architect54

Since my last post, I’ve focused on reading the ARE Review Manual and rescheduled my Building Design and Construction Systems (BDCS) exam. I’ve finished reading four chapters (Site Work, Concrete, Masonry and Metals). There are 13 chapters in the ARE Review Manual for BDCS. Three of those chapters are for the vignettes, so that means I have 10 chapters to read. The vignette chapters are much smaller and I should look at those while practicing. This weekend hopefully I can get in two more chapters, and I hope to be more than half way through my reading.

I’m reading a little over 3 hours about every other day. I haven’t read anything on the past two weekends, only during the week. I’m packing in most of one chapter in the initial sitting and then trying my best to finish the chapter off in the next sitting.

I rescheduled BDCS for early May, 2009. I would have liked a date in late May, but no weekend appointments were available. There is a test center near my home that has Sunday appointments. I rescheduled for the first available Sunday appointment. With this down economy, it is important for me to be in the office during the week. I may even reschedule my next exams, because I no longer want to take those Mondays off. If I’m going to do this I need to make up my mind soon, or I’ll have to wait even longer for an open Sunday appointment.

One of my biggest mistakes has been taking a long gap between my second exam and my third exam. I know I’ve said it before, but I have to stress this. Win or lose keep studying for your next exam. You have to keep up the intensity. If you allow pauses, distractions will push in the way.

“Being process-oriented, not product-driven, is the most important and difficult skill for a designer to develop.”

Being process-oriented means: 1, 2, 3…

6) knowing when to change and when to stick with previous decisions;

7) accepting as normal the anxiety that comes from not knowing what to do;

- from 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School by Matthew Frederick, 2007

When you start studying, don’t worry if you’re not getting all or even any of the answers. Be primarily concerned with the process, meaning maintain a habit of studying and improve upon those habits. Do what is right, more and more often and you will improve your end result.

The more you can accept “not knowing”, the more receptive you can be in your studies. Recognize this anxiety as a normal part of taking these architectural exams and acclimate yourself. For me, because I have already taken an exam, it has become easier to accept that I can not know exactly what’s on my exam.

I harp on this because, right now:

• My study time is irregular.
• I haven’t set a priority order of which books to read/re-read.
• My specific study goals (what am I supposed to learn) are not summarized, (not in my head and not on paper).

Because of all this, I’ve decided to pull the ARE Review Manual to the forefront of my reading. I will try to finish the required sections for Building Design and Construction Systems (BDCS) before moving on to other readings.

I’ve downloaded FEMA publication 454 “Designing for Earthquakes” and I hesitate to consider this my next reading assignment. You can grab it from the FEMA website. Justdrawinglines recommended FEMA publication 172 “NEHRP Handbook of Techniques for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings”, so I’ve downloaded that as well. I am helter skelter with my reading assignments including the ARE Review Manual and I’m not really reading anything. I’m even having a hard time concentrating on flashcards during my commute. I had some success on Tuesday when I went through the multiple choice questions in the NCARB study guide for Building Design and Construction Systems. I got questions wrong that I knew I needed to know, like where does the vapor barrier go in an air conditioned building in a hot and humid climate. At least now I know the answer, but still don’t understand why.