End of Week 1

End of week one and things aren't even going as planned. I changed my potential testing order the day after my last post. my testing order looks like this:
Site Planning and Design
Building Systems
Building Design and Construction Systems
Structural Systems
Schematic Design
Construction Documents and Services
Programming, Practices, and Planning

There were a few too many long nights at work this last week as we are working the the LEED 2009 Reference Guide, so I was unable to study during the week as I had planned. Because of the amount of sustainability questions asked in the ARE maybe I can say I study everyday by going to work. But the same would be true if I was in an architecture firm.

On the bus to and from work and doctors appointments I have been reading, "The ARE: Advice from the Trenches" from May 2001. This was a document a co-worker gave me. It was a more personal look at the test than the NCARB Overview. It was helpful for me just to get my head around it. I've also been reading a kid's study guide my mom sent me, "Exam Intelligence" by Patric Sherratt. it's helpful to review that I need my own place to study, quite, when my best study-time is, positive thinking, eating well, exercising, all that stuff. It feels like it's been so long since I was in school taking tests.

In continuing to wrap my head around all that I need to learn I've started adding all the topics within each test to my board of stuff to know. It helps to see all the stuff I need to learn in this format but it's also really depressing to see that in the same test, Building Design, I need to restudy 19th and 20th century architectural history and architects, ADA clearances, chimney details, soil types, STC values, AIA construction documents, and a bunch of other random crap that can't possibly be studied for out of any one resources.

It's clear that to study for the Building Systems, mechanical, electrical, that I can break out my good $200 friend from school, MEEB. This is huge MEP book that is normally used to press flowers.

For this next week I plan to continue scouring the ARE Forum for information I need to understand for the remaining tests and fill in the remaining "stuff I need to know chart." I will post a photo of it when my camera SD card is restored.