◌ ISSUED FOR INTERNS · 2026 EDITION

The 2026 ExAC
Study Guide.

Name: ExAC Study Guide 2026
Brand: Issued for Interns
Price: 200.00 CAD
Availability: InStock

Pass all 4 ExAC exams. First try.

All 13 ExAC themes covered in depth

500+ scenario-based practice questions with full reasoning

Cross-referenced with CACB official source materials

Full-length, timed mock exams for each section

Study on any device — laptop, tablet or phone, no app to download

Free chapter preview →

Mock exam samples →

Walk Into Exam Day Like You Already Know What's Coming

You know the feeling — it's 11 PM, you've got 200 open tabs, a pile of PDFs you found on a WhatsApp group, and no idea if you're studying the right things. That ends here. Every page is structured around what actually gets tested, so you never waste another hour wondering if this matters.

CHOP 2020 Referenced

Study notes organized around the Canadian Handbook of Practice for Architects — every chapter mapped to ExAC objectives.

All 13 ExAC Themes

From Programming to Sustainable Design Literacy, every ExAC exam theme is covered with detailed study notes and key summaries.

NBC 2020 & NECB Coverage

National Building Code of Canada concepts explained clearly with practical examples, key definitions, and NECB energy requirements.

CCDC Contracts Explained

CCDC 2, 3, 4, 5A, 5B, 14, 15, 17, 23, and 30 — standard documents broken down for exam readiness.

RAIC Document 6

Professional services agreements, architect responsibilities, and practice management clearly outlined.

Scenario-Based Practice Questions

500 ExAC-style questions, each with detailed reasoning explanations — not just correct answers. Built to train judgment under time pressure.

Curated, not crammed

Other platforms brag about thousands of auto-generated questions. We've watched candidates drown in 2,000+ recycled trivia items and walk into the exam feeling less prepared than when they started. Every one of our 500+ practice questions is hand-written by candidates who passed — modelled on real exam scenarios, with full reasoning explanations that teach you why, not just what.

The ExAC gives you roughly 90 seconds per question. You don't need more questions. You need better ones — the kind that train your judgment so the real exam feels like something you've already done.

The guide goes where you go

FIG.01D · 09:14 EXPRESS

On the commute

Commuting

The city slides past; the guide glows in his hands.

FIG.02D · OUTDOORS

Lunch-break Studying

Lunch break

Sun overhead, clouds rolling, the laptop warm with notes.

FIG.03D · 23:47 LOCAL

Late nights at the desk

Late nights

The monitor burns gold; two eyes keep watch from the dark.

All 13 ExAC Themes. Complete Coverage.

Every topic structured around official CACB ExAC objectives so you always know exactly where to focus your study time.

Programming

Architectural program, feasibility studies, site analysis, sustainable development

Site & Environmental Analysis

Site evaluation, environmental factors, zoning regulations, geotechnical considerations

Engineering Systems

Structural, mechanical, and electrical systems integration and coordination

Cost Management

Elemental estimates, life-cycle costing, value engineering, budgeting and cost control

National Building Code of Canada (2020)

Building classifications, fire protection, occupancy, accessibility, and NECB requirements

Schematic Design

Design concepts, space planning, massing, and building systems integration

Design Development

Detailed design resolution, materials selection, envelope performance, and coordination

Final Project (Construction)

Construction principles, materials & properties, processes, documents & specifications

Bidding, Delivery Methods & Contracts

Procurement, project delivery, CCDC standard contracts and contract law

Construction Phase — Office Functions

Submittals, RFIs, change orders, certificates, and contract administration office duties

Construction Phase — Field Functions

Site review, deficiency identification, substantial performance, and close-out procedures

Management of Project & Business/Practice

RAIC Doc 6, professional liability, fees, risk management, and office management

Sustainable Design Literacy

LEED v4, WELL, energy modelling, passive strategies, and net-zero design principles

Stop Guessing. Start Passing.

A single ExAC retake costs you months of waiting, hundreds in fees, and the gut-punch of telling your firm you have to do it again. This textbook costs less than 10% of one failed attempt.

Chapter Preview

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Not sure yet? Browse a fully unlocked chapter before committing.

Full unlock of Theme 9 — Bidding, Delivery & Contracts

All objectives, Key Summary boxes & CCDC breakdowns

Scenario-based practice questions with full reasoning

Same format & depth as the full textbook

Preview the Textbook →

ExAC Study Textbook 2026

One payment. Lifetime access. Pass all 4 sections.

$ 300 CAD

$ 200 CAD

One-time payment • Lifetime access

Launch pricing — ends June 30

Complete coverage of all 13 ExAC themes

500+ curated practice questions with full reasoning explanations

Full-length mock exams per section — timed, scored, with instant answer review

Instant access after purchase

Cross-referenced with CHOP, NBC 2020, CCDC suite & RAIC Doc 6

Structured around official ExAC objectives

Single-user access — one active session at a time

Best Value

Group Access

$100/person for 5 — study together, pass together

$ 700 CAD

$ 500 CAD

One-time payment • Lifetime access • Up to 5 users

Launch pricing — ends June 30

Everything in Solo Access included — textbook, practice questions & mock exams

Each person gets their own login and password

Split the cost — everyone pays their share via email

Ideal for firms, study groups, or cohorts

Lifetime access — study on your own schedule

Refer a Fellow Intern

Give 13% off, get $30

When you buy solo access, you get a personal referral code to share with anyone studying for the ExAC. They get 13% off their purchase, and you earn $30 for every person who buys with your code. Refer enough fellow interns and your own access more than pays for itself.

Referral codes are issued with solo access — there's nothing to request.

Have a referral code? Get 13% off:

ExAC Exam Prep — Common Questions

The Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) is the national licensing exam required for intern architects to become licensed across most Canadian provinces. It tests your knowledge across 13 themes drawn from official recommended readings including CHOP, the NBC 2020, CCDC contracts, and RAIC Document 6. Passing it is one of the final steps before receiving your architectural designation.

To give yourself the best shot at passing all 4 exams, focus on the following resources: our Textbook — the organized set of notes guiding you through the various themes and topics you need to understand. Read through Building Construction Illustrated by Francis D.K. Ching. And read through key chapters of the Canadian Handbook of Practice for Architects (CHOP) 2020 edition. Be sure to understand the structure of the NBC to help you locate information quickly and efficiently.

Our product will tell you what chapters of what text to read for each theme, taking the guesswork out of studying.

The textbook is a professionally formatted, fully searchable digital textbook. After purchase, you receive instant access — study on any device, any time, with no subscription or expiry.

The textbook is cross-referenced with all ExAC recommended readings: the Canadian Handbook of Practice (CHOP), the National Building Code of Canada 2020, the full CCDC contract suite (CCDC 2, 3, 4, 5A, 5B, 14, 15, 17, 23, 30), RAIC Document 6, CHOP Appendix E, and sustainability frameworks including LEED v4 and WELL. Content is organized by ExAC theme — not by source document — so you always know what you're studying and why it's testable.

This guide is a structured synthesis of the recommended readings, not a replacement. The official texts span thousands of pages — and most candidates end up with a scattered collection of hundreds of PDFs passed around by others, spending days just trying to organize them. This textbook solves that. It distills the exam-relevant content from every source, adds context for how concepts are tested, organizes everything by theme, and gives you one place to access it all — any time, anywhere. It's designed to save you hundreds of hours while keeping you focused on what actually appears on exam day.

Yes. The textbook includes 500+ curated, scenario-based practice questions across all 13 themes, each with a detailed explanation of the reasoning — not just the correct answer. Every question is hand-written to mirror real ExAC scenarios. This matters because the ExAC tests judgment and application, not memorization, and you need to be comfortable processing information fast. At roughly 90 seconds per question, the practice questions are meant to be used as timed drills that build your ability to quickly identify what's being asked and commit to an answer.

Section 4 deserves special mention: it is the hardest section precisely because multiple answers can feel correct. The key is a solid grounding in the CCDC documents, the contract administration process, and — where applicable — the OAA admissions course, combined with your work experience. When in doubt on any question, use process of elimination: remove the clearly wrong options first, then assess what remains.

This is the updated 2026 edition, fully aligned with the current ExAC objectives and examination structure as published by CACB. It incorporates the NBC 2020 and NECB updates and reflects the most recent CCDC and RAIC document versions. If you're writing the ExAC this cycle, this textbook is current.

The textbook is divided into 4 sections covering all 13 official ExAC themes: Section 1 (Design — Themes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7), Section 2 (NBC & NECB — Theme 5), Section 3 (Final Project/Construction — Theme 8), and Section 4 (Project & Practice — Themes 9–13). Practice questions are organized by theme at the end, making it easy to test yourself on any area.

Section 2 of the ExAC is open-book — you are permitted to bring a printed copy of the NBC 2020 and NECB 2020 into the exam room. This sounds like an advantage, but time is extremely limited. If you don't know the code well enough to navigate it in seconds, having the book in front of you won't save you.

Tab everything. This is not optional — it is the single most important physical preparation you can do. Tab every major part (Parts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9), every occupancy group, every section you've studied, and any table or article that came up repeatedly in your practice. Use a colour system if it helps. The goal is to open directly to any topic in under five seconds without scanning.

Know where things live before exam day. Tabbing alone is not enough — you need to know intuitively that spatial separation is in Section 3.2, that firestopping dimensions are in 3.1.11, that accessibility is in 3.8, and that Part 9 starts where it does. Spend time flipping through the physical code as you study, not just reading summaries. Muscle memory matters.

Pull out the index during the exam. The NBC index is one of the most underused tools on exam day. If you hit a question and can't remember where something is, go straight to the index — it will get you to the right article faster than any amount of page-flipping. Consider removing it from the binding before the exam and keeping it as a separate loose reference so it lies flat and is instantly accessible. This small move can save critical minutes.

The candidates who do best on Section 2 are not the ones who memorized every clause — they're the ones who can find any answer in 30 seconds. Build that skill during your prep, and the open-book format becomes a genuine asset.

The $200 CAD individual plan gives one person lifetime access to the full ExAC Study Textbook. After purchasing, you'll set a password using the email address from your Stripe receipt — that email and password become your login credentials. This plan supports one active session at a time. You can sign in on any device — laptop, tablet, or phone — but if you sign in on a second device while already signed in elsewhere, your oldest session will be automatically ended to keep the licence personal to you.

The $500 CAD group plan is designed for study groups, architecture cohorts, or firms with multiple ExAC candidates. When you click "Buy Group Access," you enter 2–5 email addresses (including your own). Each person receives their own Stripe payment link for their equal share of $500. Each person gets their own individual account — their own email login and password, their own exam progress, no session sharing. Accounts are created once all members have paid. At $100 per person for a group of five, this is the most cost-effective way for a team to prepare together. Access is lifetime — no expiry, no annual renewal.

Yes — with one important caveat. If you purchased individual access, only one person can be signed in at a time. If a second person signs in using the same credentials while someone else is already studying, the first session will be automatically ended. If you need multiple people to access the textbook, the $500 group plan gives up to 5 people their own individual accounts at a discounted rate. Each person pays their share and gets their own login.

Please note that copying, redistributing, or publicly sharing our content is strictly prohibited. Violations will result in immediate account termination and may be subject to further legal action.

Yes. When you purchase solo access, you receive a personal referral code. Anyone who buys with your code gets 13% off, and you earn $30 for every person who signs up using it. There's no limit on how many people you can refer.

The referral program currently applies to solo access, and codes are issued with your purchase — there's no need to request one.

The 2026 ExAC Study Guide.

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