If you’re preparing for the Architecture Registration Exam 4.0 Building Design & Construction Systems (ARE BDCS) this is your one stop shop. While studying for the exams, a huge hassle was finding all the right resources. (Believe it or not, there’s a lot of crappy info out there). This is a place you can come to find a list of resources for the exam. If you have any additional resources, leave a comment below and I’ll add it to the list.

First? A quiz for you to assess where you’re currently at. The 25 question quiz below randomly selects questions from a growing library. So every time you take the quiz, it will be different. You can use the quiz to gauge where you’re at or use it as a study tool itself. If you do poorly, you might want to look into the resources below. Without further adieu… Good luck!

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Categories Not categorized 0% Awesome, you finished the quiz! If you did well congrats!

If you did poorly… Don’t sweat it! Below are a bunch of resources to help you study for this exam. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Answered Review

Find this quiz helpful? Checkout the premium BDCS practice exam bundle!

BDCS Practice Exam Bundle

ARE BDCS Books & Literature

To help guide you I’ve located [$] below for any links that lead to paid resources.

[$] means less than $50

[$$] means between $50 and $100

[$$$] means over $100

General Exam Resources

Kaplan: Building Design & Construction Systems Study Guide [$$] – I like this Kaplan study guide because it comes with a lot of illustrations to help drive the points home. Each chapter has a mini quiz review at the end which is helpful for assessing if you learned and retained the material.

Kaplan: Building Design & Construction Systems Q&A [$$] – This is designed to help with the multiple choice portion of the exam. It’s about 60 questions. In the back of the book it explains the answers. It’s certainly a decent way to measure how prepared you are for the exam.

Kaplan: Building Design & Construction Systems Practice Vignettes [$] – Because there are so many vignettes it’s easy to feel like the single example ncarb gives is inadequate. There additional practice vignettes can help you feel better prepared.

NCARB Recommended References for the ARE BDCS

SPD, SD, BS, SS] Architectural Graphic Standards [$$$] – This book is really just amazing to have as an architect. It has so much useful information in it and 99% of it is just architectural drawings. [Also Recommended for: PPP

Fundamentals of Building Construction [$$] – “An amazing book it includes all aspects of construction and explains each aspect in simple words, including pictures and videos.”

The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design [$ to $$] – “A fully comprehensive, up-to-date and well organized compendium of sustainable design and construction techniques, this book seems to keep fining its way onto my desk again and again for various projects”. You can pickup a used version for a decent price.

Olin’s Construction Principles, Materials and Methods [$$ to $$$] – “If you are clueless about construction, this will certainly help you learn more than you ever wanted to know. If you have been in construction, the only thing this book will help you learn is that it is heavy and hard to read in a recliner…”

Time-Saver Standards for Architectural Design Data [$ to $$$] – I’ve seen a lot of praise about this book and it’s been called an “invaluable reference”. It’s not for structural design but it should give any (aspiring) architect a firm understanding of what they need to know. [Also Recommended for: SD

Video Playlist on ARE BDCS

Online Resources & Downloads for the ARE Building Design & Construction Systems Exam

NCARB: BDCS Exam Guide – Directly from the source. A brief overview of the test and what to expect from the multiple choice and vignettes.

NALSA Vignette Tips – NALSA explains that even though the vignettes shown in NCARB’s exam guides are passing, they are not “ideal”. Meaning… they may still contain errors. This site has some really great tips I didn’t realize before reading it.

SBYRKTCT’s Help – There are a bunch of resources here. I love the vignette tips & it’s a great place to get notes.

Jenny’s Notes – Thorough and helpful as always. 105 pages of notes.

Black Specs BDCS Video Course [$$$] – These videos are helpful at getting a general feel for the test but I wouldn’t solely rely on them to pass the exam. At ±$100/mo I’m not sure it’s worth the money, but it’s an option.

ARE Exam Prep: BDCS [$$$] – I didn’t purchase this material for the BDCS exam but I did for other exams. If you’re feeling unsure about the exam, hate reading, or just can’t devote a lot of time to reading, it’s a good resource. I thought the audio companion was helpful.

Post your practice vignettes to AREcoach or NCARB’s Google Plus page.

Have any additional resources for the ARE BDCS? Leave them in the comments below!