I think to get the most out of this course it helps to understand when, why and how it was created.

In October 2017 I passed my last ARE 5.0 exam, PPD. This was 10 days after I passed PDD (yes, I did it backwards, no it doesn't matter) and three days before my second kid arrived.

These were still the early days of ARE 5.0. And though I wasn't an official early tester, I was taking these exams in the first year they were available. The information about them was sparse and the legacy study material just wasn't up to speed; My Kaplan study book for PDD still had a section on how to pass the vignettes, so....

I was active on the NCARB ARE 5.0 forum as I was going through my exams and after I passed I wrote up some legendary (self-assessed) post-test reports about what I experienced on the exams. Not literal questions, but topics and scenarios. This led to lots and lots and lots and lots of emails from other exam studiers, all asking the same things:

1. What practice tests did you use?
2. Will you tutor me?

The fact is that the further I got into my ARE 5.0 studies, the less I relied on traditional practice tests and generic study guides. If I took a practice test and didn't know the answer, I stopped the test then went searching for the answers. I put down the Ballast review manual and picked up Architectural Graphic Standards.

As for tutoring, I'm not the right choice. I don't know everything about everything. I probably know a little about not so much. But I am good at tests and I do know how to study efficiently, and that's what I can help you with.

Writing this course became my way to answer both those questions.

I want people to study what they were going to study anyway. Don't let PPI or Ballast or Black Spectacles tell you what to learn. YOU need to research the exams and study what you think you need to learn to feel confident.

Then give me an extra 15 minutes a day. I'll help you focus on some key topics that you WILL see on the exams. I'll help you efficiently use the dozens of resources listed on the exam resource matrix.

And if you put in the work, I will help you get more correct answers on test day. Even a couple can make the difference.

I really appreciate you signing up for this course. This literally helps me stay self-employed, but that's a story for another day.

It's time to get to work.