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NCARB EXAM 2024/2025 WITH 100% ACCURATE SOLUTIONS
Typology: Exams
1 / 42
A developer hires an architecture firm to design a new apartment building. The firm completes construction documents and a building permit is issued. The firm will provide CA services at a rate of $200 per hour for the principal and $150 per hour for the project manager. As the firm starts CA, the owner asks for a not-to-exceed fee based on the following: -Twenty shop drawings, which the project manager will handle at an average of three hours per review. -Three site visits, which the principal will handle at an average of four hours per site visit. The firm includes a 10% allowance for unknowns. What should the not-to-exceed fee be? A.$11, B.$12, C.$13, D.$15,240 - Precise Answer ✔✔CORRECT RESPONSE $12, CALCULATIONS
The clear width of a corridor is a critical dimension. It is important to account for any finish that might affect the clear corridor width. D. Dimension toilet room drywall partitions from the toilet room side of the partition. The interior clear dimensions of toilet rooms are critical dimensions. This is particularly important in areas of accessibility. F. Avoid the use of fractions smaller than "⅛" anywhere on floor plans. The use of small fractions on plans indicates an unnecessary, overly precise approach. A local school board contracts an architecture firm to design and document renovations to two wings of an existing high school building. The contract calls for a design fee of $500,000 with the following distribution: -Schematic Design: 15% -Design Development: 25% -Construction Documentation: 35% -Permits and Bidding: 5% -Construction Administration: 20% The firm completes the design development phase when the school board informs them that, due to funding, the project will need to be constructed in two phases. Each construction phase will cover only one of the wings, will start in May and finish in September, and will need to be bid and permitted before each phase begins. -What additional fee should the architecture firm request from the school board? A.$25,
D.$300,000 - Precise Answer ✔✔$125, Construction Documentation will not change because the renovation areas are already separated. Both the Permits and Bidding and the Construction Administration phases will need to be completed twice. CALCULATIONS -1. 5% (Permits and Bidding) x $500,000 (design fee) = $25, -2. 20% (Construction Administration) x $500,000 (design fee) = $100, -3. $25,000 (for Permits and Bidding) + $100,000 (for Construction Administration) = $125,000 additional fee request An architecture firm is approached by a long-term client with an RFP for a hospitality project. The firm has been in practice for 10 years and has concentrated on multifamily projects that generally have a construction budget of between $10 and $30 million. Their staff of twenty is very busy and has commitments through the next four months. The firm is deciding whether to proceed with the project by evaluating the following project details: The project consists of a hotel containing a restaurant. The construction budget is $20 million. The design is expected to start in three months. For which of the following reasons should the firm proceed with the project? Check the four that apply.
A. The project is for a long term client. B. The project is within their usual scale. C. The project is within their area of expertise. D. The project demands will require additional staff. E. The project could provide work as their st - Precise Answer ✔✔A. The project is for a long term client. They have a relationship that they want to reinforce. B. The project is within their usual scale. The project construction budget is $20 million, and the firm has experience with projects in the $10 million to $30 million range. E. The project could provide work as their staff frees up. Given the small gap between this project's start and the end of their current commitment, this is beneficial. F. The project represents an opportunity to expand their expertise. Opportunities to expand project type could lead to more work. An architecture firm wants to hire an architect who will be trusted with several important clients. In exchange for a sign-on bonus, the firm asks the prospective employee to sign a non-compete agreement to protect the firm's interests if the future employee eventually leaves the firm. Which one of the following clauses is reasonable to include in the non- compete agreement? A. Employee agrees to not seek employment with a competing firm located in the same region within 18 months of leaving the firm. B. Employee agrees to not solicit clients from the firm for a minimum of six months after leaving.
C. Employee must stop communications with all clients and consultants upon notification that they intend to leave the firm. - Precise Answer ✔✔Employee agrees to not solicit clients from the firm for a minimum of six months after leaving. This is a reasonable request that protects the hiring firm's client list and allows them to adequately adjust to the employee leaving their firm. A new architectural firm is considering policy options to address discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Which one of the following policies should they adopt first? A. Make compensation information available to all employees. B. Allow employees to take holidays based on their religious beliefs. C. Establish a time limit for the reporting of a sexual harassment incident. - Precise Answer ✔✔Establish a time limit for the reporting of a sexual harassment incident. This directly addresses harassment and employment policies, which should identify a reasonable time limit for reporting a sexual harassment event. The partners in an architectural firm are reviewing their policies and procedures in order to become a more socially responsible design practice that better supports organizational health. Which workplace policies and procedures should the firm implement? Check the three that apply. A. Implement a fixed work schedule with structured breaks. B. Increase staff diversity to reflect the community served. C. Donate 1/5 of billable hours to volunteer work.
D. Limit times of extended computer use. E. Add a workplace wellness program. F. Allow for unlimited overtime. - Precise Answer ✔✔B. Increase staff diversity to reflect the community served. Public health, safety, and welfare is ensured more effectively when architecture professionals reflect the communities they serve. D. Limit times of extended computer use. Interrupting extended computer use will decrease work-related health problems and will increase productivity. E. Add a workplace wellness program. Wellness programs have been proven to reduce sick days and increase productivity. An owner and architect contractually agree that construction costs are not to exceed a specified amount. However, several cost overruns occur during construction. The owner holds the architect responsible, but the architect disagrees, claiming they provided fully contractual, professional services consistent with the legal standard of care. The owner and architect agree to resolve the dispute through arbitration. Which one of the following arbitration rulings should the architect expect? A. The architect has provided services consistent with the professional skill and care ordinarily provided in the same or similar locality under the same or similar circumstances. B. The architect has failed to provide services agreed upon by both parties in their written agreement, which exceeded the professional skill and care ordinarily provided.
C. The architect has provided services consistent with the professional skill and car - Precise Answer ✔✔B. The architect has failed to provide services agreed upon by both parties in their written agreement, which exceeded the professional skill and care ordinarily provided. The architect expanded the standard of care in the written agreement with the owner to include a guarantee of the maximum construction cost, which exceeds the professional skill and care ordinarily provided. Because the architect was unable to uphold their contractual obligation, the architect should expect the arbitrator to rule in favor of the owner. An architecture firm is awarded a project for an addition to an elementary school. Project details follow: -Negotiated fee percentage: 5% -Construction budget: $5,000, -Gross fee profit: 10% -Consultant expenses: 35% The firm now wants to manage the available architectural fee with the hours required to complete the project. What is the available architectural fee? A. $137, B. $146, C. $162, D. $187,500 - Precise Answer ✔✔$137, CALCULATIONS
Project delivery method should be considered when establishing a fee because the same project can have different levels of risk depending on how the construction is procured. E. Standard of care expectations. Risk increases significantly when a client suggests contract language that alters or increases the standard of care, and the architectural fee should reflect this additional risk. A municipality hires an architecture firm to provide construction documents for a new public library. The firm has completed 35% of the design and has seven months to deliver a 95% set for bidding, per the contract. The municipality notifies the firm that they need to accelerate the bid schedule by four months in order to have an accurate cost for the next municipal budget submission. The firm needs to maintain a good working relationship with the municipality without increasing risk to the firm. Which of the following responses meet the needs of both the firm and the municipality? Check the two that apply. A. Negotiate with the municipality to provide a bid set at 65% design completion on the accelerated schedule and recommend that contractors bid the project as cost-plus. B. Negotiate with the municipality to provide a bid set at 65% design completion and recommend the contractors bid the project as a guaranteed ma - Precise Answer ✔✔B. Negotiate with the municipality to provide a bid set at 65% design completion and recommend the contractors bid the project as a guaranteed maximum price. Bidding a 65% set is feasible, and GMP will ensure the bids are accurate enough for the budget submission.
F. Send the municipality a request for additional services to hire a third- party cost engineer who will perform a cost estimate at 65% design. This responds to the client's request without adding risk to the architect. A managing principal wants to decrease the utilization of senior design associates in favor of assigning them a greater share of business development. The managing principal is now determining the tasks that should be required of senior design associates in order to align with this redirection of their efforts. Which of the following should the senior design associates be required to attend? Check the three that apply. A. Staff meetings B. Executive meetings C. Consultant sessions D. Coordination sessions E. Redline work sessions F. Project design meetings - Precise Answer ✔✔A. Staff meetings. In-house staff meetings can properly assist in the allocation of resources, which is important for the managing principal and all associates. B. Executive meetings. Executive meetings are where the most critical, impactful, and formative decisions are made. The associates should be required to be in attendance at meetings where the most impactful decisions are made. F. Project design meetings.
Project design meetings are critical meetings where design aesthetics are presented and discussed, requiring the participation of the design associates. An architecture firm has started annual performance reviews for their employees. A minimum utilization rate of 75% for each architect is required to maintain profitability. The office manager is meeting with Architect A to review their efficiency. Which of the following activities should Architect A highlight as a billable task? Check the two that apply. A. Redlining of a project. B. Designing a project booklet for a prospective client. C. Developing an innovative rain-screen detail for a project. D. Writing an architectural services RFP response for a project. E. Developing a continuing education seminar on healthcare design. F. Coordinating the new office furniture delivery for the architect's office. - Precise Answer ✔✔A. Redlining of a project. Redlining drawings is a billable task to the client. C. Developing an innovative rain-screen detail for a project. An architecture firm successfully completes a coffee shop project in a large city. The owner is planning to construct three more locations in the city using the same design. The owner would like to continue working with the firm under the condition of transferring the ownership of the architectural drawings. How should the architect respond?
A. Transfer the ownership under partnership. B. Explain to the owner that the designs are not tangible goods for sale. C. Suggest using the same drawings for all the upcoming projects as they are all in the same city. D. Transfer the ownership since the owner has already paid for the architectural services with the initial contract. - Precise Answer ✔✔B. Explain to the owner that the designs are not tangible goods for sale. As the architects are the authors and creators of the drawings, they are the intellectual property of the architects and are protected by U.S. copyright laws. An architectural firm is awarded an RFP for a $30 million hospital expansion. The expansion is to be built on an existing parking lot and requires the architect to provide geotechnical services. The firm will need to contract with a geotechnical engineer in order to provide those services. Which of the following provisions should the firm include in their contract with the geotechnical engineer? Check the four that apply. A. The architect shall provide the geotechnical engineer with relevant existing condition reports, surveys, and documentation of ownership as provided by the owner. B. The geotechnical engineer shall assume the defense of any claims arising from their services directly and will not seek contribution from the architect. C. The owner will release the architect of all liability and responsibility for the geotechnical engineer's services. D. The geotechnical engineer will provide certificates of insuran - Precise Answer ✔✔A. The architect shall provide the geotechnical
engineer with relevant existing condition reports, surveys, and documentation of ownership as provided by the owner. The architect should provide all owner-provided information to the geotechnical engineer. B. The geotechnical engineer shall assume the defense of any claims arising from their services directly and will not seek contribution from the architect. The architect should protect themselves from being responsible for claims levied at their consultant. D. The geotechnical engineer will provide certificates of insurance that align with the types and limits of coverage required by the architect's contract with the owner. Requiring the geotechnical engineer to have the same levels of coverage as the architect provides greater protection to the architect. F. The geotechnical engineer shall immediately notify the owner and architect of hazardous materials detected during field explorations. This information should not be withheld but should be presented to both the architect (as the engineer's client) and owner simultaneously. An architecture firm is competing against three local firms for a new 250,000-square-foot research building. This is the owner's first new construction project and they are concerned about cost and construction. The research building requires green design and must tie into two historical buildings recently renovated by the firm, as well as serve as the new icon for the company. The firm's backlog is low and this project is needed to support their staff. What should the firm include in the RFP response?
A. That their staff has sustainable design and historical preservation experience. B. That they have had success in dictating means and methods during construction. C. That their in-house estimator has perfectly guaranteed pricing of their last five projects. - Precise Answer ✔✔A. That their staff has sustainable design and historical preservation experience. That their staff has sustainable design and historical preservation experience is a piece of key information that addresses the project scope without promising an elevated standard of care. A new client asks an architecture firm, who has extensive experience with multifamily housing projects, to design a 500-unit, mixed-use project. How should the firm verify that they will most likely receive payment for the project? Check the three that apply. A. Require the client to pay all invoices in full within 30 days or include an additional 1% penalty for late payment. B. Evaluate the client's brand to determine if the client's values are in alignment with the firm's values. C. Determine if the client's budget can cover both construction costs and design fees. D. Require a deposit of 10% of the design fee upfront before beginning services. E. Ask other architects about their experience of working with this client.
F. Ask contractors about their experience of working with this client. - Precise Answer ✔✔C. Determine if the client's budget can cover both construction costs and design fees. It is appropriate for the architect to determine if the client has a realistic understanding of the costs of the project and has a budget that will cover those costs. E. Ask other architects about their experience of working with this client. It is appropriate for the architect to verify the reputation of a new client with architects who have previously worked with them in order to verify that the client has a history of timely payment. F. Ask contractors about their experience of working with this client. It is appropriate for the architect to verify the reputation of a new client with contractors who have previously worked with them in order to verify that the client has a history of timely payment. An architecture firm receives an RFQ that outlines full design, construction, and commissioning services for a new urban arts center with the following details: -A 150,000 sf building with teaching spaces, museum, and cafe. -Adequate parking facilities. -A three-acre waterfront park connected to the new arts center. -Requires permitting, design reviews, and city council presentations. -Pricing sets that must be established early and remain stable throughout design. The firm specializes in conceptual and specialty design of education and large assembly spaces, but the firm has limited experience in landscape
design. Additionally, the firm does not currently have the staffing to fully support construction document production for a project of this scale. Which project delivery method should the firm submit in their qualifications package? A. Bridged design-build with the firm serving as design architect. B. Architect-le - Precise Answer ✔✔A. Bridged design-build with the firm serving as design architect. The project is a high-profile design that requires a specialty architect. A design-build contract will ensure that the project is delivered efficiently in terms of cost while bridging allows the project to have multiple architects/landscape architects taking on separate portions of the design, document preparation, and construction. Design-build allows for the price to be established before design is complete. Two recently registered architects decide to start a new firm together. They have one contract pending execution for an office building, and multiple additional proposals are expected in the near future. The partners need to set up their new office and hire staff to help fulfill their pending contract for the office building. In order to start the firm, the following expenses are projected: -Computers: $6,300 initial cost -Employee Salaries: $4,965 per pay period -Insurance: $4,750 for six months -Office Rent and Software: $2,350 per month Architectural design fees under contract for the office building project amount to $85,000 and will be completed within the first six months.
Excluding the salaries and expenses of the two partners, how will the firm perform financially in the first six months, which includes 13 pay periods? A. The firm will generate profit. B. The firm will lose money. C. The firm will break even. - Precise Answer ✔✔B. The firm will lose money. Based on the calculation, the firm would lose money if they only accepted the single project. CALCULATIONS
E. General liability insurance F. Employee health insurance - Precise Answer ✔✔B. Commercial property insurance Commercial property insurance would help defray the cost of damage to the office and other physical business assets affected by the flood. C. Business income insurance Business income insurance would help cover lost billable income during the closed week and the ensuing recovery process. A large sports-focused architecture firm is working on a sports arena delivered through the Construction Manager at Risk (CMaR) method. Though the project has a guaranteed maximum price (GMP), the CMaR is unable to bring the project in budget or give the owner a GMP as the end of the design phase nears. The owner decides to release the CMaR from their contract and publicly bid the project. The delivery method changes to design-bid-build. What additional responsibility will the architect take on as a result of the changes? A. Manage subcontractors. B. Sign applications for payments. C. Provide detailed estimate of construction cost. D. Assist owner in determining the lowest and best bid. - Precise Answer ✔✔D. Assist owner in determining the lowest and best bid. In a CMaR-delivered project, the architect is not responsible for assisting the owner in determining the lowest or best bid. For a design- bid-build project, though, the architect is responsible for providing assistance during bidding.
An architecture firm wants to increase the business development roles of their project architects. Some of their current activities will be delegated to the administrative support team with project architect oversight. Which activities should be delegated? Check the three that apply. A. Development of technical documentation standards and protocols B. QA/QC document reviews C. Project close-out compilation D. MEP design coordination E. Construction contract administration tracking F. Monitoring of in-house budget against production actuals and percent complete - Precise Answer ✔✔C. Project close-out compilation Project close-out includes several routine and confirmation-type items that can be reviewed by the PA or PM once delegated. E. Construction contract administration tracking Tracking of change orders, RFIs, submittals, bulletins, and schedules are standardized tasks easily delegated to administrative personnel. F. Monitoring of in-house budget against production actuals and percent complete Monitoring and reporting of actuals versus budgeted project costs is a standardized report which can be flagged to the PA for concerns. Two architects open a firm as a partnership. The partners sign a lease for an office, hire two employees, and secure two pending government projects that will financially sustain the firm for several months. The two projects have the following requirements:
-Architect shall carry $1,000,000 in errors and omissions insurance. -Architect shall carry all statutory insurance coverage. Which insurance policies do the partners need to carry? Check the three that apply. A. General business coverage B. Health insurance C. Director's insurance D. Professional liability E. Worker's compensation F. Umbrella insurance - Precise Answer ✔✔A. General business coverage. Every business needs general liability insurance. D. Professional liability. Professional liability insurance is required for their government work. E. Worker's compensation. Every employer with employees is required to have worker's compensation insurance. In January of Year 1, a school asks an architecture firm to design a new gymnasium, which must be available for the start of the school year in September of Year 2. The school wants to thoroughly vet the design and desires competitive construction pricing. The firm has experience with gymnasium design and estimates the following: -Two months to establish a design. -Four months to complete construction documents.
-One month to obtain permits. -Twelve months to complete construction. Which contracting and procurement scenario should the firm recommend? A. A contract for the preliminary design and a competitive bid to select the general contractor. B. A contract for the preliminary design and a design-build contract with the selected contractor. C. A contract for complete construction documents and a competitive bid to select the general contractor. D. A contract for complete construction documents and a design-build co - Precise Answer ✔✔C. A contract for complete construction documents and a competitive bid to select the general contractor. This will provide the desired design involvement, and a competitive bid addresses the school's concern regarding cost of construction. During construction, a contractor falls behind schedule and has no plan to align with the critical path. The owner asks the architect to assist in getting the schedule back on track without additional services. Which action is within the architect's standard of care for construction contract administration? A. Prioritizing the review and return of sequential submittals numbered by the contractor. B. Performing daily site visits in order to immediately respond to contractor questions in the field. C. Approving partially complete work in order to allow trades to work on other parts of the building.
D. Laying out a more efficient scaffold solution that allows more access to exterior enclosure progress. - Precise Answer ✔✔A. Prioritizing the review and return of sequential submittals numbered by the contractor. The review of submittals falls within the standard of care, and the review of priority submittals to assist with the schedule does not raise the standard of care. An architecture firm is awarded the design of a technologically advanced 100,000-seat stadium with a five-year design and construction schedule. The owner wants to keep overall costs on budget, minimize risk, and open the stadium in time to host several major events. Which delivery method should the firm recommend? A. Design-build B. Cost-plus fixed fee C. Negotiated select team D. Construction manager as constructor - Precise Answer ✔✔D. Construction manager as constructor A construction manager as constructor delivery method ensures the schedule of the owner will be met and places the management and risk associated with constructability and cost on the contractor. An architect is in an initial program meeting with a trusted client. The client says they have acquired drawings of a hotel prototype that has been successfully built in five other locations. The client asks the architect to use the hotel drawings to prepare a permit set for a site that the client owns. What action should the architect take to comply with ethical standards?
A. Stamp the drawings, including consultant drawings, based on the historical success of the hotel plan set. B. Verify with the client they have satisfied all copyright requirements for use of the design before taking on the project. C. Redraft the drawings after all local code analyses are complete. D. Assume the drawings have been acquired legally and site adapt the prototype. - Precise Answer ✔✔B. Verify with the client they have satisfied all copyright requirements for use of the design before taking on the project. Ethical standards require that all copyright requirements are met when an architect is using drawings that they did not create themselves. An architecture firm must increase profits for the upcoming year and has a current backlog of projects for the year. The firm is comprised of three partners, eight architectural production and management staff members, and three administrative assistants. Which of the following strategies will most likely increase profits? A. Invest in more marketing and advertising. B. Reduce the administrative staff to two assistants. C. Pursue work in markets where the firm has not worked before. - Precise Answer ✔✔B. Reduce the administrative staff to two assistants. Reducing the number of administrative assistants will reduce direct expenses, and if fee income stays the same, profits will increase. A firm that specializes in senior housing is contacted by a developer who wants to build 50 townhouses for residents over 55 years old. The developer is asking for a fee proposal to provide the overall preliminary
design as well as construction documents for all the units. Project details follow: -The project will be permitted and constructed in five phases. -The project will be built in clusters of four-, five-, and six-townhouse units. -The units will have three-, four-, and five-bedroom options. -Unit distribution will be determined by sales. The firm wants to make sure that their fees capture the value of their expertise as well as maximize cash flow and profit. Which fee proposal structure is most appropriate? A. A fixed fee for the preliminary design and a fixed fee per unit for the construction documents, based on the number of units in each phase. B. A fixed fee for the preliminary design, a fixed fee for the - Precise Answer ✔✔B. A fixed fee for the preliminary design, a fixed fee for the construction documents for each unit type, and a reuse fee for all subsequent units. A fixed fee for the preliminary design is an efficient compensation method and appropriately compensates for the architect's expertise; the fixed fee for the construction documents for each unit type also efficiently covers the cost of the base construction documents; and the reuse fee is a fair way to compensate for repetitive use. ABC Architects and their consultant team have been working on a project for several weeks. The construction documents were completed on the afternoon of the project deadline. During the submittal of documents to the AHJ, several electrical outlets are found to be missing in the engineer's drawings in locations required by code. ABC Architects