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…
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…
Failing a section of the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE) stings. You studied, you sacrificed evenings and weekends, you told people you were taking it and now you’re staring at a score report you don’t want to open. First, you’re in good company. Plenty of excellent, fully licensed landscape architects retook at least one section….
The last week is not the time to learn the whole exam. It’s the time to sharpen what you already know, remove avoidable surprises and walk into the test center rested. Here’s how I’d spend it. 7 to 5 Days Out: Consolidate, Don’t Expand Resist the urge to open new textbooks. Go back to your…