northridge Quake hit.  As I had mentioned before I was working at a Structural Engineering firm and everyone wanted their houses and structures assessed for damage, so we were pretty busy and I had pretty much waited til the last minute to study. So, I showed up in a heathered blue shawl collar jacket  with a matching blouse underneath and navy blue worsted wool pants with the top button undone because, did I mention, that I was four months pregnant with our first child?  As I sat there, I watched another woman walking with her stroller and her husband watched the baby as she went up the elevator and thought, “i better pass this thing the first time around…”

And I did!

Just a side note, when I tell people that I was pregnant for “the Orals” they say, “oh, they must have passed you because they felt sorry for you”

Yes, as a woman I have heard this plenty of times from other architects!  

And No, because you couldn’t even tell I was pregnant.

Two years ago, I applied for licensure in Texas and it was a lot easier this time around and my license number in Texas is only slightly higher than my one in California.

Fourteen years ago, I wanted to see what was going on with other Architects and stay connected to the Architecture world and, as I had three children by then and I wanted a break, what else does an Archimom do?  I decided to help give the CSE as an examiner!  A few years ago, as the State decided to administer a different format exam, I now help to write the CSE along with many others and I am probably a better test taker now than I was before, but don’t ask me about the ARE because I don’t write it and don’t ask me about the CSE because they will take away my license!

The most  important advice that I have to offer others who are taking the ARE is to just keep trying and study the materials that NCARB tells you to study!!!.

I am now offering sponsorship opportunities and I am grateful for that. Please contact me via my website below for more information.

MGHarchitect: Michele Grace Hottel, Architect

Bob Borson - Life of An Architect (@bobborson)

Matthew Stanfield - FiELD9: architecture (@FiELD9arch) What is the Big Deal about the ARE?

Marica McKeel - Studio MM (@ArchitectMM)

Jeff Echols - Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)

Lee Calisti, AIA - Think Architect (@LeeCalisti) what A.R.E. you willing to do

Mark R. LePage - EntreArchitect (@EntreArchitect)

Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC) Take the architect registration exam, already

Collier Ward - One More Story (@BuildingContent)

Cormac Phalen - Cormac Phalen (@archy_type)

Nicholas Renard - Renard Architecture (@dig-arch)

Jeremiah Russell, AIA - ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect) I'm out on this one.

Eric T. Faulkner - Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome) ARE - The Turnstile

Rosa Sheng - EquitybyDesign [EQxD] (@EquityxDesign)

Michele Grace Hottel - Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel) the architect registration exam

Meghana Joshi - IRA Consultants, LLC (@MeghanaIRA)

Michael Riscica AIA - Young Architect (@YoungArchitxPDX)

Stephen Ramos - BUILDINGS ARE COOL (@BuildingsRCool)

brady ernst - Soapbox Architect (@bradyernstAIA)

Brian Paletz - The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz) I forget

Michael LaValley - Evolving Architect (@archivalley)

Jonathan Brown - Proto-Architecture (@mondo_tiki_man)

Eric Wittman - intern[life] (@rico_w)

Emily Grandstaff-Rice - Emily Grandstaff-Rice FAIA (@egrfaia)

Jarod Hall - di'velept (@divelept)

Drew Paul Bell - Drew Paul Bell (@DrewPaulBell) The Architecture Registration Exam

Jeffrey Pelletier - Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum) What is the Benefit of Becoming a Licensed Architect?

Samantha R. Markham - The Aspiring Architect (@TheAspiringArch)

Kyu Young Kim - J&K Atelier (@sokokyu) Every Architect's Agony

Nisha Kandiah - ArchiDragon (@ArchiDragon) To do or not to do ?

Rusty Long - Rusty Long, Architect (@rustylong)

Keith Palma - Architect's Trace (@cogitatedesign) Test or Task

Jim Mehaffey - Yeoman Architect (@jamesmehaffey) Passing the Test

Tim Ung - Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)

Mark Stephens - Mark Stephens Architects (@architectmark) Part 3!

Gabriela Baierle-Atwood - Gabriela Baierle-Atwood (@gabrielabaierle)

Ilaria Marani - Creative Aptitude (@creaptitude) How to Become a Licensed Architect in Italy

Jane Vorbrodt - Kuno Architecture (@janevorbrodt) Seven Years of Highlighters and Post-it Notes

Larry Lucas - Lucas Sustainable, PLLC (@LarryLucasArch)