AR Landscape study guide
AR Landscape · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Arkansas Landscape Architect Licensure Examination is the examination step in the licensure process for landscape architects in Arkansas. Licensing authority rests with the State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects & Interior Designers (ASBALAID), a professional board housed within the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. The board's landscape architect page and its Laws & Rules, Licensing, and Forms sections are the authoritative sources for application procedures, eligibility, scheduling, scoring, and renewal - candidates should read those pages directly rather than relying on secondhand summaries, because board rules and vendor arrangements change. The examination content is organized into four equally weighted domains: Project and Construction Administration; Inventory and Analysis; Design; and Grading, Drainage, and Construction Documentation. Topics on this exam: Project and Construction Administration, Inventory and Analysis, Design, and Grading, Drainage, and Construction Documentation. The AR Landscape study guide has 4 sections and about 1,539 words.
01Project and Construction Administration
Project and construction administration covers delivery from bidding through closeout. Candidates must distinguish the owner–landscape architect agreement from the owner–contractor contract and know how delivery methods (design-bid-build, design-build, construction manager at risk, negotiated) shift risk. Understand bidding: prequalification, bid documents, addenda, bid bonds, alternates, unit prices, and award. During construction the landscape architect typically observes for general conformance, reviews submittals, responds to requests for information (RFIs), prepares supplemental instructions, evaluates change orders, certifies payment, and conducts punch-list and substantial completion inspections.
256 words, about 1 min02Inventory and Analysis
Inventory and analysis begins with accurate base information. Know survey types-boundary, topographic, and ALTA-and the difference between contour interval and index contour. Identify natural resources: soils and percolation, hydric soils, wetlands (three-parameter delineation: hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation, and hydrology), floodplains and floodway, vegetation and tree diameter at breast height (DBH), wildlife habitat, slopes, and drainage patterns. Cultural resources include zoning (setbacks, floor-area ratio, lot coverage, height), easements, utilities, circulation, and adjacent uses.
269 words, about 1 min03Design
Design translates program and site analysis into spatial form. Know the phases-programming, schematic design, design development, and construction documents-and what decisions belong in each. Understand site organization: hierarchy of circulation, spatial enclosure, sequence, thresholds, focal points, scale, and proportion. Accessibility is a recurring topic: accessible routes, clear widths, passing spaces, ramps, landings, cross slopes, parking, and van-accessible stalls.
258 words, about 1 min04Grading
Grading questions require fluent contour reading. Know contour interval, index contours, hachures for depressions, and how contours indicate slope direction and steepness. Compute slope as rise divided by run times 100; contour spacing shows intensity. Understand cut and fill, balancing earthwork, topsoil stripping, compaction, and shrink/swell factors.
756 words, about 4 min