Friday, July 11, 2025

My new book, “Project Development & Documentation (PDD) ARE 5.0 Exam Guide (Architect Registration Exam)”, has been published!

 

My new book, “Project Development & Documentation (PDD) ARE 5.0 Exam Guide (Architect Registration Exam)”, has been published!

 

Many readers ask about this book. Your wait is over!

 

Here is more info:

 

Project Development & Documentation (PDD) ARE 5.0 Exam Guide (Architect Registration Exam): ARE 5.0 Overview, Exam Prep Tips, Guide, and Critical Content

ISBN: 9781612650555

ISBN: 978-1-61265-055-5

 

It is available at:

http://www.GreenExamEducation.com

 

 

Synopsis

 

A Practical Guide for the ARE 5.0 Project Development & Documentation (PDD) Division!

 

To become a licensed architect, you need to have a proper combination of education and/or experience, meet your Board of Architecture’s special requirements, and pass the ARE exams.

 

This book provides an ARE 5.0 exam overview, suggested reference and resource links, exam prep and exam taking techniques, tips, and guides for the ARE 5.0 Project Development & Documentation (PDD) Division.

 

More specifically this book covers the following subjects:

• ARE 5.0, AXP, and education requirements

• ARE 5.0 exam content, format, and prep strategies

• ARE 5.0 credit model and the easiest way to pass ARE exams by taking only 5 ARE divisions

• Allocation of your time and scheduling

• Timing of review: the 3016 rule; memorization methods, tips, suggestions, and mnemonics

• Integration of Building Materials & Systems

• Construction Documentation

• Project Manual & Specifications

• Codes & Regulations

• Construction Cost Estimates

 

This book will help you pass the PPD division of the ARE 5 and become a licensed architect!

 

About the author

 

Gang Chen holds a master’s degree from the School of Architecture, University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s degree from the School of Architecture, South China University of Technology. He has more than 30 years of professional experience. Many of the projects he was in charge of or participated in have been published extensively in Architecture, Architectural Record, The Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, and more. He has worked on a variety of unusual projects, including well-known, large-scale healthcare and hospitality projects with over one billion dollars in construction costs, award-winning school designs, highly-acclaimed urban design and streetscape projects, multifamily housing, high-end custom homes, and regional and neighborhood shopping centers. 

 

Gang Chen is a LEED AP BD+C and a licensed architect in California. He is also the internationally acclaimed author of other fascinating books, including Building Construction, Planting Design Illustrated, the ARE Mock Exam series, the LEED Mock Exam series, and the LEED Exam Guides series, which includes one guidebook for each of the LEED exams. For more information, visit www.GreenExamEducation.com


Can you study and pass the ARE 5.0 Project Development & Documentation (PDD) in 2 weeks?

The answer is yes:  If you study the right materials, you can pass with 2 weeks of prep.

If you study our books, “Project Development & Documentation (PDD) ARE 5.0 Exam Guide (Architect Registration Exam)” & Project Development & Documentation (PDD) ARE 5.0 Mock Exam (Architect Registration Exam)," you have an excellent chance of studying and passing the ARE 5.0 Project Development & Documentation (PDD) in 2 weeks. We have added many tips and tricks that WILL help you pass the exam on your first try. Our goal is to take a very complicated subject and make it simple. Our two books will save you time and money and help you pass the exam on the first try!

 

 

ArchiteG®, Green Associate Exam Guide®, GA Study®, and GreenExamEducation® are registered trademarks owned by Gang Chen.

 

ARE®, Architect Registration Examination® are registered trademarks owned by NCARB.

 

 

What others are saying about ARE Mock Exam series & ARE Exam Guide series

 

“Great study guide…”

“This was a great resource supplement to my other study resources. I appreciated the mock exam questions the most, and the solutions offer an explanation as to why the answer is correct. I will definitely check out his other ARE exam resources!

 

UPDATE: Got my PASS Letter!”

Sean Primeaux

 

“Tried everything 4 times before reading this book and PASSED!”

“I had failed this exam 4 times prior to getting this book…I had zero clue as to what I was doing wrong. I read Ballast, Kaplan and random things on the forum but for the life of me couldn't pinpoint where I was missing it until I read THIS BOOK! Gang did an excellent job…I remember … reading Gang's book and saying Ohhhh like 4 or 5 times. I read his book several times until I became comfortable with the information. I went in on test day and it was a breeze. I remember walking out of there thinking I couldn't believe I struggled so much before. The tips in here are priceless! I strongly recommend this book…”
—hendea1

 

“Add this to your ARE study”

“This was a very helpful practice exam and discussion. I really appreciated the step-by-step review of the author's approach... As I studied it last before taking the test, Gang Chen's book probably made the difference for me.”

Dan Clowes (“XLine”)

 

“Good supplemental mock exam”

“I found the mock exam to be very helpful; all of the answers are explained thoroughly and really help you understand why it is correct...Also the introduction and test taking tips are very helpful for new candidates just starting the ARE process.”

Bgrueb01

 

“Essential Study Tool”

“I have read the book and found it to be a great study guide for myself. Mr. Gang Chen does such a great job of helping you get into the right frame of mind for the content of the exam. Mr. Chen breaks down the points on what should be studied and how to improve your chances of a pass with his knowledge and tips for the exam.

 

I highly recommend this book to anyone…it is an invaluable tool in the preparation for the exam as Mr. Chen provides a vast amount of knowledge in a very clear, concise, and logical matter.”

Luke Giaccio

 

Wish I had this book earlier
“...The questions are written like the NCARB questions, with various types...check all that apply, fill
 in the blank, best answer, etc. The answer key helpfully describes why the correct answer is correct, and why the incorrect answers are not. Take it from my experience, at half the cost of other mock exams, this is a must buy if you want to pass...”
—Domiane Forte (Vitruvian Duck)

 

“This book did exactly like the others said.”

“This book did exactly like the others said. It is immensely helpful with the explanation... There are so many codes to incorporate, but Chen simplifies it into a methodical process. Bought it and just found out I passed. I would recommend.”

Dustin

 

“It was the reason I passed.”

“This book was a huge help. I passed the AREs recently and I felt this book gave me really good explanations for each answer. It was the reason I passed.”

—Amazon Customer

 

Great Practice Exam
“… For me, it was difficult to not be overwhelmed by the amount of content covered by the Exam. This Mock Exam is the perfect tool to keep you focused on the content that matters and to evaluate what you know and what you need to study. It definitely helped me pass the exam!!”
—Michael Harvey (Harv)

 

“One of the best practice exams”

“Excellent study guide with study tips, general test info, and recommended study resources. Hands down one of the best practice exams that I have come across for this exam. Most importantly, the practice exam includes in depth explanations of answers. Definitely recommended.”
—Taylor Cupp

 

“Great Supplement!!”

“This publication was very helpful in my preparation for my exam. It contained a mock exam, followed by the answers and brief explanations to the answers. I would recommend this as an additional study material for this exam.”

—Cynthia Zorrilla-Canteros (czcante)

 

Fantastic!
“When I first began to prepare for this exam; the number of content areas seemed overwhelming and daunting at best. However, this guide clearly dissected each content area into small management components. Of all the study guides currently available for this test - this exam not only included numerous resources (web links, you tube clips, etc..), but also the sample test was extremely helpful. The sample test incorporated a nice balance of diagrams, calculations and general concepts - this book allowed me to highlight any "weak" content areas I had prior to the real exam. In short - this is an awesome book!”
—Rachel Casey (RC)



Friday, May 31, 2024

PA Practice Exam - a question regarding the roof safety measure

 Question:

I am having difficulty to understand the intent of this question.

The explanation in the answer says, "They need to be installed outside of the 10-foot roof edge zone so the person connecting the fall protection does not have to encroach on the 10-foot roof edge zone."  Is the rationale of this based on the requirements given in the question(if so, which phrases)?  Or should be based on my own knowledge and judgement?

 

My answer:

This is a  question based on IBC 1015 that was provided in the question:

A is NOT correct because it does not prevent people from falling down from the other 2 sides.

B is correct based on the exception in the code provided.

C is NOT correct because the tiebacks cannot be put inside the 10-foot roof edge

D is NOT correct because the code section provided requires 42 inch high guardrail around the roof edge.

 

Gang Chen, Author, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)





Sunday, May 19, 2024

“Clear, concise and direct approach to the necessary knowledge” “Practice Management (PcM) ARE 5.0 Exam Guide (Architect Registration Examination)”

 

Here is another review for my book, “Practice Management (PcM) ARE 5.0 Exam Guide (Architect Registration Examination)”:

“Clear, concise and direct approach to the necessary knowledge”

This book begins with a delayed treasure for me: the general rules on the qualifications necessary for the ARE, a topic that, although it is known in academic circles and in the generality of the institutions that teach architecture in the USA, is very unknown to those who coming from abroad with the profession already learned and wish to continue. A book like this would have saved me years of research and almost detective efforts in universities and the Internet itself to find out how to continue my career. Many study programs already incorporate subjects with this content, which is very difficult for an outsider to access.

 

Very interesting in this first chapter is point D13, with tips for the exam, advice and study methods and specific strategies to face the ARE, the use of the time available for it and how to improve the study time.

 

Chapter 3 Business operations (26% of the exam) is summarized as in few places I have seen, as well as chapter 4 dedicated to finances, it does not boggle the mind with spreadsheets and endless reports, but rather breaks down the right information to face the calculations that commonly accompany those inevitable ARE questions.

 

In summary, the general tone of this work is a summary that does not stun, but rather gives a direction to study and try to memorize the minimum necessary to pass the exam. Its true value is how concise and truly necessary it is to be in command of the right knowledge from which the entire rationalization structure of the topics of this test begins.

—UssBea


Gang Chen, Author, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)

Great! Great! Great! “Practice Management (PcM) ARE 5.0 Exam Guide (Architect Registration Examination)”

 

Thank you Natalie for a great review of my book, “Practice Management (PcM) ARE 5.0 Exam Guide (Architect Registration Examination)”:

 

Great! Great! Great!

I used many resources to study for PcM test; and a week before I took my test, I was fortune enough to study this book. I can only say that most of the stuff that I was tested on I've learned them form this book.

 

This is an "ESSENTIAL BOOK" to prepared for the PcM test. Good Luck on your test!

 

Natalia A Betancur

 

Gang Chen, Author, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)


Friday, February 2, 2024

The following message from one of my readers made my day today

 The following message from one of my readers made my day today:

“Good Morning! Gang, last night while I was studying for the ARE, it came to my mind that I heard your name before. So I looked around at all my study materials, and wow, I bought one of your books before. I’ve also seen your input on NCARB ARE discussion forums. I didn’t know I was next to a famous starchitect at the DSA appointment. I should have brought the book so I can get your autograph, haha. Your contributions to the profession is very inspirational! Have a nice day.”

Gang Chen, Author, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)


Monday, November 13, 2023

What are good resources for Electrical distribution diagrams?

 

Question:

What are good resources for Electrical distribution diagrams?

Example, how to locate different elements on the diagram. i.e. kitchen appliances, electrical equipment, etc.

My answer:

Get a set of CD plans, look through the elec. Drawings, pay attention to the single line diagrams. Use the legend on the front to understand the symbols.

Gang Chen, Author, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)