Prepare for the ARE Vol. 1: Practice Management

Course Overview
Hi. I'm Kevin Griendling, and get ready to prepare for the ARE 5. 0 Practice Management Exam. I'm an architect and professor of architecture in Southern California with an acute sense of ARE test strategies. Passing the ARE 5. 0 is no easy task, but it is the last major hurdle to becoming a licensed architect. This course will present and discuss the content outlines in the NCARB exam's specifications, including strategies to focus your studies and retain knowledge. It covers an applied understanding of practice using real world examples with a direct correlation to test content. NCARB suggests studying content in a manner that prepares you for success in the profession and that's just what this course does. Whether or not you are just starting or are already done with your architectural experience program, it is never too early to start preparing for the ARE 5. 0. By the time exam day rolls around, you'll feel confident in being asked questions about business operations, practice finances, performance standards, and even personnel management. I look forward to helping you prepare for the ARE Practice Management exam. Good luck in your studies and I'll see you on the inside.

Business Operations
This module is entitled Business Operations, and as you would guess, it relates to the business operations section of the practice management exam. In the business operations section, we're heavily weighted toward understanding an application, as opposed to analysis and evaluation. So it's the lower tier of cognitive complexity, but it still applies to application of real world principles, so what happens in the workplace. And this exam is going to consist of 20 to 26% of the overall exam content. The objectives for business operations include understanding what resources are available within the practice, the regulations and requirements that govern what it is that we do as architects, as well as applied ethical standards, and the standard of care, which relates to the architectural community at large and how we do what we do every day. The resources that you're going to need for this particular part of the exam kind of blankets the entire exam really, the Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice 14th or 15th edition. The International Building Code is a good one to start getting familiar with, although, it's not labeled as an official resource that you should need. You should also be aware of the AIA and NCARB Ethics Documents. They are suggested by NCARB as what you should know for this exam. And the AIA Contracts. I think they're an important thing to understand when it comes to business operations because they are the legally binding document that defines our role in our work every day. The next clip that we're going to discuss is entitled the architectural profession.

Practice-Wide Delivery of Services
Welcome back to the next section of the ARE 5. 0 Practice Management Exam entitled Practice-Wide Delivery of Services. This exam section is heavily weighted toward understanding an application, so expect the questions to center around putting yourself in the shoes of a firm owner while performing services. This section accounts for 22 to 28% of the exam, so just consider it to be roughly a quarter of the exam's overall content. The exam's specifications list the following objectives for this section, determining responses for client service requests, understanding the applicability of contract types, as well as delivery methods, and having a firm understanding of the potential risk and/or reward of our decisions as firm leaders and its impact on the practice. Let's continue into the content.

Practice Methodologies
Welcome back to the fourth and last section of the ARE 5. 0 exam Practice Management. This section is entitled Practice Methodologies, and in this section, we are entirely weighted toward understanding an application, so again, putting yourself in the shoes of a business owner. This section makes up 17 to 23% of the overall exam. The two objectives that the exam specifications outline are analyzing the impact of practice methodologies relative to structure and organization of the practice and to evaluate the design, coordination, and documentation methodologies for the practice. Before we get started, I must make a disclaimer that says I am not a lawyer or a CPA. A lot of the subjects we are going to discuss here do have legal ramifications, regardless whether or not it's liability based or financial based, but most of the resources are coming directly from the Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, which is authored by the AIA. For more detailed information on any of the references, you should see that textbook to clarify any remaining questions.