Ok, so the first thing isn't free. These are paid resources that have standing or limited time discounts.

Amber Book SPRING SALE

Regular: $410/month
Group Rate: $260/month
Spring Sale Rate: $240/month
Code: GROW2024HF

Details:
– No groups required until 4/21
– You keep the rate the entire time, not just the first month
– You can cancel and renew again later at the same rate…contact Amber Book when ready
– Same deal is always available within any Hyperfine ARE 5.0 Study Course or…
– At the Amber Book Group Discount Friend Finder Google Sheet

You need to be familiar with Building Codes and Federal laws and regulations that impact your building. Fortunately these are all online for free.

2021 INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE (2021 IBC)

Link: 2021 International Building Code
Comment: Focus on chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11
Additional Info: I have a few IBC blogs on this site. For more info you can read the following posts. How to Round Code Requirements, Gross Floor Area Explained and 10 Things to Know About the International Building Code

2010 ADA STANDARDS FOR ACCESSIBLE DESIGN (2010 ADAAG)

Link: 2010 Standards for Accessible Design
Note: For ARE 5.0 exams, remember that the ADA is a Federal LAW, not a building code. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 will take you far.

FEMA 454: DESIGNING FOR EARTHQUAKES: A MANUAL FOR ARCHITECTS (FEMA 454)

Link: FEMA 454: Designing for Earthquakes: A Manual for Architects
Comment: An absolute must-read for PPC and PDD. Focus on Chapters 4 and 5.

You will need to know these in detail for Practice Management, Project Management and Construction and Evaluation.

AIA CONTRACT DOCUMENTS

Link: https://hyperfinearchitecture.com/AIAContracts
Comment: Start at the home page, then navigate through the different series. Where available, the ARE 5.0 exams use the 2017 AIA Contracts. A201 is a must read. Also check out A101 and B101. The full list of contracts you need to know is at the end of the NCARB ARE 5.0 Handbook.

I am a big believer in studying direct from the primary resources. The best way to learn the contracts is to read the real thing! If you need some help finding and focusing on the most important topics, check out my PcM and PjM Study Course. It has 7 contract-specific study assignments with over 50 questions.

AIA CONTRACT DOCUMENTS COMMENTARY

Links:
AIA A201: General Conditions for Construction with Commentary
AIA B101: Owner-Architect Agreement with Commentary

Comment: These are the full contracts, with the plain language commentary to better explain each section. Note that these are for the 2007 version, though they are still incredibly helpful. Use the search bar to search “commentary” to find other contracts.

SCHIFF HARDIN LECTURES

Link: Schiff Hardin Lectures

Comment: This audio lecture is also known as the Hanahan lectures. The recordings are from the professional practice course at the University of Illinois at Chicago, taught by Michael Hanahan. He is a lawyer, formerly at the firm Schiff-Hardin. Schiff-Hardin had previously hosted all the lecture notes and audio recordings on their site. Hanahan left the firm in 2019, and his lectures were removed from the site. The Spring 2019 lecture can still be found on archive.org, as linked above.

YOUNG ARCHITECT ACADEMY

Link: Understanding the B101 and A201 2017 Comparative – A Free Course
Comment: Free mini-course from Michael Riscica at Young Architect

Most of us use videos as part of our study resources. There are some great paid resources out there, but tons of awesome free stuff as well.

YOUTUBE

Too many to list. I have links to some of my favorites right here.

Hyperfine
I made these.
ARE 5.0: Passing Score
ARE 5.0: Overhead and Break Even Rate
ARE 5.0: Allowable Building Area for PPD and PA
ARE 5.0: Slope Math and Rounding
ARE 5.0: Utilization Rate for PCM/PJM
ARE 5.0: Critical Path Method and Gantt Charts
ARE 5.0: Vapor Barrier Locations
ARE 5.0: Acoustic Formula a = SAC x S
ARE 5.0: IBC Fire Separation
ARE 5.0: ARE 5.0 Moment Formulas
ARE 5.0: Sun Path Diagram

Marty Huie
Code and construction videos. Not current to IBC 2018, but still good.
Link: Marty Huie Code and Construction Videos

Dartmouth X
Excellent series on structures and how they work, from Dartmouth and engineering PhD Vicki May
Link: DartmouthX – The Engineering of Structures Around Us
Comment: They also have a free online course.

Amber Book
The best video tutorial series there is, they have about 20 free ones on their YouTube channel
Link: Amber Book YouTube
Comment: And if you want they full thing, remember to sign up with the Amber Book group discount

PLURALSIGHT

You may have heard of Kevin Griendling. His video series is hosted on Pluralsight. This is a paid resource, though you can get a free 10-day trial. It's about $30/month after that, so a good budget option when compared to Black Spectacles

Link: https://hyperfinearchitecture.com/pluralsight

There is a large, and growing, community of people going through the same thing you are, and sharing their experience and knowledge.

JENNY'S NOTES

Link: https://hyperfinearchitecture.com/jennysnotes
Comment: The original! These world-famous study notes were written by (now) Architect Jenny Cestnik back in ARE 5.0. They're still great for ARE 5.0.

CAROLINE'S NOTES

Links:
Caroline's Notes for CDS
Caroline's Notes for PPP
Comment: The other original! Also made for 4.0, also still very good.

KARIN'S NOTES

Link: Karin's Notes on Gumroad
Comment: The NKOTB. Karin passed her 5.0 exams (using Hyperfine study material) and then shared 30+ pages of notes and sketches. They're free, but hosted on Gumroad so you can make a donation if you like.

NCARB ARE 5.0 FORUM

Link: ARE 5.0 Community from NCARB
Comment: After the ARE 5.0 Handbook, this is your first stop. Search the forums, find post-test reports from people who got through it, and engage with those going through the exams now.

THE ARE FACEBOOK GROUP BY YOUNG ARCHITECT

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/architectregistrationexam/
Comment: A huge, active and supportive group of architect exam candidates…without the NCARB monitors!

I don't know of any completely free practice quizzes, but nearly all the paid sites offer free samples.

DESIGNER HACKS

Link: ARE PcM: Exam Prep, Quiz & Resources
Comment: A good, inexpensive resource that's been around for a while. I used Designer Hacks for my 4.0 and 5.0 exams. Link goes to PcM, just use the menu to find free quizzes for the other exams.

WEARE

Link: ARE 5.0 Free Quizzes
Comment: Relatively new, these guys passed (with the help of Hyperfine) then started their own quiz site.

ARCHIZAM

Link: ARE 5 Practice Exams
Comment: The newest of the new, these guys (yet another set of Hyperfine alum!) launched their site in 2020. Link is to free sample quizzes. Membership starts at $9/week.

Not free, but cheap!

HYPERFINE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS

Link: https://hyperfinearchitecture.com/courses
Comment: The study material I made is not a practice quiz, but it will test you. Use these study assignments to enhance your regularly-scheduled studies by efficiently focusing on key topics.

ERIK WALKER STUDY GUIDES

Links:
PDD-CE-PPD Quick Study Guide
PPD-PA Quick Study Guide
PcM-PjM-CE Quick Study Guide

Comment: Erik has now made some great practice tests for PA and PcM, but he started with these printable 11×17 sheets.

REBOLLAR ARCHITECTURE

Link: P.A. (Programming & Analysis) Exam Prep Materials
Comment: Visual study notes and practice questions from Hyperfine alum Jethro Rebollar

You can't study forever. And I love this video.