HKIA/ARB PA Paper 2 study plan

Map the full Case Study syllabus against the HKIA/ARB PA Paper 2 competency list and mark every sub-topic as known, shaky, or unknown

Build a one-page template for reading a case: brief facts, parties, statutory framework, professional conduct issues, and likely exam angles

Practise the template on two short published Hong Kong case summaries, timing each read at 20 minutes

Start a running glossary of Hong Kong statutory and practice terms (e.g. Buildings Ordinance, occupation permit, lease approval) with one-line definitions

Analyse four longer case studies using the template, forcing a written issue list before reading any commentary

Identify and record the recurring failure patterns in cases (approval sequencing, supervision duties, contract administration, unauthorised building works)

Draft structured answers to two past-style case questions under 45-minute timed conditions

Self-mark those answers against a checklist of issue spotting, legal accuracy, and professional judgement

Work through the approval and consent chain for building works and note where architects most often create liability

Study cases involving site supervision and site safety to extract the architect's statutory and contractual duties

Compare how the same fact pattern changes when the architect acts as contract administrator versus certifier

Write a one-page decision tree for escalating an ethical or safety concern inside a practice

Sit a full mock Case Study paper under exam conditions with no notes

Mark the mock against the official marking logic and convert the score into a ranked list of weak sub-topics

Begin the Professional Interview syllabus by listing the competency areas the interview panel is likely to probe

Draft a 300-word personal statement of professional philosophy that links your own project experience to the competencies

Assemble a portfolio index of six to eight personal projects, tagging each with the competencies it evidences

Rehearse a two-minute verbal walkthrough of each portfolio project, recorded and reviewed for clarity and length

Write answers to the standard interview openers (career path, why registration, greatest professional challenge) in bullet form

Identify three genuine gaps in your experience and prepare honest, forward-looking answers for each

Prepare position statements on the core professional conduct themes: conflicts of interest, gifts, confidentiality, competence boundaries, and reporting obligations

Rehearse answering scenario-based ethical questions aloud using a fixed structure: facts, duty, options, recommendation

Run a 30-minute mock interview with a peer or mentor and collect written feedback

Refine answers that ran long or sounded rehearsed, aiming for 60 to 90 seconds per response

Sit a second full mock Case Study paper and compare the score and issue-spotting pattern against week 4

Run a second mock interview focused only on the weakest areas flagged in week 6

Rehearse linking case-study reasoning to interview answers so the two domains reinforce each other

Rehearse a short closing statement that summarises your fitness for registration in under 90 seconds

Complete a final timed mock of each paper back to back to build stamina for exam-day conditions

Condense all notes into a two-page personal recall sheet covering only the highest-risk weak areas

Rehearse the full interview sequence start to finish, including portfolio walkthrough and closing statement

Finalise logistics: documents, portfolio copies, identification, and travel timing for the exam venue