LARE Section 3 study plan

LARE Section 3 · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Section 3

Inventory every Section 3 topic area (grading, drainage, stormwater, construction detailing, materials) and rate your confidence 1-5 on each
Assemble a one-page formula and conversion sheet covering slope, cut-fill, pipe invert, and runoff volume calculations
Solve 15 slope and spot-elevation problems from scratch without notes, logging each error type
Build a spreadsheet template that computes finished grade from existing grade, slope, and horizontal distance

A dated confidence inventory plus a working slope/elevation spreadsheet validated against 10 hand-checked problems

Week 2

Diagram a complete grading plan flow: existing conditions, proposed contours, spot elevations, drainage arrows, and callouts
Compute cut and fill volumes for three practice sites using both the grid method and average-end-area method
Trace stormwater runoff from roof to swale to inlet to detention, labeling every structure and pipe invert
Draft a one-page section through a typical retaining wall and a typical curb-and-gutter assembly with labeled dimensions

Two hand-drawn construction details and one grading plan sketch with a written cut-fill calculation showing all steps

Week 3

List every construction document sheet type in a standard set and state what decision each sheet supports
Write a 10-line specification excerpt for a planting or paving item using correct CSI-style organization
Identify the contractual roles of owner, architect/landscape architect, contractor, and subconsultant in a sample project scenario
Calculate a bid quantity takeoff for one landscape item and apply unit cost, overhead, and contingency

A one-page sheet index with purpose notes plus a completed quantity takeoff and cost build-up for one item

Week 4

Explain the difference between design-bid-build, design-build, and CM-at-risk delivery and match each to a project scenario
Review a sample general conditions list and flag five clauses that shift risk to the contractor
Resolve three integrated grading-plus-documentation scenarios where a detail conflicts with a specification
Complete a 25-question mixed Section 3 and Section 4 timed set at 1.5 minutes per question

A written risk-register table of five contract clauses with the design response to each, plus a scored 25-question timed set with error log

Week 5

Map the Section 1 content outline into a topic tree and mark which subtopics you have never studied
Define and contrast the core inventory and analysis methods, giving one project use for each
Work through five site-analysis scenarios that require choosing an appropriate method and justifying the choice
Write a 200-word answer to a practice constructed-response prompt under a 20-minute timer

A completed topic tree with study status flags and one timed constructed-response draft scored against a self-built rubric

Week 6

Build a comparison table of the major regulatory and permitting triggers that affect a landscape project
Trace a hypothetical project through entitlement review and list each approval, agency, and typical timeline
Answer 20 multiple-choice questions on regulations and permitting and categorize every miss by cause
Summarize in writing how a design change mid-permit affects schedule, cost, and liability

A one-page permit-pathway flowchart for a sample project plus a categorized error log from the 20-question set

Week 7

Re-solve every missed question from weeks 5 and 6 without referring to prior notes
Write two full constructed-response answers on integrated Section 1 and Section 2 prompts within time limits
Cross-check Section 1 analysis methods against Section 2 regulatory constraints in three combined scenarios
Compress each domain into a single page of trigger words and decision rules

Two timed constructed-response answers plus two one-page domain summary sheets, with a before-and-after score comparison

Week 8

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under exam-day conditions and score both
Rebuild the weakest 10 concepts from all four domains into flashcard form and self-test to 90% recall
Rehearse the exam-day routine: pacing per question, when to skip, and how to structure a constructed response
Finalize the formula, trigger-word, and error-log packet into one review binder

Two scored full-length practice exams with a trend line, plus a finished review binder covering all four domains

Week 2: You can compute cut-fill volume and pipe invert elevation from raw numbers with no reference sheet and land within 5% of the answer key

Week 4: You score at least 70% on the 25-question mixed Section 3 and Section 4 timed set and can name the cause of every miss

Week 6: You can draw the full permit pathway for a sample project from memory and score at least 75% on the 20-question regulations set

Week 8: Both full-length practice exams score at or above your target passing margin, and every logged error has a written correction note