The exam also requires test-taking skills in addition to landscape design knowledge. That is, you will need to use your design knowledge, however acquired, correctly and quickly in sustained focus for several hours. This means good time management skills (you’re racing against the clock) and the ability to swiftly and fully understand what is asked for and then rapidly conceptualize solutions, especially for design and grading. You may, or may not, receive the design experience you need from your place of employment and even if you do, remember that you’ll have much less time during the exam to recall and apply it to the problem vignettes. I found that attending a LARE prep course was much more efficient than work experience, though work experience certainly didn’t hurt. By the way, my LA degree was probably worthless as preparation for the LARE but maybe LA curricula now better prepare students.
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