ARE 5.0 exam preparation · PPD
Project Planning and Design (PPD)
Compare feasible concepts. Coordinate the consequences.
Prepare for decisions about sites, codes, building systems, integrated design and cost. Start with free exam guidance and worked questions, then explore the ReasonSpan™ program in development.
Public guides and worked answers are free. Full study access is an invited pilot; paid enrollment is closed.
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Free PPD preparation resources
ARE 5.0 PPD Exam: Project Planning and Design
Understand the PPD exam format, five content areas and design decisions. Start with free guidance while the ReasonSpan™ program is in development.
Read the resource →ARE 5.0 PPD vs. PDD: What Changes in Your Study?
Compare Project Planning and Design with Project Development and Documentation using site, structural, enclosure and cost decisions.
Read the resource →ARE 5.0 PPD Study Plan: Build an Evidence-Based Sequence
Create a realistic PPD study schedule around site, codes, systems, integration and cost, with fresh practice and timed verification.
Read the resource →ARE 5.0 PPD Practice Questions with Worked Explanations
Work three original PPD scenarios on site feasibility, structural-system selection and budget reconciliation. Review the reasoning for every option.
Read the resource →PPD or PDD: which decision are you preparing for?
Project Planning and Design (PPD) centers on preliminary design choices. Project Development and Documentation (PDD) centers on integrating and documenting the developed design. Both involve coordination; practice the level of decision the question requires.
For example, compare framing concepts against clear span, depth and budget for PPD. For PDD, coordinate the selected framing with services, assemblies and the documents that communicate the resolution.
ReasonSpan™ development program
Connect theory, practice and fresh verification
Each lesson connects theory to a worked example, scored practice and a fresh delayed-verification question. The pilot inventory includes:
Includes eight guided decision workshops, thirteen assessment-case projects with searchable evidence, and two additional guided integration cases. The diagnostic and both mock forms sample all 17 PPD objectives.
Refresh the shared engineering foundations →Invited pilot access
The content and software are undergoing review. Qualified technical review, candidate timing and difficulty calibration, and browser and assistive-technology acceptance remain open. Paid enrollment is closed; there is no purchasable PPD offer or pass prediction.
Open pilot workspaceReasonSpan™ is an independent preparation program. Practice results are educational evidence and are not official NCARB scores.