Understanding construction observation is essential for ARE candidates preparing for the Construction & Evaluation (CE) exam. This comprehensive guide breaks down CE Section 2, explaining the architect’s role during construction observation, how to evaluate construction conformance through effective construction observation, and methods for determining construction progress throughout the building phase. The CE exam tests knowledge that’s critical for architects transitioning from design to construction administration.
This podcast is also available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
Understanding the ARE Structure
The Architect Registration Exam (ARE) is organized hierarchically, divided into different divisions or exams. Each exam, including Construction & Evaluation, is further broken down into sections, and each section contains multiple objectives. This structure is important because when NCARB provides feedback on exam performance, they typically identify failures at the section level—like “Section 2″—not at the specific objective level.
One crucial insight for effective exam preparation: if you’re not studying at NCARB’s objectives and getting clear about the scope of the test, you’re not actually studying for the architect exam. These objectives and sections are the framework NCARB uses when writing questions, making them the most important information for your preparation.
If you’re preparing for the ARE exams, our ARE 101 course Membership provides comprehensive materials organized by these sections and objectives.
Construction & Evaluation Exam Overview
According to NCARB, the Construction & Evaluation exam focuses on
“construction contract administration and post-occupancy evaluations of projects. bidding and negotiation processes, support of the construction process, and evaluation of completed projects.
Candidates must demonstrate understanding of construction contract execution, construction support services (including construction observation and shop drawing or submittal review), payment request processing, and project closeout. project evaluation of integrated building systems and their performance.”
The CE exam is divided into four sections:
- Section 1: Pre-construction Activities
- Section 2: Construction Observation
- Section 3: Administrative Procedures and Protocols
- Section 4: Project Closeout and Evaluation
Essentially, CE covers what happens after the design is complete. The drawings and designs are finished, and now you’re dealing with bidding, procurement, starting construction, reaching substantial completion, what happens after substantial completion, and post-occupancy follow-up. The Construction & Evaluation exam represents the final stage in the project timeline covered by the ARE.
The CE exam focuses on seeing that the design is being executed and implemented properly. It emphasizes responsibilities and quality control, marking your transition from designer to project advocate and owner’s representative. Construction & Evaluation knowledge is what distinguishes architects who can design from those who can ensure successful project delivery.
Think of it this way: if design exams are about creating the recipe, CE is about making sure the meal turns out exactly as planned — with no unexpected ingredients or cooking mishaps!
As we covered in our article about the preconstruction phase, Section 2 builds directly upon the foundation laid during bidding and procurement.
Section 2: Construction Observation Overview
NCARB defines Section 2 as addressing
“visiting the job site throughout the course of construction and the architect’s roles and responsibilities.”
This is the largest section of the CE division, making up 29-41% of the exam questions. So you’re going to see more questions about construction observation than anything else in CE.
In the exam, this section tests your understanding of the architect’s role during construction observation, evaluating construction for compliance with documents and codes, and determining construction progress and schedule adherence.
After reviewing NCARB practice questions for Section 2, I’ve noticed this section covers an incredibly wide range of topics: from identifying construction materials and pipe cleanouts to calculating payment applications, dealing with code violations, understanding egress requirements, responding to RFIs, and handling weather delays. This section covers everything from pipe cleanouts to weather delays – basically anything that can go wrong on a construction site. And if you’ve ever been on a job site, you know that’s a VERY long list!
I always tell ARE candidates that real-world architecture experience doesn’t automatically give you an advantage on most parts of the ARE. However, Section 2 is one area where field experience genuinely helps. If you’ve spent time on construction sites and dealt with these issues firsthand, you’ll have an intuitive grasp of many concepts tested here.
Section 2 has three objectives:
Objective 2.1 focuses on understanding the architect’s role during construction activities — what to observe during site visits, how to document observations, and distinguishing between design intent and the contractor’s means and methods.
Objective 2.2 is about evaluating construction conformance — checking completed work against the contract documents, addressing non-conforming work, and handling unforeseen conditions.
Objective 2.3 covers determining construction progress — reviewing work against schedules and the schedule of values, and understanding how delays impact the project timeline.
Several key topics cut across all these objectives:
- Construction observation protocols — when to visit, what to look for, and how to document what you see
- The distinction between observation and supervision — architects observe for general conformance but don’t supervise construction. Remember: architects OBSERVE, we don’t SUPERVISE. Think of yourself as a wildlife photographer documenting the construction habitat, not the zookeeper telling the animals what to do.
- Safety on the job site — what to do if you observe unsafe conditions
- Contract documents as a control mechanism — how your drawings and specifications set the standards for evaluation
- Documentation standards — field reports, meeting minutes, and photo documentation
- Quality control processes — identifying and addressing non-conforming work
- Schedule analysis — understanding the critical path and tracking progress
- Coordination with consultants — working with engineering consultants during observations
- Communication protocols — effectively reporting to the owner and contractor
This section is really the meat of construction administration — it’s where you’re regularly visiting the site, performing construction observation, monitoring progress, and ensuring quality. Section 2 directly builds upon the foundation laid in Section 1 — all that preconstruction planning and contractor selection now transitions into active construction observation.
Objective 2.1 (13-17%): Evaluate the architect’s role during construction activities
NCARB states that this objective
“assesses the architect’s responsibilities to the owner during construction observation visits and subsequent documentation, including site observations and action items for project team members. You must recognize the contractor’s responsibilities to the architect, including change orders, applications for payments, shop drawings and other submittals, and the appropriate level of detail required for the schedule of values, based on project size, scope, phasing requirements, and schedule. You must also know the difference between the architect’s design intent and the contractor’s means and methods. Finally, you must identify the appropriate limits and extent of the architect’s authority and actions during construction observation.”
The architect’s responsibilities during construction observation include:
- Making regular visits based on the project’s complexity
- Observing work for conformance with the contract documents
- Documenting observations in field reports
- Communicating issues to the owner and contractor
- Following up on action items from previous visits
- NOT supervising day-to-day construction activities
The contractor has specific responsibilities to the architect as well:
- Submitting shop drawings and samples for approval
- Preparing and submitting change orders
- Providing applications for payment
- Creating and updating the schedule of values
- Providing construction and payment schedules
- Responding to the architect’s field reports and directives
- Obtaining construction bonds as required by the contract
One of the most critical distinctions in this objective is understanding the difference between design intent and means and methods:
Design intent is WHAT is to be built — that’s the architect’s domain. Means and methods is HOW it’s built — that’s the contractor’s domain.
As the architect, you get to decide WHAT gets built, not HOW it’s built. It’s like telling your teenager to clean their room without specifying whether they use a vacuum or a shovel. As long as it meets your standards in the end, the method is up to them. (Though unlike teenagers, contractors usually choose the most efficient approach.)
Think of it this way: the architect is like a cookbook author who specifies the ingredients and what the final dish should look like, but the chef (contractor) decides which pots to use and the specific cooking techniques to employ.
Or another way to look at it: the architect designs the destination and route on a map, but the contractor chooses the vehicle and driving techniques to get there.
In architectural terms, you might specify a paint color and the finish quality, but the contractor decides the application method, number of coats, and the specific equipment used.
The limits of an architect’s authority are also crucial to understand:
- You have the authority to reject non-conforming work
- You can interpret contract documents as defined in the drawings and specifications
- You have no authority over safety procedures
- You have only limited authority to stop work
- You can approve minor changes, but significant changes typically require owner approval
Documentation is your protection here — field reports, site observation notes, photo documentation, communication logs, and meeting minutes all create a record of your observations and decisions. Documentation is your best friend on a construction site. Your second-best friend? The food truck that shows up on Fridays. But seriously, thorough documentation has saved more architectural careers than coffee.
Objective 2.2 (13-17%): Evaluate construction conformance with contract documents, codes, regulations, and sustainability requirements
NCARB states:
“You will need to be able to analyze the contractor’s completed work against the project requirements and identify non-conforming construction on site. This may also require evaluating the impacts of unforeseen conditions and material substitutions against code, quality, and program requirements. You will need to coordinate your evaluations of construction conformance with that of your consultants and the owner’s consultants.”
This objective is all about quality control — making sure that what’s being built matches what was designed and specified.
When analyzing completed work against requirements, you’ll be:
- Comparing installed work to drawings and specifications
- Checking dimensions, materials, and installations
- Verifying systems integration and performance
- Using various testing and inspection procedures
Identifying non-conforming construction is a critical skill. You need to:
- Recognize common construction defects
- Use effective visual inspection techniques
- Properly document any non-conformance
- Follow communication protocols for reporting deficiencies
- Establish follow-up procedures to verify that corrections are made
During construction, you may need to verify that work complies with requirements related to occupancy classifications and their specific code provisions.
Unforeseen conditions are practically guaranteed on any project. You’ll need to evaluate different types of unforeseen conditions — whether subsurface issues, existing building conditions, or others — and assess their impact on code compliance, quality, and program requirements.
Material substitutions are another reality of construction. Contractors love to ask for substitutions. If “Or Equal” was a dating app, it would be the most popular one in construction.
When evaluating substitutions, your understanding of different specification types becomes crucial for determining what’s truly “equal” in performance and quality.
You’ll need to:
- Apply criteria for “or equal” determinations
- Verify code compliance of substituted materials
- Compare performance characteristics
- Evaluate aesthetic impacts
- Assess sustainability implications
Coordination with consultants is essential for comprehensive evaluation. This includes:
- Conducting joint site visits with engineering consultants
- Following established communication protocols
- Resolving conflicting observations
- Integrating consultant findings into your overall assessment
- Effectively working with the owner’s separate consultants
Site observation requirements and protocols can vary significantly between public and private projects, with public projects often having more rigorous documentation requirements and structured procedures. Understanding these differences is crucial for proper construction administration.
When evaluating construction conformance, it’s about verification. During site visits, bring the right tools — a tape measure, a camera, your specifications — to verify what you’re seeing. These verification tools are your best defense against potential issues.
When you find something that doesn’t conform, document it immediately and clearly. This isn’t about catching someone doing something wrong — it’s about ensuring the owner gets exactly what they contracted for. Even catching a small issue early can save significant time and money compared to discovering it near project completion.
Objective 2.3 (3-7%): Determine construction progress
NCARB describes this objective as:
“Construction observation also requires the review of work in place against the contractor’s construction schedule and schedule of values, and understanding the impact of delays along the critical path.”
This objective is about making sure the project is on track — both in terms of physical completion and financial progress.
When reviewing work against the construction schedule, you need to:
- Understand different types of construction schedules
- Verify that milestones are being met
- Track progress using established methodologies
- Review schedule updates
- Identify any schedule slippage that might impact project completion
These skills are essential for both the Construction & Evaluation exam and real-world practice as an architect.
Reviewing work against the schedule of values is equally important. You need to:
- Understand the purpose and structure of a schedule of values
- Assess percentage completion for payment applications
- Ensure the schedule of values has an appropriate level of detail
- Be able to detect front-loading and other payment issues
- Maintain proper documentation for any payment disputes
Understanding critical path impacts is crucial for schedule management. You should:
- Know the basics of the Critical Path Method (CPM)
- Be able to distinguish between critical and non-critical activities
- Understand the concept of float and its implications
- Recognize different types of delays (excusable, non-excusable, compensable)
- Know how to document and address delays
Understanding the schedule of values is particularly important. When a contractor submits a payment application, you need to verify that the work is actually in place before approving payment. If they claim they’re 75% complete on framing but you can see they’re only at 50%, that’s a problem. The schedule of values is your financial roadmap for the project, and keeping it accurate ensures everyone gets paid fairly for work that’s actually been completed.
Common Mistakes in Section Two
Let’s talk about some common mistakes that trip up candidates on this section of the exam:
- Confusing observation with supervision — Remember, architects observe for conformance, but they don’t supervise the work. That’s the contractor’s job.
- Improperly dealing with safety issues — If you see something unsafe on site, you don’t have the authority to stop work, but you do have a responsibility to report it to the appropriate parties.
- Failing to understand the limits of your authority — Know what you can and cannot approve, what requires owner input, and what’s outside your purview entirely.
- Overstepping into the contractor’s means and methods — Remember those analogies — focus on the recipe, not how the chef chooses to stir the pot.
- Documentation issues — Not properly documenting observations and communications, missing non-conforming work due to incomplete inspection, or failing to coordinate with specialty consultants can all lead to significant problems. When architects don’t document site visits properly, it can lead to “he said, she said” situations that are completely avoidable.
- Schedule-related pitfalls — Not understanding the critical path in construction schedules and approving payment applications without verifying work completion.
- Technical knowledge gaps — Inadequate knowledge of building codes and regulations relevant to site observation, improper handling of unforeseen conditions and material substitutions, not understanding contract requirements for site visits and documentation, and overlooking sustainability requirements during construction.
Another common mistake? Showing up to a muddy site visit in your fancy white sneakers. The construction gods see this as a sacrifice and will immediately make it rain. Speaking of preparation…
Take the example of marking the weather on your field report. If you’re later tasked with assessing a failing roof membrane, and your field report shows it was raining on the installation day, you now have documentation that installation shouldn’t have taken place in those conditions. This might explain issues like poor adhesion and bubbling in the membrane.
Creating a consistent documentation system and templates — even something as simple as a standardized field report template with project-specific checklists that gets filled out during site visits — can make a world of difference when disputes arise months later.
Effective Study Strategies for CE Section 2
So how do you study for construction observation on the CE exam? The Construction & Evaluation division requires a different approach than design-focused exams. In our CE 101 course at Young Architect Academy, we provide:
- Two detailed construction & evaluation case studies that walk through real-world scenarios
- Flashcards to help you memorize key construction observation concepts
- In-depth breakdowns of construction observation protocols
- A special AHPP Companion document to help you navigate the Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice for each objective
- Over 200 practice questions with 71 specifically focused on Section 2 construction observation
- Video tutorials breaking down each construction observation objective in detail
We don’t just sell one-off courses. We have a membership that gives you access to all these materials because there’s a lot of overlap between different exams. When you’re studying for CE, you’ll also need our AIA Contracts 101 and our Building Codes 101 courses.
Beyond our courses, I recommend these additional study methods:
- Review all the AIA contract documents, especially A201, B101, G711-G714 — I don’t support the piecemeal approach because it doesn’t work
- Practice reading and evaluating construction schedules for effective construction observation
- Learn about building codes related to construction observation, especially construction types, egress, and fire safety
- Find construction observation documents from real projects in your office or online:
- Create practice field reports based on construction photos
- Review schedule of values and payment applications
- Read the Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice chapters on construction observation and administration
- Study the Project Delivery Practice Guide (PDPG) construction observation chapters — it’s written from the perspective of specification writers, not just architects, giving you a fresh perspective
- Search YouTube for topics related to construction observation
- Find a good building construction book and look at pictures, focusing on what would be important during construction observation, not design
- If possible, accompany experienced architects on actual construction observation visits
Remember, we’re not studying just to pass an exam. We’re studying to be better, more responsible architects and ethical practicing licensed professionals. Take a deep dive, whether it’s at projects at work or just searching online. Find examples in the real world, and it’ll help the information stick because you’re processing it through your own understanding.
Conclusion
Section 2: Construction Observation is a critical part of the CE exam, making up almost 40% of the questions you’ll face. It’s all about balancing oversight with contractor autonomy — being present and vigilant without overstepping your role. This section represents the heart of the Construction & Evaluation knowledge domain.
Understanding the architect’s responsibilities during construction observation is crucial — knowing what to observe, how to document, and when to escalate issues.
Distinguishing between design intent and means and methods is essential to maintaining the right relationship with the contractor and staying within your scope of authority.
Documentation of construction observation is critical for protecting all parties — from field reports to photos to communication logs, thorough documentation is your best defense and the project’s best record.
Stay excited about this material! This section of the Construction & Evaluation exam is really about seeing your design come to life through construction observation, and there’s something genuinely thrilling about watching a project transform from drawings to reality. Understanding your role during construction observation gives you the confidence to speak up at work and on job sites, to advocate for design intent when needed, and to be a valuable team member during this critical phase.
Understanding construction observation properly prepares you for the punch list process and project closeout that follow in later stages.
Ready to master Construction Observation and the entire Construction & Evaluation exam? Join hundreds of successful candidates in our ARE Boot Camp, an online study group for structured guidance and accountability, or access our self-paced CE 101 course for comprehensive study materials.
