Here at Studio Outside, a few of us are preparing to take the Landscape Architect Registration Exam, also lovingly known as the LARE. Because the format of the test has changed completely for 2014, I thought it might be helpful to summarize some of the major changes to the test as well as provide some helpful study hints for those of us looking to become registered in 2014.

Old vs. New Format for the LARE in 2014

One of the most daunting tasks in beginning the LARE exam has been to understand the difference between the old format (5 sections A-E) and the new format (4 sections 1-4). Regrettably, most of the study material available has not been updated to the new format. The CLARB website does do not go into much detail on the difference, so I wanted to share what I have understood.

Section A has essentially become Section 1, which is still called “Project Construction and Administration”. Section 1 has 100 multiple choice and multiple response questions. The new section 2 “Inventory and Analysis” is the same as section B, “Inventory, Analysis and Program Development”. Programming seems to have been rolled into Analysis of Existing Conditions, but the content is unchanged. This section has 80 multiple choice and multiple response problems. For sections 1 and 2, any study material from A or B is worth your study time.

Section 3 is now called “Design” and combines all content from Section C “Site Design” and some from Section D “Design and Construction Documentation”. Section D topics covered in this section are design principles, resource conservation and management, and materials and methods of construction. Section 3 consists of 100 multiple choice, multiple response and advanced item types.

Section 4 is now called “Grading, Drainage and Construction Documentation”, and it combines the other part of Section D and all of the section E. Section D topics covered in this section are graphic communication and construction documentation. Section 4 consists of 120 multiple choice, multiple response and advanced item types.

The question format is the biggest change. Since all parts are on the computer now, the old test’s vignettes have replaced advanced item types. Still these items are worth 1 point each, it has the same value as the multiple choice and multiple response questions.

The item types are detailed brilliantly in the CLARB orientation video above. The video is 44 drawn-out minutes of each item type explained, but it is definitely worth your time to watch it, since you get the benefit of having a test administrator give you the exact logic of 12 real test questions. Understanding the logic of the test is just as important as learning the material. It can help you reason through areas where your knowledge of the subject may be weak.

“the LARE tests only your knowledge and your ability to protect the health safety and welfare of the public. It is not any sort of measure of innate talent or creativity. ”

A Few Helpful Tips

It is important to remember that the LARE tests only your knowledge and your ability to protect the health safety and welfare of the public. It is not any sort of measure of innate talent or creativity. The only way to pass is to become familiar with the material and the logic of the test. Taking as many practice tests as possible is the best way to get familiar with the types of questions on the exam.

Another study tip I find useful is to set a schedule. Set serious goals and map them onto the calendar. Different people need different amounts of study time so no two schedules will ever look the same. Take inventory of your time as it is now, before the test: where do you have extra time that you could use to study? Should you give up TV time or time spent on a hobby? I have time, for example, on Friday afternoons, that I usually spend doing miscellaneous chores, reading the internet, etc. This time has become my study organization time. I now use this time to set up a schedule for the week and collect any material I might need to accomplish this. That means, during the week, I can devote 1-2 hours every night to study time, and not figuring out what to do next.

My final tip is to make flashcards from the study material. Write down everything new you learn onto flashcards. Do not use someone else’s cards; you will only be getting half the benefit! Creating the flashcard will create a memory of the term or concept better than just reading it. Closer to the day of the test, at the point where you have read enough material to get an overall understanding of the subject matter, start to study from your flashcards. Narrow down the cards where you may have weakness and set aside the cards you can’t possibly forget. Keep distilling the information down until a few days before the test. This spaced repetition is the most effective form of studying.

Right before the test, go over everything again to make sure you haven't forgotten anything while you were learning the harder stuff. The book LARE Secrets is what I would recommend for the beginning and ending stages of studying, because it is just facts and no fluff.

Good luck conquering the LARE!

Further Reading:

CLARB - Prepare for the LARE Exam

ASLA - First Steps in Preparing for the LARE

Amazon - LARE Secrets Study Guide

“For the past 50 years, Austin’s Waller Creek and Dallas’s Trinity River have become what Brent Brown describes as ‘sumps’ serving the singular purpose of collecting run-off and whisking the water away from the city centers as quickly as possible. ”

Texas cities are redefining their relationship with urban watersheds. Recently the Dallas Center for Architecture brought together experts from Austin and Dallas to hold a panel discussion titled “Revitalizing Flood Plains as Public Spaces.” The panel, moderated by Cathrine Gavin, editor of Texas Architecture magazine, included Stephanie Lee McDonald, Executive Director of the Waller Creek Conservancy, Brent Brown, founder of buildingcommunity Workshop (bcWorkshop), and Willis Winters, assistant director for the Dallas Park and Recreation Department. The discussion centered on strategies and challenges involved in transforming neglected and disconnected watersheds into destinations that can enhance and transform urban centers.

For the past 50 years, Austin’s Waller Creek and Dallas’s Trinity River have become what Brent Brown describes as ‘sumps’ serving the singular purpose of collecting run-off and whisking the water away from the city centers as quickly as possible. The neglected and ignored watersheds have lost much their ability to perform ecological, social, and economic functions. In the 1920’s the Trinity River was moved and straightened, thereby removing the meanders and disrupting the existing ecosystem. In Austin, Waller Creek remained underdeveloped due to dangerous floods that can transform the gently flowing creek into an 800 ft. wide raging river. Downtown businesses and residences turned their back to the creek, leaving a corridor that has been scoured of sediment and attracts undesirable activity due to the isolation. As Stephanie McDonald mentioned, if you find yourself in the Waller Creek corridor you’re probably doing something you shouldn't be.

Both projects have the ambitious goal of revitalizing the ecological, social, and economic systems of the urban core; however, the strategies to achieve these goals are much different. The Waller Creek Conservancy is tasked with redeveloping 28 acres along a 1.5 mile stretch of the creek that flows between IH-35 and downtown. The redevelopment’s success relies on a 1 mile long, 28 ft. diameter tunnel that collects flood water upstream of the newly established district and moves the water under the city into Lady Bird Lake preventing extensive flooding and opening up the area for development. Additionally, the tunnel will allow water from Lady Bird Lake to be pumped back upstream during periods of drought to maintain constant flow, ultimately reestablishing healthy ecological systems while serving as a city amenity.

Waller Creek Existing Conditions. Photo via Flickr: micklpickl — Waller Creek Existing Conditions. Photo via Flickr: micklpickl

In contrast, the Trinity River Corridor Project encompasses a stretch of the river that is 20 miles long and approximately 10,000 acres in size. This large expanse of space allows for a strategy that will reintroduce the meanders to the river restoring a more natural water course that will reduce erosion, slow sediment flow, and promote a healthy ecosystem. The wide river corridor also offers an opportunity to connect the city through a network of bike and pedestrian paths with diverse programs that promote recreation, education, and preservation dispersed throughout the flood plain.

These ambitious plans require significant planning and consensus. The panel acknowledged the necessity for the parks to serve the current needs of the cities while still being agile enough to adapt to future unknown variables that arise as the urban cores evolve. Patience and a long term vision are essential as the success of these strategies will be measured over decades and even centuries to come.