It's been over 9 years since my last blog post on this website, which is crazy. But I've been cleaning up the blog in anticipation of rebooting the CSE Podcast. In going through all of the previous posts, I want to make sure everyone who's going to be taking the Exam has an opportunity to read [...]

"Always read the question at least twice. Several times I had to fight through the feeling that I should just hit the end button and go round again in six months. DO NOT GIVE IN. The surest way to fail is to quit." This was my fourth attempt at the exam, the first two being oral, for [...]

"What am I getting myself into?”  That’s exactly what I should have been thinking when I look back at all the hard work and setbacks it took me to get my architectural license. It was roughly eight years ago that I remember taking a trip to Hawaii and wondering what I was going to do for [...]

This is a new series featuring candidates' experiences with preparing for and taking the California Supplemental Exam. Another proctor came and solved the situation by inserting some codes and… I PASSED!!! I could not hold it anymore and started crying, then the proctor gave me a hug and she started to cry with me. You would [...]

This is a new series featuring candidates' experiences with preparing for and taking the California Supplemental Exam. Well I completely panicked at the beginning. I couldn’t answer the first two questions at all. I started to hyperventilate. I’m originally from the UK and I’m based in Portland, Oregon where I am one of the owners of [...]

This is the first guest post in a new series featuring candidates' experiences with preparing for and taking the California Supplemental Exam. My heart sank to my stomach and shot up to my throat all in a matter of seconds.  "What?" I replied extremely confused.  "Don't worry, you passed, you're an Architect" I passed my last [...]