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Tips for a Successful Exam - California Supplemental Examination
The California Architects Board (Board) offers the following tips to assist candidates in preparing for the California Supplemental Examination (CSE).
- Keep the Board advised of your current address. It is your responsibility to notify the Board of any changes in your address. Exam scheduling letters and score reports include time-sensitive information. Delays in mailing caused by incorrect addresses can have a significant impact on your exam status. All address changes must be submitted in writing to the Board.
- Submission of your CSE application. Applications for the CSE are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. The CSE is administered six times a year - alternately in Northern and Southern California.
- Enclose the correct fee. The Board will make an effort to contact you if the exam fee is missing from the application package or is incorrect. However, this can delay the processing of your application or cause your application to be returned. The current CSE processing fee is $100.
- Verify the location of your exam site. The name and address of your exam site will be printed on the scheduling letter that is mailed approximately 30 days prior to the exam. You should plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled exam time.
- Study the Test Plan. The California Supplemental Examination Candidate Brochure (Candidate Brochure) contains an outline of the CSE Test Plan. This outline is the basis for the CSE and is the document that was used by the Board to develop the exam questions. No questions will be asked that are not based upon the material found in this outline. Some candidates find it helpful to compare their experience and knowledge with each area of the Test Plan.
- Thoroughly read the Candidate Brochure. In addition to the Test Plan, the Candidate Brochure contains valuable information on examination procedures, administrative processes, scoring and reporting, sample project scenario, questions, and elements of competent responses. Take time to read all the material and contact the Board well in advance of the CSE test date if you have questions.
- Use the CSE references. The Board provides a list of references and study materials with the CSE application form. As supplies may be limited and the time needed to process your request lengthy, please order the documents you wish to use as soon as possible. If you have difficulty obtaining copies of the references, you may wish to check a law library.
- Expect to be treated fairly. The Board is committed to the administration of a fair examination for all candidates for licensure as architects in California. Each candidate is entitled to a fair exam, regardless of their work experience, professional associations, performance on the written exam, or license status in other states. The commissioners who will conduct your CSE have all been thoroughly and consistently trained in the exam content and grading criteria. The test vendor or an additional commissioner will be monitoring their performance throughout the CSE administration.
- Take advantage of the optional 20-minute review period. A proctor will escort you to a reviewing room. You will be given 20 minutes to review and read through the project scenario documents to become familiar with the project that is the basis for your exam. If you arrive late, you are allowed the remainder of the optional 20-minute review period to complete your review. Candidates may not write on the documents, nor take any notes. You are allowed no more than 20 minutes for the review. Discussion of the documents with other candidates is not allowed. If you arrive after the optional 20-minute review period has ended, you will not be allowed to review the project scenario documents prior to the examination. You will remain in the waiting area until an examination panel is available.
- A proctor will escort you to your exam room. Your examination panel will consist of three architects who will be judging your responses. When you meet your panel, please determine whether you recognize any of the panel members or if you have a problem with any of them administering the exam to you. If so, please state this prior to starting the CSE.
- Try to relax during the CSE. If you need to take off your jacket, have a drink of water, or get up and stretch, feel free to do so. However, once you are in the exam room, you may not leave until you complete the exam. Questioning will be alternated among panel members. Panel members may be taking notes; do not let that distract you.
- You will be asked approximately 28-35 questions during the CSE. The project documents you review prior to the exam are available to you during the examination. The questions vary in level of detail, but in all cases one or two word answers or simple lists are not acceptable. You may refer to your own experience when you answer the questions; however, keep the project scenario in mind when appropriate. Your answers should be as complete and to the point as possible.
- Ask panel members to repeat any questions when needed. Some questions have more than one part. Panel members may repeat a question if you do not address all parts in your answer; this does not mean your answer is correct or incorrect - it is just a way to ensure that you hear all parts of each question.
- Some exam questions will ask you for a specific number of examples. Please think carefully about your response before answering this type of question, and give only the required number of examples.
- Answer questions in the order asked. Once you have completed your answer for a question and have moved on to another, you cannot go back to previous questions to change or add to your answer. Take time to think about your answer and be sure you have completed your answer before moving on. (The exception to this rule is that you can add to an answer if you have not yet started to answer the very next question.)
- Expect panel members to keep the CSE moving. Panel members may interrupt you if your answer goes beyond what the question asks. This does not mean that your answer is correct or incorrect; it is just a way of keeping the exam on schedule. Sometimes, in going beyond what the question asks, you may begin to answer a later question. Panel members must ask all questions, so go ahead and repeat the material when the later question is asked.
- Each panel member makes an independent judgment on the competency of your responses on an individual score sheet. These score sheets are returned to the testing vendor for computerized scoring. Therefore, no one at the administration has knowledge of your overall score on the CSE.
- Please do not interpret any casual facial expressions, nodding of heads, or casual comments the panel members make acknowledging that your response was heard as an indication of your performance on the examination. While administering the CSE, panel members cannot inform you whether you have competently responded to the questions. This is to ensure the consistent administration of the CSE among all panels and, thereby, ensuring fairness to all candidates.
- Discussion of the content of the CSE is prohibited. You are not allowed to discuss the content of the exam or the project scenario documents before or after you have finished your examination with anyone other than the Board staff.
- GOOD LUCK ON YOUR ORAL EXAMINATION.