Most study plans are written for someone with empty evenings. You are not that person. You have deadlines at the office, a logbook to keep up, and a life that does not pause for an exam.
So this plan starts from the time you really have. It uses the structure of the exam as set out in the official ExAC Preparation Guide: four sections, four three-hour sessions, pencil and paper. Everything else is arranged around your week.
Step 1: Count back from exam day
The ExAC is written once a year, on two consecutive days. In 2026 those days are November 2 and 3. Twelve weeks before that is Monday, August 10. For any other year, open a calendar, find the first exam day, and count back twelve Mondays.
Write three dates down before you study anything:
- Your start date. Twelve weeks out.
- Your rehearsal date. A weekend about two weeks out, when you will sit a full three-hour session.
- Your stop date. The evening before the exam. Nothing new goes in after that.
Step 2: Budget the week in sessions, not hours
"Ten hours a week" is easy to promise and hard to find. Sessions are easier. A session is a slot that already exists in your week and has one job.
| Slot | Length | Its one job |
|---|---|---|
| Commute or coffee | 15 to 20 minutes | Five to ten practice questions, with the explanations read properly |
| Lunch, twice a week | 30 minutes | Read one sub-topic from a principal reference |
| One weeknight | 90 minutes | Written answers by hand: short answers and calculations |
| Weekend block | 2 to 3 hours | A timed mixed set, then a review of every miss |
| One full day | Off | Rest. It is part of the plan |
That adds up to roughly seven to nine hours in a normal week. If the office eats a week, keep the short slots and drop the long one. A thin week you complete is worth more than a perfect week you abandon.
Step 3: Spend week one on the map
Do not open a textbook yet. Download the current Preparation Guide from exac.ca and read Appendix 1, the list of general and specific objectives. Every exam question is written to one of those objectives.
Go down the list with a pencil and mark each objective one of three ways: I do this at work, I have seen this, or I have never touched this. The ExAC describes itself as an experience-based exam, and it tells candidates to judge their readiness against the IAP experience categories. Your third column is where your study hours belong.
Use the same week to collect what you need: the four principal references, and paper copies of the NBC 2020 and NECB 2020 for Section 2. Our guide to the ExAC reference books explains which is which.
Step 4: The twelve-week calendar
This is one workable split. Dates assume the 2026 sitting.
| Weeks | 2026 dates | Block | What you cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 10 to 16 | The map | Preparation Guide, objectives self-check, gather references |
| 2 to 4 | Aug 17 to Sep 6 | Section 1 | Programming, site and environmental analysis, engineering systems, cost management, schematic design, design development |
| 5 to 7 | Sep 7 to 27 | Section 2 | NBC 2020 and NECB 2020, with look-up practice in your own copy |
| 8 to 9 | Sep 28 to Oct 11 | Section 3 | Materials, assemblies, construction documents, specifications, sustainable design literacy |
| 10 to 11 | Oct 12 to 25 | Section 4 | Bidding and contracts, construction phase in the office and in the field, project and practice management |
| 12 | Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Rehearse and rest | Light review, pack your bag, sleep |
Section 1 gets three weeks because it holds six topics. Section 2 gets three because finding your way around two codes is a skill, and skills need repetition. If your internship has been all construction administration and no early design, move a week from Section 4 to Section 1. The plan bends to your experience.
Step 5: Practise the way the exam is written
The ExAC is not a screen you tap. It is a booklet and an answer sheet. That changes how you should train.
- Write short answers by hand. The answer space is limited, and anything outside the lines is not read. Practise being brief.
- Show every step of a calculation. Points are awarded per step, even for simple addition.
- Give exactly what is asked. If a question asks for two points, only your first two are marked.
- Use the tools you will have. HB pencil, eraser, small ruler, a basic calculator. Metric units, with the odd imperial conversion.
Practice questions are for the short slots. Use them to find what you do not know, then read the reasoning on every one you miss. The handwriting is for the long slot.
For Section 2 you may bring paper copies of the NBC 2020 and NECB 2020, with tabs, highlights and handwritten notes. Do your look-up practice in the same copy you will carry in. See our guide to NBC 2020 on the ExAC for the rules.
Step 6: Sit one full session before the real one
About two weeks out, block three hours. Phone off, notes away, timer running. Pick your weakest section and work through a long mixed set without stopping.
You are testing three things: whether your hand lasts three hours, whether you move on from a hard question, and whether you start with the questions worth more points. The official advice is plain. Do not spend too long on one question, come back to it, and never leave a multiple-choice answer blank, because a blank is marked incorrect.
What if you have fewer than twelve weeks?
Then cut scope, not sleep.
| Time left | What to keep | What to drop |
|---|---|---|
| Eight weeks | The objectives self-check, two weeks per section | Reading the secondary references end to end |
| Four weeks | One week per section, aimed at your weakest objectives; daily practice questions | New topics you already handle at work |
| Two to three weeks | Code look-up practice for Section 2, handwritten short answers, one timed session | Everything that is not on the objectives list |
Protect the part of you that writes the exam
Twelve hours of exam across two days is a physical task. Take one full day off every week from the start. In the final week, taper: shorter sessions, earlier nights, no new material after your stop date.
Interns for ExAC is an independent, unofficial study tool with 500 exam-style practice questions across the four sections, each with its reasoning. There is no schedule to follow, so it fits whatever calendar you build. Try twelve questions free, no account needed.
Quick answers
How long should I study for the ExAC?
There is no official number. Twelve weeks at seven to nine hours a week is a workable plan for someone with a full-time job. Candidates whose internship covered every IAP experience category may need less, and those with gaps may need more.
When should I start studying for the 2026 ExAC?
For a twelve-week plan, start on Monday, August 10, 2026. The exam is written on November 2 and 3, 2026, and the final week is kept for rehearsal and rest.
Is there an official ExAC study guide?
The ExAC Committee publishes a free Preparation Guide each year with the exam objectives, sample questions, rules and the reference list. The Committee has not approved any third-party preparation course or study guide.
Which ExAC section should I study first?
Studying in exam order works well because Section 1 has the most topics and Section 2 needs repeated code look-up practice. If one section matches your daily work, give it less time and move those weeks to your weakest objectives.
Should I practise ExAC questions by hand?
Yes, for written answers. The ExAC is a pencil-and-paper exam with limited answer space, and points for calculations are awarded per step. Practise writing concise answers and full working with an HB pencil.
The plan in four lines
- Count back twelve weeks from exam day and fix a start, a rehearsal and a stop date.
- Build the week from short sessions you already have, plus one long block and one day off.
- Rate yourself against the official objectives first, then spend your hours on the gaps.
- Write by hand and sit one timed three-hour session before the real thing.