Planning and Design (P&D) — still called “Section 2” by many candidates — tests site planning, spatial organization, and design principles for sustainable, functional landscapes.
It builds on inventory and analysis skills and asks you to turn constraints and program into coherent plans across master planning, schematic design, and design development. This hub covers exam facts, what the section emphasizes, a study approach, practical advice on program-versus-site decisions, an original practice question, and related reading.
LandCertPrep, founded by John Denson, PLA (Arizona), has a P&D study guide on the waitlist.
Exam facts
- 85 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions
- 3.5-hour appointment; 3 hours to answer the questions
- Fee: $545 (CLARB)
- Spring 2026 pass rate: 64%
- 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.
What is on the P&D exam
CLARB’s Candidate Handbook lists the P&D subdomains and their weights. In plain English, expect work across:
- Stewardship and design principles — sustainable, functional design thinking that protects health, safety, and welfare
- Master planning — organizing larger sites and programs into coherent long-range frameworks
- Schematic design — exploring and selecting spatial alternatives that respond to program and constraints
- Design development — refining the preferred direction with more specific relationships, materials, and detailing intent
For official subdomain names, task lists, and percentages, use the current handbook. Pair this page with the IAPM hub — inventory and analysis feed the decisions P&D tests.
How to study P&D
A practical study arc:
- Know the handbook language. The exam tests shared definitions and procedures from the outline, not only habits from your own office type or region.
- Practice program-to-site fit. Total the program (including parking, circulation, and buffers), subtract real constraints, and decide what to prioritize, phase, or combine.
- Practice alternative comparison. Many items ask which schematic best meets stated goals and constraints — train yourself to check accessibility, circulation, stewardship, and code relationships, not only aesthetics.
- Pace advanced items. Candidate reports often suggest clearing written items first, then returning to graphic or drag-and-place items; every question is worth one point, so long graphics can steal time. Treat that as a pacing tactic to test in practice exams, not as CLARB policy.
- Study next to IAPM. Shared vocabulary pays off. See section order advice.
For weekly hours as a working candidate, see How Many Hours a Week Should You Study for the LARE?.
From the Field
P&D rewards clear thinking when a client’s wish list exceeds the site. In How to Tell a Client Their Wish List Won’t Fit on the Site, John outlines advice drawn from a colleague’s megachurch campus project: do the math privately (program footprints, constraints, parking), make the footprints visible on a scaled plan, lead with the client’s goals, honor every favorite without ranking ideas as “bad,” and offer paths — prioritize, phase, combine uses, or rethink parking — then document the decisions.
That same judgment shows up on Planning and Design items that ask you to choose among alternatives or identify what the site can actually support. Feasibility is not pessimism; it is how you protect health, safety, welfare, and the client’s real priorities.
Sample practice question
Original LandCertPrep item for practice only. Not a CLARB exam question and not copied from the real exam.
A building committee’s program for a new campus landscape includes a large event lawn, a playground, a sports court, extensive ornamental gardens, and parking sized for peak attendance. Preliminary calculations show the program exceeds usable site area after setbacks, easements, and required buffers. What should the landscape architect do first?
- A. Promise that creative design will make everything fit at the current budget and acreage
- B. Present the area and budget math, make footprints visible at scale, and facilitate prioritization or phasing with the committee
- C. Delete the committee’s favorite amenities without discussion to force a fit
- D. Ignore parking demand because landscape areas matter more to the mission
Answer: B. Show the constraints clearly and help the client choose. Guaranteeing a fit (A) sets false expectations; cutting favorites unilaterally (C) damages trust; ignoring parking (D) ignores a major land and code driver.
Related reading
- How to Pass LARE Planning and Design (P&D): A Study Plan
- Wish List Won’t Fit on the Site
- IAPM hub (pair section)
- What Order Should You Take the LARE Sections In?
- LARE Exam Cost in 2026
- Study Hours
- The Final Week Before the LARE
Related sections: IAPM · CDA · GDSM · Landscape Architecture hub
Product shelf
LARE P&D study guide (book)
Status: Waitlist
Paperback and Kindle on Amazon (KDP), mapped to the current CLARB content outline.
Practice exams
Status: Waitlist
Timed, randomized practice exams planned for our learning site when it launches.
Online course
Status: Coming 2027
Self-paced online course planned for 2027, built from the book. Join the waitlist for updates — no separate course site is live yet.
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 related posts.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on P&D?
CLARB lists 85 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 P&D cost?
CLARB lists $545 per section. See our cost breakdown.
Do I need strong freehand drawing skill?
The L.A.R.E. is computer-based with multiple choice, multiple response, drag-and-place, and hot spot items. Focus on reading plans and applying design principles under those formats — confirm current item types in the CLARB handbook.
How is P&D different from IAPM?
IAPM emphasizes inventory, analysis, stakeholders, and project management. P&D emphasizes planning and design decisions across stewardship, master planning, schematic design, and design development.
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.
Back to Landscape Architecture
Join the waitlist
Get an email when the P&D study guide and practice exam become available, plus free sample questions and the LARE Study Plan and Readiness Checklist.
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.