CLARB LARE Scoring

[Doug Davies]

Hmm, not sure about it “being a good thing” to wait so long for results, I finished all mine a couple years ago in the new format and what was most frustrating for me is how little ASLA does with the exams and how CLARB rules over it, not working with states (Dept. Labor and Licencing) to make the process easier. In MD there are numerous duplicate forms and nobody anywhere seems to know how to get through the process without agony. (This is both a state and CLARB problem)

CLARB also charges an insane amount of money for the exams(we are not rocket scientists or engineers, yet our exams are across the board the most expensive)  and a ridiculous $150 a year reciprocal licence fee just to take them (god forbid you stop paying for this “service” and you have to pay back dues). ARE exams are less expensive per exam and they get results within a week. PE exams are typically turned around in 3 weeks, and lets face it their exams are much more complicated than ours, we don’t have nearly as many mathematical calculations. 

We also lack adequate study materials – probably because we are a small profession but really the outdated PDFs many of the LA’s I know study from were made back in the 80s. CLARB removed their study materials because they felt it was counter to their mission of administering the exam….. Ok… NCARB, NCEES and many others provide plenty of resources for candidates. Don’t get it. Their book list they provide is as old as the PDFs as well – again probably because we are a small profession, but these books are really unsuitable for the new exam and the types of questions asked, good information just not applicable to the exams.

So in short I don’t have any problem with the actual exam itself, I was able to pass them fine but the organization in charge of the exams is next to useless. They collect huge fees, charge a ton for the exams, and provide little to the young LA other than taking $150 from them a year so in 10 years when they actually get to work outside their state they can apply for reciprocal licensing. Thanks a lot ASLA for sticking up for licenced professionals.

[Doug Davies]

Your arch friends also pay less for 7 exams than we do for 4 which are harder, which makes you think they would be harder to grade, but they get results in 7 days. 

[Tosh K]

Turnaround in exam has partially to do with them analyzing the ‘tryout questions’ – the small body of volunteers available to write and review exam questions makes it difficult for rapid turnaround.  I’m assuming you’re heavily lobbying local veteran professionals to help chip in on the process.

Exam study books are the books the writers of the questions are referencing (part of the question writing process is identifying where the information was found).  I found that the study materials from the 70s and 80s were far more comprehensive than the more recent literature (and I’ll say Landscape Architecture Graphic Standards is pretty comprehensive in its scope; I’d argue between that, Site Engineering for LAs and Chapters 9/10 of Heinze’s Construction Contracts you should be able to pass all 4 sections).

Exam fees are comparable to architecture ($1470 + state authorization ~$150 for ARE, 1780 for LARE); again we suffer from smaller bulk discount.

Most chapters of ASLA are busy with dealing with the state boards and state legislature (many of whom limit our practice or are trying to remove our license) – it’s how we ‘stick up’ for the profession: increase our ability to practice by adding ‘landscape architecture’ to the list of qualified professionals on legislation, limiting other under qualified groups from practicing landscape architecture (surveyors, interior designers, landscape designers), protecting liability in emergency response, etc.  Also, note that it is a volunteer organization and relies on participation by its members.

[Keith A. French]

Yes, I do.

[Author]

Posts