Construction Documentation and Administration (CDA) — still called “Section 3” by many candidates — is where the L.A.R.E. tests developing construction documents, construction materials and methods, and contract administration. In Spring 2026 it had the highest pass rate of the four sections (80%). That is encouraging, not a reason to coast. Early-career designers often see…
Planning and Design (P&D) — still called “Section 2” by many candidates — is where the L.A.R.E. tests site planning, spatial organization, and design principles for sustainable, functional landscapes. If Inventory, Analysis, and Project Management (IAPM) asks whether you gathered the right information, P&D asks whether you can turn that information into alternatives that actually…
Inventory, Analysis, and Project Management (IAPM) rewards candidates who can gather the right site data, read the rules behind the maps, manage scope with clients, and make sound project decisions. Here is a study plan built around how the section is put together.
Getting licensed as a landscape architect is an investment of time, and it’s an investment of money too. The good news is that the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) publishes its fees in one place, so you can plan your budget before you register for your first section. Here’s every CLARB fee you’re…
Ask a room of licensed landscape architects which L.A.R.E. section worried them most, and a lot of hands go up for Grading, Drainage, and Stormwater Management (GDSM, still called “Section 4” by most candidates). It’s the most technical of the four exams, and many designers go years without grading a site from scratch. The good…
If you’re working toward licensure, you already know the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE) takes a lot of time and focus. It also costs real money, since you pay a fee for each of the four sections. For many candidates, especially early-career designers and recent graduates, those fees can be what decides when to schedule…
There’s no required sequence. You can take the four sections in any order, one at a time or several in a single administration, so the real question is which order fits you. One caveat: CLARB’s rules and your state board’s can change, so confirm them before you plan. What the Rules Allow CLARB lets you…
Every candidate asks this, and there’s no official number. CLARB doesn’t prescribe study hours, and the right answer depends on your experience, the section, and how much life you have outside of work. What I can offer is a practical range and a way to adjust it. The Short Answer For most working candidates, 6…
You can’t take the L.A.R.E. whenever you like. CLARB, the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards, offers the exam three times a year, in spring, summer, and winter, and each administration has a fixed testing window and a hard registration deadline. Miss the deadline and you’re waiting months for the next window. Here’s every date…
A capable, experienced professional scores well on practice tests, walks into the Planning and Design (P&D) section, and walks out sure they failed. I’ve seen it happen more than once. Sometimes they did fail, and sometimes it was their second try. Usually it isn’t a knowledge problem. It’s a framing problem. Your experience is real,…