Section 1 see LARE exam covers project and construction administration.
Many landscape architect candidates find this section of the Landscape a Architect Registration Exam (LARE) to be particularly challenging due to it specialized vocabulary.
Fortunately, there are several resources that can help you prepare to take the section of the LARE exam.
Land8.com has published a great article about Section 1 resources. Here are some of the resources they suggest.
CLARB Practice Exams
The Council Of Landscape Architect Registration Boards (CLARB) cells practice test that you can use to assess your knowledge and do you use as a study resource. Since CLARB is the same organization that administers the exams, it is likely that the questions will be phrased in ways similar to what you see on the exam. You can purchase the exams from CLARB’s website. CLARB’s own research shows that candidates for licensure who use practice problems have a higher passing rate than those who do not.
Recommended Books for Section 1
Books are a time-tested resource for exam preparation. CLARB recommends reading four books to help prepare candidate’s for Section 1 of the LARE.
Construction Contracts, 2nd Edition / Hinze
Construction Contracts is The go to resource for construction contract and construction the ministration information. most students who uses the pass Section 1 of the LARE he find it to be extremely helpful.
Project Management for Design Professionals / Ramroth
This is another key resource for the exam. This book covers the project management side of the exam. Unfortunately, it appears to be out of print. However, you can find used copies on Amazon.com and other resellers. The most important parts of this book discuss project management with dealing with your internal team and also dealing with your client and external consultants. if you can find a copy, I highly recommend it.
Ready, Set, Practice: Elements of Landscape Architecture Professional Practice / Sharky
Ready, set, practice is the standard professional practice text but used in colleges and landscape architecture programs in the United States. If you have a copy of the sticking around from your college days, great. Otherwise most of the information is covered in the other resources.
Sustainability and Design Ethics / Russ
This is the last book that CLARB recommends for section 1 of the LARE exam. Many landscape architect candidates report that this is the least useful of the books mentioned here. As with the rest of the profession, car is trying to include sustainable options and sustainable philosophy into the profession. However, the information in this book is largely philosophical and you probably already got in this green indoctrination in your landscape architect education program. If you’re short on time, or short on money, you may want to skip this book.
Get Connected with other Landscape Architect Candidates
In this age of social media, there are other resources where you can connect virtually with other people who are preparing to take section 1 of the LARE exam. Here are a couple of places to meet and discuss topics with other candidates.
LARE Google Group
Do you have a question about the exam? Do you want to hear from people who’ve already passed the section you’re preparing for? Well then the LARE Google groups is the place to go. This Google group is an active community of people who are preparing to take the exam. There’s a constant dialogue of people who are asking for feedback on questions and answers on the exam. It’s also a great place to go for psychological support from people who are struggling through the same things you are or people who have been there and I’ve already passed.
Connect here: LARE Google group.
Land 8 Forum
Land eight lounge is a premier for him for landscape architects to come together and discuss topics. There are several discussion threads that discussed different aspects of section 1 of the LARE exam. This is another resource that I found helpful when I was preparing to take the different exams.
Connect here: land 8
Third-party Study Guides
There are several third parties to guides that are designed to help landscape architect candidates prepare for section 1 of the LARE exam. These are the guys that candidates find to be the most helpful.
PPI Section A
The PPI Company write several study guides to help landscape architect candidates prepare for the exams. Although these books are named after the old exam sections for example Section A instead of Section 1, you can still use these to repair for the new exam.
You can buy the books new or used on Amazon.com or buy them off of somebody who’s already taken the exam on the LARE Google group.
Shake and Bake Study Guides
Kevin Worthington and produces an excellent test-based study guide for Section 1 of the LARE. This guide includes 115 practice exam questions that help landscape architect candidates prepare to take the multiple-choice exam. Several landscape architect candidates on the Google LARE group highly recommend Kevin’s materials.
Final Thoughts
Preparing for Section 1 of the Landscape Architect Registration Exam (LARE) is a complicated and consuming process. Having the right study materials and connecting with fellow landscape architect candidates can help you prepare for the exam and increase your odds of passing the first time. It is possible and you can do it.