Exam guide · ARE 5.0 / CE
Construction & Evaluation (CE)
exam prep.
CE follows the architect into construction — from bidding through submittals, site visits, changes and payment to closeout — and asks what the architect should and should not do at each step.
What is the CE exam?
Construction & Evaluation covers the architect’s services after the construction documents are finished. It assesses construction contract administration and post-occupancy evaluation of projects.
CE questions are often about roles. During construction the owner, contractor and architect each have defined responsibilities, and many wrong answers have the architect doing something that belongs to someone else — directing the contractor’s means and methods, accepting nonconforming work on the owner’s behalf, or "approving" a submittal in a way that shifts the contractor’s responsibility.
CE connects back to Project Management (PjM), which sets up the agreements, and to Project Development & Documentation (PDD), which produces the documents the architect now administers.
What does CE cover?
The division is organized into four content areas:
- 1Preconstruction ActivitiesBidding or negotiation and getting construction started: bid documents, addenda, evaluating bids and contractor qualifications, and the preconstruction conference.
- 2Construction ObservationSite visits and observation reports: comparing the work with the contract documents and responding to work that does not conform.
- 3Administrative Procedures & ProtocolsThe paperwork of construction: RFIs, submittals, changes to the work, and reviewing and certifying the contractor’s applications for payment.
- 4Project Closeout & EvaluationSubstantial and final completion, punch lists, closeout documents and warranties, and evaluating the completed building in use.
A concept worth understanding: who starts which document
Construction runs on a handful of documents. Most CE administration questions become simple once you know who starts each one, what the architect does with it, and whether it can change the contract sum or time. The table follows the roles in the AIA general conditions commonly used on design–bid–build projects.
| Document | Who starts it | Architect's role | Changes sum or time? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Request for information (RFI) | Contractor | Interprets or clarifies the contract documents | No — if the answer implies a change, it goes through a change process |
| Submittal (shop drawings, product data, samples) | Contractor, after its own review | Reviews for conformance with the design intent and the information given in the documents | No — review does not change the contract or relieve the contractor's responsibilities |
| Minor change in the work (e.g. architect's supplemental instructions) | Architect | Orders minor changes consistent with the design intent | No — by definition |
| Construction change directive | Architect prepares; owner and architect sign | Directs a change before the price or time is agreed | Yes — adjustment settled afterwards |
| Change order | Architect prepares; owner, contractor and architect sign | Records an agreed change in work, sum and/or time | Yes |
| Application for payment | Contractor | Reviews and certifies the amount due based on observation and evaluation of the work | No — it bills against the contract sum |
Notice the pattern: the contractor raises questions and submits information; the architect interprets, reviews and certifies; and only a change order or construction change directive changes the deal between owner and contractor.
How to study for ARE CE
- Follow one project through construction — bidding, award, submittals, a few RFIs, a change, monthly payments, substantial completion and closeout — and note who acts at each step.
- Memorize responsibilities by party, not by document title: what the owner, contractor and architect each do and may not do during construction.
- Separate observation from inspection. The architect observes to determine whether the work generally conforms; the architect is not on site to supervise or guarantee the contractor’s work.
- Practice nonconforming-work scenarios: what the architect may reject, what needs the owner’s decision, and how corrections are documented.
- Finish with full-length practice exams under timed conditions, then review the latest ARE 5.0 Guidelines so your preparation matches the current objectives.
How KPath supports CE
KPath’s structured CE course is live: a day-by-day roadmap of illustrated lessons, where each knowledge point carries a code and an importance rating. CE practice includes a 200-question fixed set and AI-generated questions drawn from the course’s knowledge points, and each question links back to the exact lesson and knowledge point it tests. Explanations go through every option, in English, English + 中文 or English + Español. KPath is currently in private beta.
CE FAQ
What is the CE exam about?
The architect’s work during bidding and construction and after completion: preconstruction activities, construction observation, administrative procedures such as submittals, RFIs, changes and payments, and project closeout and evaluation.
What is an architect responsible for during construction?
Under typical agreements: visiting the site to observe the progress and quality of the work, interpreting the documents, reviewing submittals, preparing changes, certifying payments and determining substantial and final completion. The contractor remains responsible for construction means, methods, safety and the work itself.
What is the difference between an RFI and a submittal?
An RFI is the contractor’s question about the meaning of the contract documents. A submittal is information the contractor provides — shop drawings, product data, samples — to show how it intends to meet the documents, which the architect reviews for conformance with the design intent.
How does CE relate to PjM?
PjM covers setting up and managing the project and its agreements; CE covers administering the construction contract those agreements describe. Studying PjM’s contract relationships first makes CE questions much easier.
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