LARE Section 2 study guide
LARE Section 2 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Section 2 is a division of the Landscape Architect Registration Examination, the computer-based licensing exam administered by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB). It is aimed at candidates who have met their jurisdiction's education and experience requirements and are now demonstrating the front half of professional practice: collecting site inventory, reading a site, synthesizing constraints and opportunities into a defensible analysis, shaping a program, and communicating the result through plans, sections, diagrams and written notes. The section rewards consistent judgment across linked case material rather than recall of definitions, and because items are delivered on computer in advanced formats, familiarity with the interface matters as much as content. CLARB points candidates to its "How to prepare" resources and its L.A.R.E. The LARE Section 2 study guide has 4 sections and about 1,183 words.
01Inventory and Data Collection
This domain tests how you choose, read, and trust base information before drawing a line. Expect questions on survey types, public map sources, scale, datum, and the limits of each data set.
334 words, about 2 min02Site Analysis and Synthesis
This domain tests synthesis: turning inventory layers into constraints, opportunities, and a defensible site concept. Questions often ask you to read contours, infer drainage, or judge a proposed use against slope, sun, and wind.
310 words, about 2 min03Program Development and Site Planning
This domain tests the link between client need and physical layout: quantifying a program, testing it against zoning, and arranging uses on the site. Net area is usable space; gross area includes circulation, walls, and mechanical; efficiency = net ÷ gross.
290 words, about 1 min04Design and Planning Communication
This domain tests whether your graphics communicate the right information at the right scale-to clients, reviewers, and contractors. Plans show plan-view information; sections cut vertically; elevations show exteriors; axonometrics show 3D without perspective distortion.
249 words, about 1 min