LARE Inventory, Analysis, and Project Management

Inventory, Analysis, and Project Management (IAPM) — still called “Section 1” by many candidates — tests gathering and interpreting site and contextual data, assessing environmental and regulatory factors, conducting stakeholder engagement, and managing project scope, budget, and risk.

It is often a strong starting section for candidates whose day jobs already involve site research, constraints mapping, and client management, and it shares vocabulary with Planning and Design. This hub covers exam facts, what the section emphasizes, a study approach, stories from practice, an original practice question, and related reading.

LandCertPrep is an independent publisher founded by John Denson, a licensed landscape architect in Arizona (previously licensed in Georgia and Florida). An IAPM study guide is on the waitlist.

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Exam facts

• 90 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions
• 3.5-hour appointment; 3 hours to answer the questions
• Fee: $545 (CLARB)
• Spring 2026 pass rate: 63%
• Question types: multiple choice, multiple response, drag-and-place, and hot spot (per CLARB)

Confirm fees, windows, and rules in the CLARB Candidate Handbook, on CLARB’s fees page, and on the pass rates page before you register.

Upcoming testing windows

• Winter 2026: November 30 to December 16, 2026 (register, schedule or cancel by November 24, 2026)
• Spring 2027: March 29 to April 14, 2027
• Summer 2027: July 26 to August 11, 2027 (register by July 7, 2027)
• Winter 2027: November 29 to December 15, 2027 (register by November 10, 2027)

Always confirm current dates on CLARB’s registration page.

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What is on the IAPM exam

CLARB’s Candidate Handbook lists the IAPM subdomains and their weights. In plain English, expect work across:

• Project management — design contracts, team selection, and managing scope, schedule, and budget
• Inventory and data collection — onsite investigation, documenting site data, adjacent land use, and related policy and contextual research (codes, ordinances, permitting)
• Stakeholder engagement — identifying stakeholders, coordinating with governing bodies, supporting public participation, and evaluating design based on feedback
• Physical and ecological analysis — vegetation, soils and geology, topography, environmental variables, and hydrology (including floodplain and drainage context)
• Cultural, infrastructure, and contextual analysis — synthesizing inventory into constraints and opportunities that inform later design

For official subdomain names, task lists, and percentages, use the current handbook. Do not rely on older “Section 1/2” materials without checking them against today’s outline.

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How to study IAPM

A practical study arc:

• Start with the handbook. List every subdomain and note which match your daily work versus which are thin for you (often public process or contract language for designers who rarely see either).
• Practice inventory thinking. Given a program, what data do you need first? What regulations attach to the site? What changes if a flood or wetland map updates?
• Practice project management scenarios. Basic services vs. additional services, written authorization, and how to handle a “small” client request mid-project.
• Pair with P&D. Site inventory and analysis feed planning and design decisions; many candidates study these two close together. See section order advice.
• Timed practice and an error log. Track misses by concept (contracts, hydrology, stakeholder process) so review stays targeted.

For hours and pacing as a working candidate, see How Many Hours a Week Should You Study for the LARE?.

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From the Field

Two published LandCertPrep stories sit squarely in IAPM territory.

In From the Field: “While You’re At It…”, John was hired early in his career to design a plaza for a college campus in Arizona. Mid-design, the client asked to redesign planting in a parking lot that was not on the survey, not in the fee, and not next to the plaza. He treated it as additional services: acknowledge the request, pause, define and price the work, and get written authorization before proceeding — protecting both the plaza schedule and the relationship.

In When the Floodplain Line Moves, he describes a park for a master-planned community where an updated municipal flood study raised the 100-year elevation and placed a planned restroom and playground inside the floodplain. The team redesigned and moved those elements. The exam takeaway: verify the data you rely on, understand the rule behind the line, coordinate with consultants and the jurisdiction, and communicate changes to the client with a plan.

Program-versus-site conversations also belong here. How to Tell a Client Their Wish List Won’t Fit on the Site walks through doing the math privately, making footprints visible, and offering paths (prioritize, phase, combine uses) — the kind of feasibility judgment IAPM targets.

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Sample practice question

Original LandCertPrep item for practice only. Not a CLARB exam question and not copied from the real exam.

A client asks the landscape architect to add design services for an unrelated area of the campus, outside the original contract. The client says it is a small addition and that approval will follow. What should the landscape architect do first?

• A. Begin the work to maintain the schedule
• B. Decline the request to protect the project
• C. Define the added work and obtain written authorization before proceeding
• D. Absorb the cost to preserve the client relationship

Answer: C. Define the change, document it, and get written approval before starting. A and D give away work without authorization; B turns away a client who trusts you when a simple amendment would serve everyone. (This item matches the practice question in John’s scope-creep article; it is LandCertPrep original content, not CLARB’s.)

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Related reading

• How to Pass LARE IAPM: A Study Plan
• From the Field: Scope Creep
• When the Floodplain Line Moves
• Wish List Won’t Fit on the Site
• What Order Should You Take the LARE Sections In?
• LARE Exam Cost in 2026
• Study Hours

Related sections: P&D · CDA · GDSM · Landscape Architecture hub

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Product shelf

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Free resources

Join the waitlist for free sample questions for this section when they are ready, plus the free LARE Study Plan and Readiness Checklist. Browse the blog for From the Field posts linked above.

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Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on IAPM?

CLARB lists 90 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions.

How long is the exam?

The appointment is 3.5 hours, with 3 hours to complete the exam.

How much does IAPM cost?

CLARB lists $545 per section. See our cost breakdown.

How is IAPM different from Planning and Design?

IAPM focuses on inventory, analysis, stakeholder process, and project management. Planning and Design focuses on stewardship and design principles, master planning, schematic design, and design development. The two share vocabulary; many candidates study them as a pair.

Should I take IAPM first?

CLARB allows any order. Starting with the section closest to your daily work is a common strategy. See section order advice.

When can I take it?

Spring, summer, and winter windows; see dates above and confirm with CLARB.

Do your materials use real CLARB questions?

No. LandCertPrep practice questions are original.

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Back to Landscape Architecture

LandCertPrep is an independent publisher (a FranciscanLandscape LLC company) and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by CLARB, LATC, or any licensing board. Exam facts are summarized from official sources as of October 2026; always confirm current details with the exam body. See our Educational Disclaimer.