Architect Exam Podcast

Construction administration is the documentation backbone of every construction project. This episode breaks down the five key construction administration documents: RFIs, ASIs, change orders, construction change directives, and supplemental drawings.

We cover when to use each document type, the schedule of values and how AIA G702 and G703 payment applications work, and the submittal review process. We also walk through how to handle non-conforming work and the most common construction administration mistakes.

📝 Key topics covered:

• RFIs, ASIs, change orders, and CCDs: when to use each

• Schedule of values and payment applications (AIA G702 and G703)

• Submittal review process and review stamps

• Handling non-conforming work on site

• Common construction administration mistakes

• Where construction admin shows up on the CE exam

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Introduction

(2:09) How the CE Exam Is Organized

(5:44) What Is Construction Admin?

(8:46) RFIs, ASIs, Change Orders, CCDs

(13:46) Submittal Review Process

(18:50) Schedule of Values and Payments

(25:12) Handling Non-Conforming Work

(30:41) Construction Admin Mistakes

(34:35) How to Study Construction Admin

(41:30) Conclusion

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE 2-page CE study guide

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• AIA Contracts 101

• CCCA 101 (Construction Contract Administration)

• CDT 101 (Construction Documents Technologist)

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs)

• Building Codes 101

• Mechanical Systems 101

Architect insurance is the safety net every design professional needs but nobody wants to think about. In this episode, we break down exactly what coverage you need, what it costs, and how to protect your practice from career-ending claims.

We cover every type of architect insurance from professional liability and errors and omissions (E&O) coverage to general liability and workers' compensation. You'll learn the critical difference between claims-made and occurrence policies, why tail coverage matters when you retire or switch carriers, and how waiver of subrogation and hold harmless clauses protect your project team.

We also walk through real claim scenarios, insurance requirements for contractors and owners, and risk management strategies that lower your premiums.

📝 Key Topics Covered:

• Professional liability and E&O insurance for architects

• Claims-made vs occurrence policies explained

• Tail coverage and extended reporting periods

• Waiver of subrogation in construction contracts

• Hold harmless agreements and indemnification clauses

• Architect insurance costs and premium factors

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Architect Insurance for the ARE

(1:16) Why Architects Need Insurance

(3:14) Free ARE Study Notes

(3:55) Professional Liability and E&O Insurance

(6:06) General Liability and Workers Comp

(7:52) Insurance Limits and Coverage

(8:59) Contractor Insurance Requirements

(10:23) Owner Insurance Requirements

(11:52) Scenario: Owner as General Contractor

(14:06) Scenario: Design-Bid-Build Project

(15:51) Multi-Party Insurance Claims

(18:43) Insurance Costs and Fee Structure

(20:02) Subrogation, Hold Harmless, Indemnity

(23:42) Insurance Questions on the ARE

(26:00) Architect Insurance Recap

(27:56) ARE Boot Camp and Study Resources

📖 Read the full blog post and show notes: Architect Insurance: Types, Costs, and Risk Management Guide

📝 Download the FREE Architect Insurance Study Notes: Free Study Notes

🎯 Ready to pass the ARE and become a licensed architect? Get access to all our ARE Study Materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join the next ARE Boot Camp cohort

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• AIA Contracts 101

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs)

• Building Codes 101

• Mechanical Systems 101

Means of egress is one of the most heavily tested topics on the ARE, and it comes down to three components: exit access, exit, and exit discharge. This episode breaks down how those three parts work together to get people from danger to safety.

Building codes expert Layla walks through occupant load calculations using IBC Table 1004.5, showing how the same 3,000 square foot space can hold 20 people as an office or 429 as assembly seating. From there she covers egress door requirements including door swing direction and panic hardware, corridor width requirements for standard, educational, and healthcare occupancies, and the key stair dimensions you need to memorize.

You'll also learn the three critical travel distance measurements (exit access travel distance, common path of travel, and dead end corridors), how sprinklers affect every one of those limits, and the special egress requirements for high-rise buildings, healthcare facilities, and assembly occupancies. Layla finishes with a systematic approach for spotting egress violations on ARE floor plans.

📋 Key topics covered:

• Exit access, exit, and exit discharge explained

• Occupant load calculations and IBC Table 1004.5

• The 49/50 rule for number of exits required

• Egress door requirements: 32 inch clear width, door swing direction, panic hardware

• Egress corridor widths: 36, 44, 72, and 96 inches by occupancy type

• Egress stair dimensions: 44 inch width, 11 inch tread, 7 inch riser

• Exit access travel distance, common path of travel, and dead end corridors

• Sprinkler bonus: how fire suppression increases allowable distances

• High-rise, healthcare, assembly, and historic building egress

• Egress and building systems integration

• ARE exam strategies for PPD and PDD egress questions

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Means of Egress for the ARE

(1:57) Free ARE Study Notes

(2:50) Three Components of Means of Egress

(5:19) Occupant Load Calculations

(10:25) Egress Door Requirements

(12:19) Corridor and Stair Width Requirements

(14:06) Travel Distance Limitations

(16:51) Means of Egress on the ARE

(19:14) Special Occupancy Egress Requirements

(21:49) Egress and Building Systems Integration

(23:44) Egress Exam Prep Tips

(26:53) Means of Egress Key Takeaways

(29:05) ARE Courses and Boot Camp

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE Means of Egress study notes

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

📚 Individual ARE Courses:

• Building Codes 101

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs)

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• Mechanical Systems 101

• AIA Contracts 101

You watched 40 hours of ARE prep videos. You feel ready. You sit down on exam day, read the first question, and your mind goes completely blank. Sound familiar? The visual learner myth has convinced thousands of candidates that watching videos is enough. It's not.

In this episode, we break down the learning pyramid, a framework that ranks study methods from least effective to most effective. We cover the four passive methods that feel productive but don't stick, the three active methods that actually lock in knowledge, and why cross-training your study routine is the only way to pass.

We also bust the visual learner myth wide open. We're all visual learners. The difference isn't whether you use visual content. It's whether you're passively watching or actively creating. Stop watching someone else draw the diagrams. Start drawing them yourself.

📝 Key Topics Covered:

• Passive vs active studying and why it matters for the ARE

• Learning pyramid: all seven levels from lecture to teaching

• Cross-training your brain like training for a half marathon

• Visual learner myth: why "I'm a visual learner" isn't a study strategy

• How ARE Boot Camp uses every layer of the pyramid

• Practical challenge to make one shift today

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Are You Actually Learning or Just Watching

(1:32) Passive vs Active Studying

(2:44) Learning Pyramid for Exam Prep

(3:14) Passive Study Methods That Don't Work

(4:52) Active Study Methods That Do

(5:51) Teaching Is the Most Effective Method

(6:49) Cross-Training Your Study Routine

(7:45) How ARE Boot Camp Uses Every Layer

(10:52) Visual Learner Myth

(12:20) Your Challenge: Make One Shift Today

📖 Read the full blog post: Visual Learner Myth: Why You Need Multiple Study Methods

🎯 Get access to all ARE Study Materials with the ARE 101 Membership: ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join the next ARE Boot Camp cohort: ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs)

• AIA Contracts 101

• Building Codes 101

• Building Systems 101

Construction observation is the heart of the architect's role during construction, and it makes up the largest section of the CE exam. This episode breaks down what construction observation actually means and the critical difference between observation and inspection.

We cover why understanding design intent vs means and methods will save you on exam day and on site. We also walk through construction field reports, evaluating work for conformance, identifying non-conforming work, and the most common observation mistakes that create liability problems.

📝 Key topics covered:

• Observation vs inspection: why the distinction matters

• Design intent vs means and methods

• Construction field reports and AIA G711

• Evaluating construction conformance

• Limits of the architect's authority on site

• Non-conforming work identification

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Introduction

(2:44) The CE Exam Structure

(7:27) What Is Construction Observation?

(14:44) Architect's Role on Site

(18:32) Evaluating Conformance

(22:25) Construction Progress

(25:25) Observation Mistakes

(30:29) How to Study Observation

(35:31) Conclusion

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE 2-page CE study guide

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• AIA Contracts 101

• CCCA 101 (Construction Contract Administration)

• CDT 101 (Construction Documents Technologist)

• Building Codes 101

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs)

• Mechanical Systems 101

Construction submittals are the quality control checkpoint between design intent and what actually gets built. This episode breaks down what submittals are, the different types, and how the entire submittal process works.

We cover shop drawings, product data, samples, mock-ups, and closeout submittals. Then we walk through the full submittal workflow step by step, including the four review actions and why architects stopped using the word "Approved."

📝 Key topics covered:

• What construction submittals are and why they matter

• Types of submittals: shop drawings, product data, samples, and mock-ups

• The step-by-step submittal process from planning through implementation

• The four review actions and why "No Exceptions Taken" replaced "Approved"

• Common submittal problems and how to avoid them

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Introduction

(1:22) What Are Submittals?

(3:18) Types of Submittals

(10:24) The Submittal Process

(17:59) Why Submittals Matter

(20:06) Better Submittal Management

(27:12) Common Problems to Avoid

(31:35) Conclusion and Takeaways

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE Construction Submittals study notes

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• CDT 101 (Construction Documents Technologist)

• CCCA 101 (Construction Contract Administration)

• PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs)

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• AIA Contracts 101

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• Building Codes 101

• Mechanical Systems 101

Get exclusive ARE exam prep discounts during our 14-day Summer School promotion! From May 15-29, 2025, save big on ARE Boot Camp, 101 Courses, and more. 

In this episode, Mike and Emily break down all the limited-time offers to help accelerate your journey to architectural licensure. Just Visit - https://youngarchitect.com/summerschool 

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Struggling to understand the differences between fire walls, fire barriers, and fire partitions? In this episode, we break down all five fire and smoke separation types in buildings, with clear explanations of their ratings, continuity requirements, and real-world applications. Essential knowledge for the ARE exam and professional practice!

🔗 Links & Resources:

- 📝 Download our FREE 2-page Fire Separations Study Guide: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/fire-wall-fire-barrier-fire-partition/

- 📚 Building Codes 101 Course: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/join/ncarb-are-101/

- 🎓 ARE Boot Camp Registration: https://youngarchitect.com/arebootcamp/

Want to master building codes for the ARE exam? Check out our comprehensive Building Codes 101 course with 180+ practice questions and visual guides: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/join/ncarb-are-101/

If you found this helpful, please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE for more weekly Architect Registration Exam content!

The construction bidding process on public projects follows a strict, regulated path from completed drawings to breaking ground.

Most architects never see what happens in that gap. The drawings leave the office, and months later the project starts construction.

Michael Riscica worked on publicly bid projects as an architect, then moved to the other side of the table as a government project manager hiring architects, contractors, and engineers.

This episode walks through all eight stages of the construction bid process, from bid preparation and sealed bidding through tabulation, award, and notice to proceed.

📝 What you will learn:

• Design-bid-build timeline and how long each phase takes

• Who the five key players are and what procurement actually does

• Bid preparation, advertisement, and the pre-bid conference

• How addenda work and the 72-hour rule before bid opening

• Sealed bidding, public bid openings, and bid tabulation

• Responsive bids versus responsible bidders

• Contract formation, bonds, and notice to proceed

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Public Bidding for Construction

(1:41) Free ARE Study Notes

(2:46) Design-Bid-Build Timeline

(4:14) Key Players in Public Procurement

(6:29) Step 1: Bid Preparation

(8:03) Step 2: Bid Advertisement

(9:10) Step 3: Pre-Bid Conference

(10:20) Addenda and the 72-Hour Rule

(11:53) Step 4: Sealed Bidding and Opening

(13:15) Step 5: Bid Tabulation

(14:23) Step 6: Contract Formation

(15:44) Step 7: Award to Breaking Ground

(16:54) Step 8: Notice to Proceed

(18:38) Common Challenges and Best Practices

(20:33) Public Bidding Recap

📖 Read the full article

📝 Free 2-page study notes and a 10-question procurement quiz

🎯 ARE Boot Camp, 10-week coaching program

🎯 ARE 101 Membership, all ARE courses in one place

📚 Individual Courses:

• CE 101 Construction and Evaluation

• PjM 101 Project Management

• PcM 101 Practice Management

• CDT 101 Construction Documents Technologist

• CCCA 101 Construction Contract Administration

• AIA Contracts 101

• PDD 101 Project Development and Documentation

• PPD 101 Project Planning and Design

• PA 101 Programming and Analysis

• Building Codes 101

Learn how to get the most out of ARE Bootcamp with this insider's guide to the program.

Michael Riscica and Emily Hobbs break down what makes the Bootcamp different from just studying alone and share key strategies for success. Whether you're just starting your ARE journey or looking to finish what you've started, this conversation reveals why structure, mentorship, accountability, and community make all the difference.

Read the full blogpost for this podcast: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/unlock-the-power-of-are-bootcamp/

- Join ARE Bootcamp: https://youngarchitect.com/arebootcamp/

- Check out testimonials from over 40 licensed architects: https://youngarchitect.com/testimonials/

Want to transform your ARE journey? Stop trying to piece together your preparation alone. Join a program that's been proven to work time and again. Your future registered architect self will thank you.