ARE 5.0 Practice Management Exam Prep
Crush PcM Financial Calculations and Business Topics
We make the ARE Practice Management exam straightforward by breaking down complex business topics into clear, actionable lessons you can actually use.
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Our Students Are Now Registered Architects at These Firms:
Tackle the PcM Exam With Total Confidence
Our proven method breaks down confusing financial calculations and business topics into simple, actionable steps you can use right away.
Picture yourself walking into the testing center completely prepared for any PcM question.
That’s exactly what happens.
What You'll Master in PcM 101:
Solving financial calculations for fees, overhead, and project profitability
Establishing business structures and managing firm operations effectively
Applying ethical standards and understanding standard of care requirements
Evaluating contracts, delivery methods, and client negotiations
Tackling PcM case studies and scenario-based questions with confidence
Your Complete PcM Exam Prep Toolkit
Complete exam prep designed to help you pass the first time.
NCARB-Focused Video Lessons
16+ hours covering every PcM objective with clear explanations
Strategic Practice Questions
265 ARE questions that start with basics and gradually increase in difficulty to accelerate your growth
In-Depth Case Studies
Practice business scenarios and financial calculations with three comprehensive case studies
AIA Contracts 101 Course
Complete coverage of B101, A201, and C401 essential for the PcM exam
PcM Flashcards
200+ mobile-friendly cards covering financial formulas and business terminology
Virtual Tutor Support
24/7 instant help when you need clarification on complex topics
What Our Customers Our Saying About PcM 101
Study smarter, not harder.
Get PcM 101 + Full ARE Prep Access
NCARB’s PcM exam draws from several disciplines. Here’s what you get access to:
Why This Matters for Your PcM Prep
PcM questions pull from multiple knowledge areas. Our membership gives you everything you need:
AIA Contracts 101 – Master B101, A201, and C401 essential for contract and delivery method questions
AHPP Reading Companions – Easily navigate the Architect's Handbook sections specific to Practice Management
Integrated Pro Practice Learning –Foundational content shared across PcM, PjM, and CE that makes studying each exam more efficient
ARE 101 Course Membership
Ideal for independent learners
$129/mo
Includes:
- Access all ARE 101 Courses
- 1000’s of Practice Questions
- Interactive Video Lessons
- In-Depth Case Studies
- 24/7 Virtual Tutors
- Cancel Anytime
Try ARE 101 Risk-Free for 7 Days
We're confident you'll love our approach to PcM prep. If you're not completely satisfied within your first week, just contact our support team and we'll process your full refund. No questions asked.
ARE 101 Course Membership
Over 100 hours of video lessons, 1,400+ practice questions, and everything you need to pass all ARE exams.
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Meet Your ARE Prep Instructors
Learn from licensed architects who’ve mastered Practice Management and helped thousands pass the PcM exam.
Michael Riscica
RA, CSI, CDT
A registered Architect in Florida and Oregon, Michael is the founder of Young Architect Academy and ARE Boot Camp. His passion is demystifying the Architect Registration Exam.
Lorenzo Franchina
RA
A registered Architect in New Jersey, Lorenzo has over thirty years of experience in architecture practice and has a natural talent for making complex topics simple.
Your PcM Success Starts Here
Join thousands of ARE candidates who’ve used this comprehensive approach
to pass the ARE.
PcM 101 Frequently Asked Questions
We know you have questions. Below we’ve answered everything you need to know about PcM 101, how the exam works, and how to pass it.
Click to jump down to the category that matters most to you:
About the ARE 101 Membership
Understanding the PcM Exam
Study Strategy & Preparation
Why Young Architect Academy
ABOUT THE ARE 101 MEMBERSHIP
What's included in the ARE 101 membership and do I get access to just PcM or all the ARE courses?
You get access to all our ARE courses which includes over 120 hours of video lessons and 1,400+ practice questions covering every ARE exam. We only sell one membership. Not individual courses, not multiple membership tiers. Just one.
The specific materials for PcM 101 are listed above on this page.
Here’s why we include everything:
To effectively pass PcM, you need our AIA Contracts 101 course and you’ll need to cross-reference content from PjM and CE. We spent 5 hours explaining B101 in our contracts course, so in PcM 101 we only spend 20 minutes on it.
The AHPP companions and Wiley charts connect across PcM, PjM, and CE. We also have extensive content to help people in the early stages of taking their first exam, regardless of which one it is.
Here’s what makes PcM fascinating: You’re learning how to actually run an architecture business. How to find clients, manage finances, understand your ethical obligations. This is the business side of architecture they never taught you in school – and once you understand how it all connects, it’s genuinely interesting.
Here’s the thing: You won’t use all this information at once. Our 10 years of data shows it takes 700 to 1,300 hours of studying to pass all six ARE exams. Some people do it in 6 months, but most take 2 to 3 years.
How long do I have access to the course materials?
As long as you’re subscribed to the ARE 5.0 membership. Our membership is month-to-month, so you stay subscribed as long as you need access.
What study materials are included vs. what do I need to buy separately?
Our course includes videos, audio content, practice questions, case studies, and more. The specific materials for PcM 101 are listed above on this page.
Think of this as your ARE study guide combined with the official AHPP reference book.
For the Practice Management exam, you’ll need the Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice Version 15.0 (the full version, not the student edition). The student edition is missing substantial information you’ll be tested on.
You’re going to need the AHPP even if you use Black Spectacles, Amber Book, PPI, or any other prep company. Studying third party ARE prep is never a substitute for studying the book they literally use to write most of the questions.
What’s great about Young Architect Academy is we teach you how to use the AHPP effectively. If your goal is to pass PcM, PjM, and CE quickly and efficiently, learning how to use the Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice is the fastest way to get you to that goal.
We also recommend the Project Delivery Practice Guide 3rd Edition from the Construction Specifications Institute. It’s a nice to have resource and we’ll explain more inside the PcM 101 course.
Can I cancel my membership anytime?
Yes. You can cancel your membership anytime. There are no contracts or commitments.
Your membership will continue to work until your next billing date.
What's your refund policy?
We want you to be confident in your purchase. If within the first 7 days you decide the ARE 101 membership isn’t the right fit, reach out to us immediately and we’ll work with you.
Look, if this isn’t clicking for you in the first week, we’d rather give you your money back than have you waste time on something that’s not working.
Also, it’s your responsibility to unsubscribe when you’re done using the membership or you pass your last exam. We’re not responsible for refunding months you didn’t use but stayed subscribed.
If you realize early on this isn’t for you, let us know. We’re reasonable people and want this to be a win-win.
Is this self-paced or are there scheduled classes?
ARE 101 membership is completely self-paced online learning. Study whenever works for you.
Our other program, the ARE Bootcamp is different. That’s a live coaching program with scheduled meetings and dedicated meeting times.
Do you have an app, or can I study on my phone and tablet?
We have something better than an app: a website that’s heavily optimized for mobile browsers.
We used to have an app, but we discovered our website actually worked better. So we got rid of the app and focused all our energy on making the mobile browser experience fantastic.
The Young Architect Academy works great on Google Chrome and Safari on your phone or tablet. About 75% of our students use the website on their phones.
Can I adjust video playback speed or listen to audio-only versions while commuting?
Yes, and we highly encourage it.
You can speed up or slow down all our video lessons.
Sometimes we talk fast, so you might want to slow it down.
Sometimes you’ve already heard it three times and want to speed through it.
All our videos have closed captions, making it easy to study while commuting or in any environment.
Can I download videos for offline viewing?
All content must be streamed through the website.
However, the website works great on mobile browsers, so you can study anywhere you have internet access.
Are the flashcards just definitions or do they include calculations?
All of our flashcards focus on vocabulary and definitions.
All of our ARE practice questions focus on understanding the concepts.
From a study strategy point of view: Every single exam has vocabulary specific to that test. One of the strategies we recommend is learning the words before you actually need to use them.
When you get to the part of the course where those words come up, you already know what they mean and the concepts behind them. It helps everything move along faster.
We have digital flashcards, but feel free to make your own on index cards too, sometimes physically writing it out helps too.
Do the practice questions explain why wrong answers are wrong?
Yes. This is one of the things that separates us from so many other ARE prep companies.
But here’s what makes our PcM practice questions different: They put you IN business situations. You’re making decisions about project fees. You’re evaluating staffing needs. You’re navigating ethical dilemmas. You’re calculating financial ratios and determining if a practice is healthy.
Every practice question is a lesson and a teaching opportunity. We don’t just tell you the right answer. We explain why all the incorrect answers are wrong and how this concept relates back to each NCARB objective.
We’ve organized our practice questions into three levels:
- Level 1 (beginner)
- Level 2 (intermediate)
- Level 3 (hard)
These aren’t just practice questions. They’re a complete practice exam preparation system.
We’ve learned that really challenging practice questions aren’t helpful when you’re just starting and everything is new. In fact, it’s discouraging.
The intention is to grow through our practice questions as you learn more. Since NCARB is testing your ability to read the question and choose the right answer, so much of our teaching happens inside the practice questions themselves while you practice recall.
Can I sign up and share it with my study group?
No. If you enroll in our ARE 101 membership, it’s only for you. Period.
At checkout, you’ll agree to our single user agreement which states the person who signed up and registered is the only person who gets to use it.
This is actually a benefit to you. The single user agreement allows us to offer our product at such a low price.
I already have access to Amber Book and Black Spectacles through my firm. Would this still be helpful?
Yes. We’ve learned that 80% of our students have already used Black Spectacles and Amber Book before coming to Young Architect Academy.
Here’s what we hear all the time: A lot of people come to us after using other prep companies because those materials don’t teach you how to THINK about running an architecture practice – they just give you formulas to memorize and summaries to review.
Practice management isn’t about memorizing financial formulas. It’s about understanding how a healthy architecture business operates. It’s about knowing how to evaluate your practice’s financial health, make smart staffing decisions, and navigate ethical situations. It’s about thinking like a business owner.
No one is only using one ARE prep company in isolation. It’s never one book, one prep company, one resource or one video.
It truly takes a village to create every licensed architect.
We have a very different, unique, and strategic approach to studying for the architect exam. We promote studying everything you can get your hands on that’s going to help you pass your exams.
If you have access to other ARE prep study materials, that’s great. A lot of people tell us they like our questions the best.
How often do you update the PcM 101 course content?
Pretty regularly. We never stop making it better.
Every time we hear from a student about what clicked for them or what was confusing, we fold that insight back into the courses.
- 2018-2020: PcM 101 videos were created
- 2023-2025: More practice questions were added
- 2024: The AHPP Reading Companion was added
- 2025: We rebuilt Young Architect Academy from scratch on a brand new website with better tools and user experience
- March 2025: Created an updated PcM 101 introduction video and made minor content adjustments throughout the course based on what we’ve learned since it was originally created.
The course evolves as we learn what works best for students and as the exam evolves.
If you ever find a mistake, typo, or error in our content, we have an easy system for you to submit feedback. We’re constantly updating our materials on a weekly basis to make sure everything is accurate.
We’re not perfect, but we’re very proactive about quality control.
Do you offer any free trial or sample content before I buy?
We don’t offer free trials because we have way too much content to give you a meaningful sample. With over 120 hours of video lessons and 1,400+ practice questions across all six ARE exams, plus we have additional 101 courses for AIA contracts, building code and mechanical systems, a small sample wouldn’t do justice to what you’re actually getting.
Instead, we offer something better: Try ARE 101 Risk-Free for 7 Days.
We’re confident you’ll love our approach to PcM prep. If you’re not completely satisfied within your first week, just contact our support team and we’ll process your full refund. No questions asked.
This gives you the chance to dive in and experience the full breadth and depth of our ARE 101 membership. Explore the PcM content, check out the Contracts course, browse through practice questions, and see how everything connects.
Seven days is enough time to know if this is right for you. And if it’s not, you get your money back.
We’ve also published over 50 episodes of our free ARE exam prep podcast, which gives you a great sense of our conversational teaching style and the type of content inside Young Architect Academy.
What happens if NCARB changes the exam while I'm studying?
NCARB typically gives everyone plenty of notice before making changes to the ARE.
NCARB announced they’re planning changes to the architect exam for fall 2025. As of October 2025, we’re still waiting to hear more details about what those changes will look like.
Whatever changes come to the architect registration exam, it will be incorporated into your ARE 101 membership.
We’re not creating a separate new product for the new version of the exam. Young Architect Academy is excited to start working on whatever updates NCARB announces.
UNDERSTANDING THE PcM EXAM
What topics are covered on the ARE Practice Management exam?
Practice Management covers the management of architectural practice, including professional ethics, fiduciary responsibilities, and regulations governing architecture.
The exam is divided into four sections:
Section 1: Business Operations (20-26%)
Running a business requires attention to staffing, regulations, insurance, ethics, and Standard of Care.
This includes analyzing staffing needs, evaluating capital expenditures, understanding labor laws and insurance requirements, applying ethical standards, and understanding Standard of Care implications.
Section 2: Finances, Risk, & Development of Practice (29-35%)
This is the largest section. Running and developing a practice requires attention to finances, mitigating risk and liability, and negotiating services and contracts.
You’ll need to evaluate financial well-being, identify policies for risk and legal exposures, and select practice strategies for business situations.
Section 3: Practice-Wide Delivery of Services (19-25%)
Looking at projects in the context of their impact on the overall practice.
This includes analyzing client service requests, understanding contract types and delivery methods, and determining potential risk and reward of projects.
Section 4: Practice Methodologies (16-22%)
The smallest section. Analyzing how a practice is structured to achieve its goals and how to coordinate various projects and services.
This covers business structures, evidence-based design, integrated project delivery, and quality control methodologies.
Does PcM 101 cover everything I need to pass the exam?
Yes. However, you have to do the work.
Thousands of people have used this Practice Management 101 course and passed the ARE exam, but you can’t just sit on the couch and watch a bunch of videos and expect to walk in and pass the test. You have to do the work, do the readings, and understand the concepts.
Young Architect Academy teaches and promotes understanding the concepts rather than memorizing data. We also heavily emphasize strategy and making it easier. Working smarter, not harder.
What's the format and structure of the PcM exam (length, passing score, calculator, etc.)?
The ARE Practice Management exam has 80 questions and takes 2 hours 45 minutes.
The passing score ranges between 58-71% depending on the specific test form you get. Each form has slightly different difficulty, so NCARB adjusts the cut score to keep it fair.
You get an on-screen calculator (you can’t bring your own). The exam includes three types of questions: multiple choice, check-all-that-apply, and hotspot questions where you click on images.
Case studies are included in the exam where you’ll reference project documents to answer questions.
Is the Practice Management exam hard?
Yes, it’s a challenging exam. But here’s what I want you to focus on instead of the difficulty: how absolutely fascinating this content becomes once it clicks.
Most architects went to school to design buildings, not run businesses. The business and financial side felt like this boring necessary evil you’d deal with later. But here’s what happened for me when I really dug into Practice Management: I realized the business side is what actually gives you control over your career and your practice.
Understanding profit and loss statements, utilization rates, and financial planning isn’t just about passing an exam. It’s about understanding whether your firm is healthy, whether you’re getting paid what you’re worth, and how to actually build the kind of practice you want to run.
And the owner-architect agreement? Once you understand how the B101 works and how it dictates the entire relationship between you and your client, everything about how architecture gets practiced starts making sense. It’s like suddenly seeing the matrix behind why firms operate the way they do.
Yes, this exam requires time, patience, and practice. But instead of psyching yourself out about difficulty, get curious about how interesting this stuff actually is. This is knowledge that’s going to make you better at the business of architecture, and honestly, that’s when your career really takes off.
What is the hardest part of the PcM exam?
Here’s what most people think is the hardest part: All those financial calculations and accounting formulas that you’ve probably never seen before. Break-even analysis, utilization rates, profit planning. If you didn’t study business or accounting, this stuff feels completely foreign.
And yes, the financial calculations do take time and practice to get comfortable with. The good news is we have some of the best resources out there for learning this stuff in a way that actually makes sense.
But here’s what candidates actually struggle with the most, and they don’t even realize it: If you don’t understand your project delivery methods, your B101, your A201, and how owners, architects, and contractors actually work together, you’re missing the entire foundation that everything else sits on top of.
You can memorize every financial formula in the world, but if you don’t understand the contractual relationships and how projects actually flow from contract signing through closeout, you’re going to struggle to apply that knowledge in context.
The financial stuff looks scary, but the contract fundamentals are actually more critical. That’s why we built an entire AIA Contracts 101 course. Once you nail down those foundations, everything else gets so much easier.
Is PcM easier or harder than the other ARE exams?
All ARE exams are hard. Each one has its own personality and is looking at a lot of the same topics from different perspectives.
PcM is a fantastic beginner exam. PcM, PjM, and CE should be the first three exams you study and pass before you move into the more technical and challenging exams.
There’s a lot of overlap between PcM, PjM, and CE. Each exam is hard in its own way, but taking them together as a group makes strategic sense.
What's the difference between PcM, PjM, and CE, and what's the recommended sequence for taking them?
PcM (Practice Management) is all about starting an architecture business. Finding clients, setting up and running a business. It gets you up to the point where you sign a B101 owner-architect agreement.
PjM (Project Management) is all about managing a project once you have that signed contract. Managing the team, the schedule, the budget, and executing the project from contract through construction documents.
CE (Construction & Evaluation) is what happens after the construction documents leave the architect’s hands and get handed off to the contractor. Bidding, pricing, construction observation, shop drawing review, payment applications, and project closeout.
The sequence of these 3 doesn’t really matter. What’s actually more important is just getting them all done before you move on to the technical exams.
There’s a lot of overlapping content between all three of these exams. About 60% of what makes up these first three exams is a lot of the same stuff. It actually gets easier studying for these exams as you start to march through them.
After you’ve learned the fundamentals of how project delivery methods work and the contract stuff, each one of these exams is looking at a lot of the same topics and content, just from a different perspective.
If your goal is to pass the architect exam quickly and efficiently, getting these first three exams done before you move into the more technical exams is critical. This foundational content comes up on every test. These are also more beginner friendly exams than the technical ones.
How do I prepare for PcM financial calculations and formulas?
A lot of the calculation questions for the pro practice exams are more about reading comprehension and understanding the concepts behind what is being asked, than they are about math.
We have really fantastic resources to help get you up to speed very quickly with learning the fundamentals. But the best tip is to not wait. Start taking small bites and baby steps with it. Do a little bit of financial stuff every single day rather than waiting and cramming to try to get it all done.
That’s probably the biggest mistake people make. It’s too much to take on all at once, but if you just break it down into baby steps, it’s a lot more manageable.
It does take practice, patience, and time. But if you’ve made it this far in your career, you can 100% learn it. We’ve helped a lot of people get past this.
What AIA contracts and contract documents are covered?
We cover all the AIA contracts that are being tested on the architect exam inside our AIA Contracts 101 course. AIA Contracts 101 is the most comprehensive resource available to quickly master AIA Contracts.
The good news is that once you know your B101 and your A201, everything else gets a lot simpler. Inside the course, we tell you how to navigate the contract parts of it.
Will I learn about Standard of Care for the PcM exam?
Yes. Standard of Care is a pretty basic concept that pops up all over the place on the Practice Management exam.
We’ve actually written a lot of practice questions to help you apply the concept and test your ability to make the right decision as an architect.
Does the course explain project delivery methods (Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, CM)?
Yes. Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, Construction Manager, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), etc.
Project delivery methods is a topic that we love to teach because once you understand this, it really unlocks a lot of understanding as to how to answer so many other questions.
PcM, PjM, and CE each have an entire objective that references understanding project delivery methods. So this is one of those foundational topics that will make your life a lot easier if you nail it down sooner than later.
How much code knowledge do I need for the PcM exam?
PcM is not a big building code exam. However, building codes come up on every single ARE exam in one way or another.
Building codes are a topic that takes a lot of time and repetition to really wrap your head around. Even though it’s not a big PcM topic, we highly recommend starting the process of learning building codes sooner rather than later instead of waiting until you get to your technical exams.
Our ARE 5.0 Building Codes 101 course is a fantastic introduction to building codes. Even just going through some of our Level 1 beginner questions would be recommended.
STUDY STRATEGY & PREPARATION
How long does it take to complete PcM 101 exam prep and how many hours per week should I study?
It depends on the person, but the official answer is study as much as you can during the week.
If this is your first ARE exam, you’re going to spend a lot more hours than if you’ve already studied for PjM or CE. These three pro practice exams build off of each other.
It’s taking ARE Candidates approximately 300 to 500 hours of studying to pass PcM, PjM, and CE combined.
Focus on studying every day and winning by getting some work done every single day. Some days are going to be better than others, but keep showing up. The stuff we’re studying is absolutely fascinating.
What's the biggest mistake people make when studying for PcM?
Spending all their time memorizing financial formulas and calculations while completely ignoring the fundamentals that actually make or break you on this exam.
Yes, you need to understand break-even analysis and utilization rates. But here’s what happens: People obsess over the math because it feels concrete and measurable. You can practice calculations over and over and feel like you’re making progress.
But if you don’t understand how Design-Bid-Build differs from Design-Build, or what actually happens in a B101 owner-architect agreement, or how the roles and responsibilities flow through an A201, you’re going to bomb the contextual questions. And there are a LOT of contextual questions.
The financial calculations might be 20-30% of the exam. The other 70-80% is understanding how architectural practice actually works, how contracts structure relationships, and how to make good decisions as an architect managing a business.
Get the foundations right first. Then the financial stuff will actually make sense because you’ll understand what you’re calculating and why it matters.
Should I study for multiple exams at the same time?
Because of the overlap between PcM, PjM, and CE, there’s a lot of foundational content you need across all three exams.
However, if your goal is to quickly and efficiently pass these exams, after you’ve seen the big picture, being strategic and focused on doing them one at a time will actually get you to the finish line faster.
What's the best way to study for the ARE PcM case studies?
Case studies are nothing more than open book multiple choice questions.
Knowing the content is 80% of the battle. The other 20% is not getting distracted and wasting time in the documentation.
Look at every question individually and ask yourself: Do I have what I need here to solve this question? Or do I have to go back into the references? Don’t waste time looking at every piece of documentation. Think about what the question is really asking you and work your way backwards into the documentation.
We have more information inside our ARE 101 membership regarding how to handle ARE Test Day.
How many practice questions should I do before taking PcM?
Every single one you can get your hands on. But here’s what matters more than the quantity: understanding WHY each answer is right or wrong.
Practice questions aren’t just about repetition. They’re about learning how NCARB thinks, how they test the objectives, and what kind of decisions you need to make as an architect.
Our practice questions put you IN real Practice Management scenarios. You’re making decisions about staffing, evaluating financial situations, choosing contract strategies, managing risk. Every question is tied directly back to NCARB’s objectives so you’re not just memorizing random facts, you’re learning how to think through the situations you’ll actually face on exam day.
The more questions you work through with this mindset, the better you’ll get at recognizing patterns, eliminating wrong answers, and choosing the best response. That’s the skill NCARB is actually testing.
Do I need work experience to pass PcM?
No. Lots of people have passed PcM who are recent graduates and don’t have work experience.
Often, how you do it in the office every day is not the right answer on the tests. We’ve seen over and over again that the ability to focus, concentrate, and not get distracted is actually much more valuable than having 20 years of experience.
When should I schedule my ARE PcM exam?
Start studying first.
Schedule your exam after you feel like you’ve done about 50% of the studying needed to be ready.
Then look at what’s going on in your life. Is there anything that’s going to interrupt you from studying really hard for the second half? Any holidays, any vacations, any deadlines? Make an educated decision about choosing a test date once you’ve looked at all this data.
Your personal life will always dictate your ARE schedule more than anything else.
Young Architect has never subscribed to the one size fits all approach of just spending 30 days studying for an exam. Are you studying 5 hours a week or 50 hours a week? We always measure it in hours and getting the work done.
How do I know when I'm ready to take the PcM exam?
You’re ready when you’ve gone through all the study materials, done the practice questions, and feel like you understand the core concepts. But here’s the reality: You’re never going to feel 100% ready. There’s always going to be more to study.
Sometimes failing an exam teaches you more than studying for another 100 hours trying to avoid failure. The exam itself shows you what you actually need to know.
If you’ve done the work and put in the hours, schedule it. You can’t pass these exams without taking them.
How many times can I retake the PcM exam if I fail?
You can fail a specific exam three times within a 12 month period.
The 12 month period starts the first day that you fail it. So you can fail PcM three times in a 12 month period starting from your first failed attempt.
What should I do if I fail PcM the first time?
Don’t immediately retake it.
Go study and take the Project Management (PjM) and Construction & Evaluation (CE) exams. After you pass those, come back to PcM.
Here’s why this works: Even though you didn’t pass PcM, the work you did wasn’t wasted. That foundational knowledge is going to help you crush PjM and CE. And then when you study for those exams, you’re going to see the same concepts from different angles. Suddenly things that didn’t click the first time around start making perfect sense.
This is the holistic approach that actually works. When people fail PcM as their first exam and just keep retaking it over and over, they’re stuck in a loop studying the exact same content the exact same way, expecting different results. That’s the definition of insanity.
You start to hate the material. Studying becomes torture instead of learning. You’re burning hours without making progress because you need a different perspective on the same information.
Take PjM and CE, then come back to PcM. Those exams share about 60% of the same foundational content. You’re not starting over, you’re building on what you already know and seeing it through a different lens. That’s what unlocks understanding.
And here’s the reality: Statistically, most people fail NCARB’s ARE exams 3 to 6 times before passing them all. This isn’t a failure of character, it’s part of the process. The people who pass are the ones who keep moving forward strategically instead of beating their head against the same wall.
What if I've already failed PcM multiple times?
First question: Have you taken PjM and CE yet? If not, stop retaking PcM and go study for those two exams. Then come back to PcM with fresh eyes and a broader understanding.
If you’ve already done PjM and CE and you’re still struggling with PcM, you need a different approach. Doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results doesn’t work.
Maybe you need different practice questions that test the concepts differently. Maybe you need someone to explain project delivery methods in a way that finally clicks. Maybe you need to focus on the contract fundamentals you’ve been glossing over.
We see this all the time: People struggle with other resources, then they see how Young Architect teaches the same concepts from a different angle and suddenly it makes sense. Sometimes you just need to hear it explained differently.
The content isn’t going to change. NCARB’s objectives aren’t going to change. But your understanding can absolutely change when you get a different perspective on the material.
Don’t keep doing what isn’t working. Find different resources, different explanations, different approaches until something clicks.
WHY YOUNG ARCHITECT ACADEMY
How is this different from other ARE prep resources like Black Spectacles, Amber Book, or just reading books?
Here’s the fundamental difference: We teach you to study the way NCARB actually intended you to study.
That means understanding NCARB’s objective statements. That means using the same books NCARB uses to write the exam. That means learning how to think the way NCARB thinks when they write these questions.
Most prep companies say “Don’t worry about the objectives. We figured all this out for you. Just trust us and memorize our summaries.” They’re selling you convenience. They’re selling you shortcuts.
We’re not selling shortcuts because there aren’t any. What we’re selling is understanding. We teach you how to teach it to yourself, which is exactly what NCARB expects you to do.
Look, I get it. Having someone else figure everything out for you sounds easier. But here’s what actually happens: When you rely on someone else’s cliff notes version of the content, you never develop the ability to think through these questions yourself. You’re guessing based on what you memorized from their summary instead of actually understanding the concepts.
When you understand how something works, you can apply it. Not just on the exam, but in your actual career. You can reference the B101 on your next project. You can explain utilization rates when your firm talks about staffing. You can make informed decisions about risk management.
Memorization feels heavy and boring. Understanding feels like you’re actually learning something valuable. And that’s the approach that works for both passing the exam AND becoming a better architect.
What makes Young Architect's teaching style different?
We’re conversational and honest. We don’t pretend to be the perfect guru with all the answers.
Our goal is to teach you how to teach this to yourself, because this type of learning is the most effective for the ARE, and continues into the next chapter as a registered architect. We want to inspire you and make things easier.
We don’t subscribe to a one size fits all “memorization approach” to studying for the architect exam.
We acknowledge the realities of what it actually takes to pass these exams. We’re here to guide you, not to do the work for you.
Does this course follow NCARB's PcM objectives?
Yes. All of our 101 courses are based around NCARB’s objectives and teaching you how to understand what NCARB is telling you they’re going to be testing you on. We guide you towards understanding those concepts.
What if other prep companies say you don't need the AHPP?
I completely disagree. When you sit down to take the PcM exam, you’re going to see how the questions pull directly from the AHPP. The case studies reference it. The scenario questions are built from it. NCARB isn’t hiding this.
Here’s what happens when you skip the AHPP and rely on summaries: You get questions about contract negotiations, fee structures, or professional liability, and you’re trying to remember what some prep company told you the answer should be. You’re not thinking through the situation, you’re trying to recall their cliff notes.
But when you’ve actually read the AHPP and understand the concepts, you can work through the question using the same logic NCARB used to write it. You’re not guessing, you’re applying what you know.
Look, I know the AHPP feels intimidating. It’s a big book. But here’s what we’ve learned over and over: It’s actually easier to learn how to use the book than to memorize someone else’s condensed version of it. The book gives you context. Summaries just give you bullet points.
If you’re not studying NCARB’s objectives and using their resources, you’re not really studying for their exam. You’re studying for someone else’s version of what they think the exam is about. And that’s a much harder way to pass.
Is PcM 101 updated for ARE 5.0 and when was it created?
Yes. PcM 101 was created for ARE 5.0. PcM didn’t exist in previous versions of the architect exam.
Part of the inspiration was that a lot of prep companies immediately passed off their ARE 4.0 materials as PcM content when there was very little overlap and a lot of new concepts tested on PcM.
PcM 101 was one of the first courses we made on Young Architect Academy and it was created from scratch exclusively for ARE 5.0.
Why is your membership so much cheaper than other options?
Our customers are the people actually studying for these exams. A lot of other ARE prep companies have priced their products to sell to firms and AIA chapters, not to the individuals taking the tests.
Keeping our product affordable has been important to Young Architect since the beginning. A big part of our mission is to help people find success with their architect exams at every single price point. Starting from a free podcast, through cheap webinars, affordable study materials, and the ARE Bootcamp is our most expensive but also our flagship product.
What's the pass rate for PcM 101?
Here’s the reality: No matter how well you prepare, there’s about a 50% chance you might not pass on your first attempt. That’s just how these exams work. They’re hard, and NCARB designs them that way.
But here’s what actually matters: If you understand that passing all six ARE exams is a 700 to 1,300 hour commitment, and if you’re willing to keep showing up even when you fail, your chances of eventually passing everything are basically 100%.
The people who don’t pass aren’t less smart. They’re not less capable. They just stop trying. They get discouraged after a failure or two and they walk away.
Persistence is the difference. Not some magical pass rate statistic from a prep company. Not some secret study hack. Just showing up, doing the work, learning from your failures, and trying again.
You have to really want this. You have to be willing to put in the hours. You have to be willing to fail a few times and keep going anyway. The ball’s in your court. We can give you the best study materials, the best practice questions, the best strategies. But you’re the one who has to actually do the work.
And honestly? That’s how it should be. This license means something precisely because it’s hard to get.
Will this help me in my actual job, not just for the exam?
Yes. All of the Young Architect courses, content, podcasts, and blog posts that we’ve created for the architect exam will not only help you pass the ARE test, it’ll help you be a better architect.
How is PcM 101 different from the free ARE exam prep podcast?
The free ARE podcast was created in March 2025 as a way for people to get a taste of what we’re doing inside Young Architect Academy.
We don’t include it as part of the content we advertise for PcM 101. However, the podcast episodes for the PcM exam are included inside PcM 101, and we highly recommend going through each one as you use the PcM 101 course to better supplement your knowledge.
One added benefit: We often create podcast episodes months in advance before they’re published to the public on our website. However, ARE 101 members have early access to between 5 to 15 episodes that are just sitting and waiting to be released.
How is this different from the ARE Bootcamp?
Think of the ARE 101 membership as joining a gym. Think of signing up for ARE Boot Camp as hiring a personal trainer.
ARE 101 is self-guided. It’s access to study materials. You go through it on your own at your own pace and schedule.
ARE Boot Camp is a program with a schedule and a really detailed curriculum. The weekly study curriculum is sequenced in a very logical way to make it easier to learn.
You’re meeting weekly on Zoom and moving through a curriculum that’s been tested and refined since 2015. Boot Camp allows people to find more time to study because they don’t have to worry about, research, and figure out what they should be studying.
There’s a lot of accountability, a lot of meetings, and a community element to it. People in Boot Camp are meeting together 3 to 4 times a week at various times to talk about different concepts and work on practice questions.
All ARE prep study materials are talking at you. ARE Boot Camp is the only program that’s going to talk with you and, through conversation and dialogue, help you understand how to put all these parts together.
ARE Boot Camp is our premium ARE coaching program with a lot of content and information that’s not a part of the 101 course membership.
Is PcM 101 enough to pass or do I need to take the ARE Bootcamp?
Lots of people pass PcM with PcM 101 without taking Boot Camp. It’s really about you.
Young Architect has never subscribed to the one size fits all approach to the architect exam. The one size fits all approach doesn’t work. We’re not machines or robots. We’re individuals.
Some people are looking for just study materials like the 101 membership. Some people need a lot more accountability to help them get there.
What if I start with this and want to upgrade to Bootcamp later?
Yes, that’s fine. A lot of people start on their own and then later upgrade to Boot Camp. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Sometimes it’s helpful for people to get the lay of the land first on their own and then join Boot Camp. Sometimes people sign up right for Boot Camp. Sometimes people are just looking for study materials and that’s all they need.
We all learn differently. Not a one size fits all. But Boot Camp is a coaching program that’s customized to each person to help them add this time-consuming task to their busy life.
There’s more information inside our ARE 101 membership if that’s something you choose to do.