Boston Society of Landscape Architects Spring Fieldbook Volume 14.1 | Page 16

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LARE Process
Costly an d Confu s i n g

Jeffrey Bittenbender - RLA Candidate, Associate ASLA
After graduating with a degree in Landscape
Architecture, many emerging professionals are
singularly focused on performing at their highest
level for their first job. While that is well and good, it
is important for young professionals to avoid turning
a blind eye to the “dreaded” LARE. Many individuals
put off taking the exam because they feel they need
more experience on the job, they are worried they
will not pass, or they want to wait until they are not
as busy. Unfortunately, most of us get wrapped up
in our day-to-day responsibilities and only when
our licensure is needed, for a proposal, interview, or
promotion, are we reminded about the need to take
the exam, often at the busiest time of life.

My advice: Take the exam as soon as possible
and register for it even sooner. While figuring out
what to study in our wide-reaching field can be a
confusing and time consuming task, figuring out
how to register for the exam is almost as difficult.
One must navigate through a maze of websites to
find eligibility requirements, costs, dates and subject
matter of the tests. These websites include, but
are not limited to: ASLA, BSLA, CLARB, Professional
Credential Services, Pearson Vue Testing Centers, and
the Board of Registration of Landscape Architects.
To add to the confusion, Massachusetts is
one of a handful of states that require registration
through the State’s Licensing Board prior to
registering for CLARB and the exams. All states
require eventual registration with the state;
however, the Massachusetts Board of Registration of

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BSLA

Landscape Architects meets only four times a year,
with some meetings canceled due to a lack of
items on the agenda. Therefore, it can take from
two to six months to get approved by the Board
of Registration and that does not include the time
it takes to gather your college transcript and five
reference letters. Even after this step is complete,
registering and being approved by CLARB takes
time, as does signing up well in advance for the
limited time slots in which to take the exams.
Therefore, to become registered in Massachusetts,
it is recommended that you begin the process at
least six months to a year in advance. For many,
this lead time is far too long and as a result, they
choose to seek licensure in an adjacent state,
where without pre-registration with the state,
often as few as 6-8 weeks is sufficient lead time to
register and take the exam.

Cost of the exam process is another major
hurdle inhibiting young professionals from
becoming licensed.
Current fees are Mass Board of LA’s:
$45
CLARB Registration:
$150
CLARB Practice Exams:
$200
Books/Courses:
$300
Exam 1:
$335
Exam 2: $335
Exam 3:
$550
Exam 4: $550
Total spent Licensed LA
$2,500

$2,500 is a huge sum of money to most
Landscape Architects, particularly emerging
professionals who are likely carrying enormous
debt in the form of student loans. It would be a
great idea if employers, particularly medium and
large-size companies, were to cover the bulk of
the costs as a way to invest in their employees. It
makes sense since employees need to be licensed
to move their careers forward and employers
need licensed employees to win and complete
projects. Small gestures such as this go a long way
toward showi