Building Design and Construction Systems (BDCS) ARE Mock Exam (Architect Registration Exam): ARE Overview, Exam Prep Tips, Multiple-Choice Questions and Graphic Vignettes, Solutions and Explanations (

To become a licensed architect, you need to have the proper combination of education and/or experience, meeting your Board of Architecture's special requirements, as well as passing all seven divisions of the Architect Registration Examinations (ARE).

This book provides ARE exam overview, resources, exam prep and exam taking techniques, tips and guides. It also provides a realistic and complete set of Mock Exam, solutions, explanations for the Building Design and Construction Systems (BDCS) Division of the ARE. This book covers the following subjects:

1. ARE, IDP and Education Requirements

2. ARE Exam Content, Format and Prep strategies

3. Principles: Selection of Systems, Materials, and Methods, Historic Precedent, Human Behavior, and Design Theory

4. Environmental Issues: Sustainable Design Including Hazardous Material Mitigation, Thermal and Moisture Protection, and Adaptive Re-Use

5. Codes & Regulations: Zoning, Specialty and Building Codes, and Other Regulatory Requirements

6. Materials & Technology: Selection of Systems, Materials, and Methods, including Masonry, Metals, Wood, Concrete, Specialties, and Others

7. Project & Practice Management: Cost, Scheduling, Construction Sequencing, and Risk Management

8. Accessibility/Ramp Vignette: Designing a stairway and ramp connecting two levels that abides by the code and accessibility requirements

9. Stair Design Vignette: Designing a stairway connecting multiple levels that abides by the code and accessibility requirements

10. Roof Plan Vignette: Designing a sloped roof for draining the rainwater, locate equipment and accessories

11. Step-By-Step Solutions for 6 Graphic Vignettes Using NCARB Practice Program Software

This book includes 85 challenging questions at the same difficulty level and format as the real exam (multiple-choice, check-all-that-apply, and fill-in-the-blank), and 6 graphic vignettes. It will help you pass the BDCS division of the ARE 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 over 20 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, etc. 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, ARE Mock Exam Series and LEED Exam Guides Series, which include one guidebook for each of the LEED exams. For more information, visit www.GreenExamEducation.com