Podcast – Architect Exam Prep – ARE Prep Courses

089. ARE Technical: Top 5 Tips for Construction & Evaluation (CE)

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This episode of the ARE podcast gives five key tips for passing the ARE Construction & Evaluation (CE) exam. The focus is on thinking like an architect under the AIA contracts, emphasizing standard of care, observation vs. construction, administrative procedures, question-reading strategy, and performance-focused closeout/post-occupancy work. Throughout, they stress judgment, restraint, documentation, and staying within professional/contractual boundaries.

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Show Notes

Main Tips (1–5)
1. Answer from the Architect’s Contractual Role (Standard of Care)
  • Always answer exam questions from the standpoint of the architect’s contractual role, not your personal or local practice.
  • Think in terms of standard of care:

    • What would any reasonably prudent architect do in this situation, based on the information given?

  • Deep or specialized experience can hurt you on the exam if you override the “standard” approach with niche real-world habits.
  • CE is a national, standardized test, not region-specific.
  • Focus on:
    • Roles, responsibilities, and authority during construction.
    • Who has/produces/reviews which documents.
    • Who can stop the work, what “observe” means vs. “inspect,” etc.
      • 2. Construction Observation (Architect as Observer, Not Builder)
      • In CE/Contract Administration, the contractor’s job:
        • Build in conformance with the contract documents.
      • The architect’s job:
        • Observe whether work conforms to the contract documents and report findings to the owner.
      • Key boundaries:
        • Do not dictate means and methods—that’s the contractor’s domain.
        • Shop drawings:
          • Produced by the contractor, not by the architect.
          • Architect reviews them only for design/esthetic intent, not for how to build.
          • They are not part of the contract documents.
          • Nonconforming work:
            • The owner has the right to accept nonconforming work (A201).
            • Architect must inform the owner of implications so they can make an informed decision.
            • Field reports and site visits:
              • Document date, time, weather, observed conditions.
              • Not a guarantee or full inspection of all work.
              • Architect only visits as frequently as the contract requires, often at agreed milestones (e.g., foundation completion, framing completion).
                • 3. Administrative Procedures (The “AIA Way”)
                • CE is less about technical minutiae (e.g., OSB vs. plywood) and more about admin processes and AIA contracts.
                • Critical procedures and documents:
                  • Submittals & shop drawings
                  • RFIs
                  • Applications for payment
                  • Lien release forms
                  • Change Orders (COs)
                  • Construction Change Directives (CCDs)
                  • Project Manual
                  • Substantial Completion & Project Closeout
                  • Core contracts:
                    • A201 – General Conditions (owner/architect/contractor relationships and responsibilities).
                    • B101 – Owner–Architect Agreement
                    • A101 – Owner–Contractor Agreement
                    • Why the architect reviews applications for payment:
                      • Owner is not expected to understand construction.
                      • Since architect observes the work, they can verify claims like “50% framing complete.”
                      • Also logical for architect to review lien waivers in relation to paid work.
                      • “There’s the right way, the wrong way, and the AIA way”:
                        • For the exam, the AIA way is what matters, and it usually aligns with industry practice.
                        • Deviating from it in practice can increase liability.
                          • 4. Reading Questions for Timing & Keywords (First / Best / Most Appropriate)
                          • Many wrong answers come from misreading or reacting too quickly, not from ignorance.
                          • Pay close attention to timing/context words:
                            • “First” thing you should do
                            • “Best” action
                            • “Most appropriate” response
                            • Always ask:
                              • What phase are we in? (Construction admin? Multi-phase project? Pre-bid?)
                              • What logically happens next in the process?
                              • Exam traps:
                                • Fake urgency: e.g., owner is on vacation and unreachable, contractor “needs” a decision.
                                  • Your roles and responsibilities do not change. If the owner hasn’t appointed a representative, you wait.
                                  • Multiple answers may be true statements, but:
                                    • You must pick the one that actually addresses the question asked and fits the given context and timing.
                                    • In their coaching sessions, candidates rarely reach consensus on answers at first, showing how easily people:
                                      • Justify multiple answers as “true,” but
                                      • Miss what the question really asked.
                                        • 5. Post-Occupancy Evaluation & Closeout – Focus on Performance, Not Blame
                                        • Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE), substantial completion walk-throughs, punch lists, and final closeout are about performance:
                                          • Does the building perform as intended?
                                          • Are systems functioning properly?
                                          • Are design goals (e.g., better test scores via daylight and ventilation) being met?
                                          • It is not about blame or combative architect vs. contractor dynamics.
                                          • POE is not part of the basic services in B101:
                                            • Basic services end when the architect signs the final application and certificate for payment (changed from “60 days after substantial completion” in 2007).
                                            • Contracts (B101 and A101) are the framework:
                                              • They define what each party has promised to do.
                                              • Failure to perform can become a contractual/legal issue.
                                                • Key Mindset & Professional Boundaries
                                                • Think like a licensed architect:
                                                  • Ground your decisions in contracts, standard of care, and professional boundaries.
                                                  • Respond, don’t react:
                                                    • Stay calm about changes, delays, or change orders—these are normal, not crises.
                                                    • Scope and additional services:
                                                      • Contract defines your scope.
                                                      • When clients request items outside scope, treat them as additional services:
                                                        • Explain calmly.
                                                        • Provide cost implications and seek approval.
                                                        • Observe how experienced project managers and principals handle construction meetings:
                                                          • They don’t blow up or panic; they manage, delegate, and document.
                                                          • Practical advice:
                                                            • If you’re studying for CE, ask to join job-site meetings at your office to see real construction administration in action.
                                                              • Ultra-Concise Exam Takeaways
                                                              • Answer as an architect under AIA contracts, not as a contractor or local expert.
                                                              • You observe and report; you do not build or dictate means and methods.
                                                              • Know A201, B101, A101 and how submittals, pay apps, RFIs, COs, CCDs, and closeout flow between parties.
                                                              • Read the whole question carefully, paying attention to phase, timing, and words like first/best/most appropriate.
                                                              • View CE as testing your judgment, restraint, documentation, and professional boundaries, with a focus on performance rather than blame.
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