Architect Exam Podcast

Black and white logo for the Architect Exam Podcast with bold text and a circular emblem in the word “Podcast.”

The Architect Exam Podcast is a free ARE exam prep resource covering all six NCARB divisions. Each episode breaks down exactly what you need to know for the architect registration exam – no fluff, no filler, just the content that actually shows up on the test.

No need to take notes while you listen. For many episodes, we’ve already made a free two-page set of study notes for you – just head to the episode page and grab them. Whether you’re just starting the ARE or grinding through your last exam, there’s something here for every stage of the licensing journey.

The podcast covers all six ARE 5.0 exam divisions:


Ready for more than a podcast? ARE Boot Camp is a 10-week coaching program that gives you a clear roadmap, weekly live sessions, and accountability all the way to your last exam. Learn more about ARE Boot Camp →

Browse our complete library of podcast episodes and companion articles below. Each episode comes with an in-depth article that expands on the key concepts.

This podcast is also available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts


Do I need to take notes while I listen? Nope. For many episodes, we’ve already made a free two-page set of study notes for you. Just go to the episode page, enter your email, and download them. Hit play and just listen.

Where can I listen to the Architect Exam Podcast? You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or right here on this website. Many episodes are also embedded directly inside the Young Architect Academy courses – so if you’re a member, you’ll find relevant episodes built right into the course content you’re already studying.

Does the podcast cover all six ARE 5.0 exams? Yes. Episodes cover all six NCARB divisions – PcM, PjM, PA, PPD, PDD, and CE – plus study strategy, AIA contracts, building codes, and CDT exam prep. Use the category links above to find episodes for the specific exam you’re studying.

ARE Podcasts by Exam:

Engineered Wood: From Glulam Beams to CLT Panels

We are building 18-story buildings out of wood. Not logs, not heavy timbers, but engineered wood products that get taken apart and put back together smarter than the tree ever managed. This is the full...

Crumbling asbestos pipe insulation litters a dark basement floor as a grim reaper waits in the doorway

Asbestos in Buildings: What It Looks Like and What to Do

 Asbestos in buildings is more common than most people expect. It sits in floor tile, pipe insulation, ceiling texture, and siding throughout buildings put up before the early 1980s. What follows covers what asbestos...

AIA A201 General Conditions document bursting through a break in case of job site emergency glass case on a construction site

AIA A201 Articles That Solve Real Job Site Problems

 The AIA A201 is the general conditions document that governs construction administration on nearly every project built under AIA contracts. When things go wrong on a job site, from non-conforming work and unauthorized material...

Lighting calculations featured image showing an architect working under a single pendant light in a dark office full of unlit desks

Lighting Calculations: How Many Fixtures Does a Room Need?

A lighting calculation determines how many fixtures a room needs to hit a target light level. This post covers the foot candle chart by space type, the lumen method formula, the inverse square law, and...

Architect holds an insurance umbrella while lawsuits and gavels rain down on a construction site

Architect Insurance: Types, Costs, and Risk Management Guide

Architect insurance is one of those topics that nobody wants to think about until they absolutely have to. But understanding your coverage (from professional liability and errors and omissions insurance to claims-made policies, tail coverage,...

Architect as referee between owner and contractor with A201 General Conditions of the Contract for Construction

A201 General Conditions in 30 Minutes

The A201 general conditions govern how construction projects actually work. Fifteen articles covering means and methods, the schedule of values, substantial completion, change orders, and dispute resolution for every party on the project. This post...

Five types of light bulbs compared showing incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, HID, and LED with different color temperatures and glow

Types of Light Bulbs, Color Temperature, and CRI

Understanding the different types of light bulbs starts with two numbers: color temperature and CRI. Color temperature, measured in Kelvin, controls whether a light source feels warm or cool. The color rendering index measures how...

Architect presenting a site plan with setbacks to a zoning official at the planning and zoning department

Zoning Fundamentals: Setbacks, Easements, FAR and Variances

Zoning controls what you can build on a piece of land, how big it can be, and where it can sit on the site. This guide covers setbacks, easements, floor area ratio, lot coverage, building...

Woman in a wheelchair smiling in an ADA Bathroom Layout

ADA Bathroom Layout: Designing for Real Bodies

An ADA bathroom layout requires specific dimensions for turning space, toilet clearance, grab bar placement, sink height, and fixture reach ranges. But the numbers only make sense when you understand the physical experience behind them:...

Means of egress journey from exit access through a fire rated stairwell exit to exit discharge at the public way

Means of Egress: Understanding Safe Building Exits

The difference between life and death during a building emergency often comes down to one thing: means of egress. These critical escape pathways aren’t arbitrary rules imposed by building officials; rather, they’re the result of...

Statue of Liberty with corroding iron armature exposed, comic style callout saying it's galvanic corrosion

Galvanic Corrosion: How Dissimilar Metals Cause Failure

Galvanic corrosion occurs when two dissimilar metals are in contact and moisture completes the circuit. This guide explains how galvanic action works, walks through the galvanic series chart for common architectural metals, and covers the...

QA vs QC in architecture, an architect doing QA at the desk and QC inspection on site

QA vs QC in Construction: Prevention vs Detection

QA vs QC is one of the most commonly confused topics in construction and architecture. Quality assurance (QA) prevents problems before they happen. Quality control (QC) finds and fixes them after the fact. This guide...

Workers installing a built up roof membrane on a low slop roof. mop, buckets and tar on the roof.

Roof Membrane Types: How to Choose for Any Building

On a pitched roof, gravity does all the work. Flatten that roof out and the water has nowhere to go. The only thing standing between that pooling water and the inside of the building is...

Overwhelmed ARE candidate at desk surrounded by swirling clocks and ARE division names struggling with study motivation

Study Motivation When the Exam Feels Impossible

Study motivation is the single biggest barrier for ARE candidates who have the books, the courses, and the study plan but can’t seem to open any of them. If exam stress and decision fatigue have...

Free CDT and CSI Certifications Presentation | Fall 2026

Join Michael and Emily for a free CDT® certification presentation on August 6, 2026. Learn how CDT certification fits into your ARE or NCIDQ prep, the full CSI® certification landscape, the Fall 2026 exam schedule,...

Construction claims and disputes with an architect caught between an angry owner and contractor waving claim documents

Construction Disputes: How Claims Start and How They End

Construction disputes and construction claims are an unavoidable part of working in the AEC industry. Whether you’re managing an active project or preparing for the ARE exam, knowing how to prevent, navigate, and resolve these...

Architect reacts nervously as an owner presents a contract guaranteeing error-free design and a perfect building

Architect Standard of Care: It’s Not About Perfection

The architect standard of care doesn’t mean perfect work. It means the level of skill and care that a reasonably competent architect would exercise under similar circumstances. If you’re studying for the ARE or practicing...

Candle illuminating one square foot of surface with dimension lines showing the foot candle measurement

What Is a Foot Candle? Lumens, Lux, and Luminance

Fifty foot candles. That number shows up in every lighting specification you will ever read. But what is a foot candle, actually? How is it different from a lumen? And what does luminance have to...

Four historic preservation approaches shown side by side from preservation to rehabilitation to restoration to reconstruction

Historic Preservation: From Rehabilitation to Reconstruction

Historic preservation defines four distinct approaches to working on historic buildings, and most people confuse at least two of them. A design team once spent weeks building a restoration plan for a beautiful old brick...

Salary vs billing rate comparison showing the gap between what a principal, project architect, designer, and drafter earn versus what clients pay for their time

Architecture Firm Finances: From Salary to Profit

There is an architect at your firm making $50 an hour. But the client gets billed $150 for that same hour. Where does that $100 gap go? And what happens to your firm financially if...

Architect discovers hidden moisture damage and rot inside a building envelope wall assembly

Vapor Barriers Explained: Water, Air, and Moisture in Walls

Every wall assembly has to manage three things: bulk water, air leakage, and vapor diffusion. A vapor barrier, an air barrier, and a weather resistive barrier each handle one of those jobs, but most people...

Architect and owner sign the AIA B101 owner-architect agreement at a conference table

AIA B101: What the Owner-Architect Agreement Actually Covers

Most people working in architecture have worked under an AIA B101 for years without ever actually reading it. The contract gets signed, it sits in a drawer somewhere, and the entire team works under it...

Woman navigates ADA door clearance in a wheelchair

ADA Door Clearance: Why These Dimensions Exist

Years ago, I spent an entire day in a wheelchair. Not because I needed one, but because my professor told me to. I could dimension every ADA door clearance on a floor plan, but I...

illustration of soft story building collapse during an earthquake as people flee crumbling apartment buildings with crushed cars underneath

Seismic Irregularities: Soft Story to Shear Walls

A soft story building has a hidden weakness that earthquakes are designed to find. This post walks through the major seismic irregularities tested on the PPD and PDD exams, including soft stories, weak stories, load...