ARC PPE study guide
ARC PPE · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Architect Registration Examination - Practice Program Examination (ARC PPE) is an independent, unofficial study resource for candidates preparing for the architect registration examination. It is designed for aspiring architects, intern architects, and candidates working through the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) who need to test their readiness across the full breadth of professional practice. The ARC PPE study guide has 9 sections and about 3,513 words.
01Practice Management: Firm Economics, Fees, and Risk
This domain tests the business side of practice: how a firm is organized, how its work is priced and negotiated, and how risk, staff, and finances are managed so the firm stays solvent between downturns. Ownership forms: sole proprietorship, general partnership, LLP, LLC, professional corporation.
430 words, about 2 min02Project Management: Delivery, Schedule, and Change Control
This domain tests how a project is scoped, scheduled, budgeted, procured, and controlled from kickoff to closeout, and how the chosen delivery method and contract type allocate risk among owner, architect, and contractor. Design-bid-build: the owner holds separate contracts; award goes to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder; the architect administers the construction contract.
395 words, about 2 min03Programming and Analysis: Turning Needs into Defensible Numbers
This domain tests how information is gathered and analyzed before design: client needs, space requirements, code and zoning limits, and existing conditions, all translated into a program the design can be measured against. Research methods: client and user interviews, questionnaires, observation, benchmarking against comparable facilities, code and zoning review, and survey of existing buildings.
410 words, about 2 min04Project Planning and Design: Concept Testing Before Documentation
This domain tests schematic design: converting program and site data into a concept, then testing that concept against code, cost, structure, and environmental performance before the team commits to documentation. Produce several schemes, then evaluate them against explicit criteria: program fit, construction cost, code compliance, daylight, circulation clarity, and phasing.
383 words, about 2 min05Project Development and Documentation: Drawings, Specs, and Coordination
This domain tests the translation of design into enforceable contract documents: drawings, specifications, and schedules that are complete, internally consistent, and buildable. Drawings show location, size, dimension, and relationships.
352 words, about 2 min06Construction and Evaluation: Bidding, Administration, and Closeout
This domain tests the architect's role after documents are issued: bidding and award, construction contract administration, payment certification, closeout, and evaluation of the completed building. The invitation to bid, bid form, bid security, and addenda issued before bid opening.
388 words, about 2 min07Site Planning and Design: Regulation, Grading, and Drainage
This domain tests site analysis and the regulatory envelope that constrains it: what can be built, where, how water moves, and how people and vehicles arrive. Inventory: topography and contours, soils and borings, floodplain, vegetation, climate and solar path, views, noise, utilities, easements, and adjacent uses.
390 words, about 2 min08Building Systems and Technology: Sizing and Integration
This domain tests structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire, and vertical transportation systems at the planning level: enough to size space, set floor-to-floor height, and coordinate the building. Gravity loads travel from slab to beam to column to foundation.
396 words, about 2 min09Professional Practice and Ethics: Licensure, Standard of Care, Conduct
This domain tests the legal and ethical framework of practice: who may practice, what standard of care applies, how professional obligations are ordered, and how conflicts are resolved. Licensure is granted by each jurisdiction, not nationally.
369 words, about 2 min