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License by Design — ARE + CSE exam preparation

ARE 5.0 division

Programming & Analysis

New members: $99/month (previously $199/month; plus applicable tax) for all six ARE divisions and the California CSE. Free PA sample questions, no account needed; the free sample lesson is PcM only.

The work before design: reading a site's opportunities and constraints, applying zoning and early code limits, and turning an owner's needs into a program that fits the land, the budget, and the schedule.

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PA

01Exam facts

Number of items
75
Total appointment time
3 hr 40 min
Content areas and published weighting
Environmental & Contextual Conditions14–21%
Codes & Regulations16–22%
Site Analysis & Programming21–27%
Building Analysis & Programming37–43%

NCARB states these ranges represent a typical form of the division; the form you take may vary slightly. Source: NCARB (ARE 5.0), checked October 1, 2026. Always confirm with the official source before your exam.

02Who it's for

  • Candidates whose daily work starts after the program is already set
  • Designers comfortable with buildings but less practiced at site and zoning analysis
  • Those working on renovations who need to evaluate existing buildings against new uses

03Learning approach

  1. 1

    Start from the parcel

    Units begin with a site — its slope, climate, access, and zoning envelope — and ask what it allows before anything is drawn.

  2. 2

    Quantify the program

    Practice turns narrative client needs into areas, adjacencies, and priorities.

  3. 3

    Test against limits

    Review checks each program decision against site, code, cost, and schedule constraints together.

04Curriculum

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05Decisions you'll practice

  • Where on a site a building should sit given solar access, drainage, and setbacks
  • Whether an existing building can absorb a new occupancy without major changes
  • Which program spaces must be adjacent and which can be separated
  • How a zoning height or area limit reshapes the owner's wish list

Examples of the kinds of decisions covered. Not actual exam questions.

06Published now

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07Sample

No free sample is approved yet. The curriculum outline above lists every published section; How It Works explains the study flow.

08Questions

Start with PA.

One $99/month membership (previously $199/month) opens PA and every other published program, including the California CSE. Checking membership availability…

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