Check out “ARE Mock
Exam Series,” and FREE ARE exam prep tips, ARE forums, slides, and mnemonics at
GreenExamEducation.com
“Passed!!!
“I PASSED!!! Having Gang Chen's book helped out greatly the second time around.
I did not have this resource the first time taking the exam. So, I
would highly recommend it for those who are preparing for the ARE - CDS
exam. The book gives helpful study tips and pointer to preparing for the
exam. The sample mock exam is great because it asks questions in an
equivalent format that the actual exam would. What also is great is
there is a detailed explanation of all the answers right or wrong and
where to look it up. Overall this book helped. It is a must have for
study material. Thank You, Gang Chen.”
— James Lushbough
“Great Study Guide
“The
ARE CDS Mock Exam provided realistic exam-based review questions which
had a positive impact on my results. This review along with ARE Forum
deserve credit for preparing me for my final exam.
I am now a registered architect in my jurisdiction. Wouldn't have done it so soon without this valuable tool. Thanks again Mr. Gang Chen.”
— John Schaaf (“FarmerJ”)
“Excellent book!
“When used in conjunction with solid study materials, this mock exam was invaluable to me for passing CDS on my first attempt.
For the vignette, the walk-through was particularly helpful in
navigating NCARB's notoriously difficult software by proposing a
logically ordered sequence and showing where inefficiencies could be
eliminated to save time and perfect solutions. The MC questions are well
written, and although a couple of typos are present, the meaning is
obvious, and doesn't outweigh what makes this a 5 star book. They're
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. At half the cost of other mock exams, this is a must buy
if you want to pass CDS the first time you take it.”
— Domiane Forte (“Vitruvian Duck”)
“Very helpful
“I
certainly recommend this book to everyone who is preparing to take this
exam. It is very helpful, easy to read and understand.It covers various
areas of the actual exams and gives you the information that you need
to solve the MC questions and the vignette section.
I liked the Mock-up practice exam in this book which is very beneficial
and is similar to the type of questions that you would encounter in the
real exam.”
— Seta Ohanesian (“SO”)
“A great supplemental study guide
“This
book by Gang Chen is a great supplemental study guide for the ARE exam
preparation. The overview is thorough and a great compliment to Ballast
and Kaplan. This is a must have study guide as the practice questions
are comparable to NCARB's. I will also be using the Building Design
& Construction Systems's (BDCS) study guide by Gang Chen for my next
exam.”
— Brian Fracasse (“BFracasse”)
“Invaluable Practice Test
“This
is an amazing resource for studying the CDS portion of the ARE. After
studying for months on my first exam trying to find a concise list of
information that I should study from, I went into my first exam
blindsided by the level of difficulty that the multiple choice questions
had. This time around I wasn't going to take any chances. This book
contains a step by step studying plan for this portion of the test and
contains a full sample test for you to practice and see how your
studying is progressing. It's nice to have some practice for those
dreaded choose the best three answers out of the seven listed. After you
go through the practice exam, there is a detailed explanation of all
the answers to help give you some closure with the questions that just
drive you nuts (compared to the real exam where you will never know what
the correct answers to the questions really are).
Overall a great book that is definitely worth every cent I paid.”
— Michael Scott (“mscott”)
“Finally!
"An absolute necessity to understanding the practice of the construction/design industry at a practical level!
The
text is an essential supplement for the study of Architecture License
exams as it provides another dimension of information to other study
material currently on the market.
Quick references to
contract documents, official AIA, NCARB sites, and other texts for
necessary information helps to reinforce answers to Mock exam. Even
phrasing of questions, be it intentionally or poor editing, gets your
mind into the right exam mode.
In addition, many answers
to questions that arise even in your daily journey to licensure are
addressed, many of which I personally have not seen printed in any study
material to date.
A must-have!”
— Julie Babikian (BUILD "1COR.3:9-11")
“Highly recommended book - ConstructionDocuments and Service (CDS) ARE Mock Exam by Gang Chen
“This
book is essential for the ARE candidates. It provides step by step
instruction for the best vignette solution. The mock up exam's questions
were similar to the actual exam. I personally find it really helpful to
have taken this mock exam in preparation for my actual exam. Highly
recommended!”
— Pooi Lee, who passed ARE CDS division on his first try.
“Very easy to read
“This
book is very easy to read and it gives you extra information that I
haven't found in other resources. It also gives you a very good insight
for the vignettes. The mock up exam is very good
Thank Mr. Chen!”
— Paulina Mancilla (“pau”)
“It allows one to understand the Architectural field
“Mr.
Chen has evidently thought of this book as a means of providing
information that would more than just allow someone to pass the ARE CDS
exam. It allows one to understand the Architectural field and all the
issues behind Construction Documents and Services.”
— Manish Kalantri (“MK”)
“Very helpful for preparing for the exam
“This
book gives a good overview of the actual CDS ARE test.It is a decent
complement to other study materials when preparing for the ARE. It has
overall lots of information, which are very helpful for preparing for
the exam. I would suggest reading the entire manual at least twice
before you take the CDS exam.”
— Ruchi Dhar (“Dhar”)
“Pretty Insightful
“I
found Gang Chen's CDS review to provide another level deeper than my
Ballast Book which is also good. I definitely recommend this book and he
gives a couple very special insights on the vignette that nobody else
does. He is to the point and clear, just the way I like it.
An easy and fast read. Thank you!”
— Demetrios Christopoulos (“Designeer”)
"Great practice
“CDS
is a challenging exam that is best prepared for by review of the
required contracts and understanding how to apply them to practical
situations. The practice exam provides an excellent opportunity to test
and retest your ability to apply your knowledge. The vignette breakdown
is also all you need to understand to easily pass that section.
With a few other study materials this book helped me pass on the first try!
Thanks!”
—Sarah
“No other review material has been as helpful as this book
“Definitely
a very helpful and well structured exam review.Very good tips and a
step by step walk through in completing the vignette section. No other
review material has been as helpful as this book. I strongly recommend
it to whoever wishes to pass this exam.”
—Juan Marmolejo
“Excellent Resource
“Of
the many study aides for the ARE this is simply hand down the best. It
is precise and concise to the point. If you follow this book you will
have the greatest chance of passing the ARE the first time. The book
strength is laying out a step-by-step process of obtaining the necessary
skills to pass each section. It contains an excellent mock exam both
for the Multiple Choice and Graphic Sections. For Graphic Section he
layouts a step-by-step method to develop a passing solution in the
shortest amount of time. He makes the complex subject simple.”
—A Paul (“Elias”)
“Best Review Guide in the market
“This
is the best Construction Documents review guide on the market. I had 4
days to study, so I needed to be efficient... All the books have a mock
exams, all the books give you a reading lists to study. This books
explains in detail what the answers are, and tells you where you can
find them. Thereby, allowing you to study efficiently. There is nothing
more frustrating than taking a mock exam, getting an answer wrong, and
not knowing why. Chen's book alleviates this frustration by providing
detailed answers with references for further reading. So instead of
reading through thousands of pages of stuff you already know, all you
need to do is; take the mock exam,read through the answers. For the
questions that you get wrong, the guide tells you what to review and
where to find the information. I do think the book covers the topics
that would likely appear on the exam.
The
best part of the guide is the explanation for the solution to the
building section. There is nowhere else where this solution is as
clearly described. If for no other reason, BUY THIS BOOK for the
building section solution. You will not find the solution elsewhere and
it will save you hours of head scratching and give you confidence in
drawing the solution.”
— Judy Wong
Check out “ARE Mock
Exam Series,” and FREE ARE exam prep tips, ARE forums, slides, and mnemonics at
GreenExamEducation.com
