Direct links to the official ExAC guides, the free CHOP and national codes, and the stores that sell the books on the reference list.
Direct links to the official ExAC 2026 Preparation Guide, the free CHOP on the RAIC website, NBC 2020 and NECB 2020, and where to buy the books on the reference list.
From the Committee for the ExAC
The exam is written by the Committee for the ExAC and published at exac.ca. For dates, fees, eligibility and rules, these pages are the source of record.
Success rates. Committee for the ExAC. The pass rates the Committee publishes. (Français)
Official ExAC FAQ. Committee for the ExAC. The Committee’s own answers to common candidate questions. (Français)
Regulators and contacts. Committee for the ExAC. Every provincial and territorial regulator that administers the ExAC, with contact details. (Français)
The four principal references
The Preparation Guide names four principal references. All four are free to read online, in English and French.
Alternate Forms of Project Delivery. Alberta Association of Architects and APEGA, 2005. Design-bid-build, construction management, design-build and P3 compared. Listed on the AAA reference documents page. English only. (Examitect study notes)
Functional Programming. Justin Saly, Alberta Association of Architects, 2010. A five-page primer on building a functional program, hosted by the Committee. English only. (Examitect study notes)
Building science from the NRC
Short research digests on the NRC Publications Archive. Each record has a free PDF.
Windows: Overview of Issues. M.Z. Rousseau, NRC Building Science Insight, 1988. The reference list calls this paper “Window Performance: An Overview”. The NRC archive files it under this title. (Examitect study notes)
Housing, envelope and energy
Wood-frame construction from CMHC and energy guides from BC Housing.
LEED Core Concepts Guide. U.S. Green Building Council. The ideas behind LEED: integrative process, credit categories and certification levels. English only. (Examitect study notes)
The published books the Preparation Guide names. Several have newer editions than the one listed, so each card says which edition the stores sell today.
Architectural Graphic Standards. American Institute of Architects, Wiley. The desk reference for dimensions, details, accessibility and building systems. The list names the 12th edition, which is still the current one (2016). (Amazon.ca, Examitect study notes)
Heating, Cooling, Lighting. Norbert Lechner, Wiley. Climate, solar geometry, passive strategies, daylighting and mechanical systems for architects. The list names the 3rd edition (2008). Stores now sell the 5th (2021), with a new subtitle. (Amazon.ca, Indigo, Examitect study notes)
Architectural Acoustics. Marshall Long, Academic Press (Elsevier). Sound absorption, reverberation, transmission loss and the ratings of wall and floor assemblies. The list names the 2006 edition. Stores now sell the 2nd edition (2014). (Amazon.ca, Examitect study notes)
RSMeans cost data books. RSMeans (Gordian). The list names five annual titles: Building Construction Costs, Assemblies Costs, Commercial Renovation Costs, Contractor’s Pricing Guide and Metric Construction Cost Data. The catalogue lists every current title. Metric cost data is now sold as a CD, not a printed book. (Building Construction Costs 2026, Examitect study notes)
Neufert: Architects’ Data. Ernst Neufert, Wiley-Blackwell (English) and Dunod (French). Space standards and planning dimensions for almost every building type. The list names the French 11th edition (2021). Dunod now sells the 12th (2026); the English edition is the 6th (2023). (Dunod (French edition), Amazon.ca, Indigo)
Estimation. Jean Paradis, Chenelière Éducation. A French-language textbook on construction estimating. The list notes it is available in French only. The 3rd edition (2016) is the one the list names, and the publisher still sells it.
Dictionnaire professionnel du BTP. Jean-Paul Roy and Jean-Luc Blin-Lacroix, Eyrolles. A French-language dictionary of construction terms. The list notes it is available in French only. The 3rd edition (2011) is the one the list names. Eyrolles ships from France.
Budget de construction. Yvon Chabot, Trafford Publishing. An application guide to the Uniformat II standard for construction budgets. The list gives the title in English; the edition in print is French.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I download the official ExAC Preparation Guide?
The Committee for the ExAC publishes the Preparation Guide as a free PDF on the Preparation page of exac.ca, in English and French. The 2026 guide covers the exam format, permitted items, sample questions, the exam objectives and the reference list in Appendix 3.
Is the Canadian Handbook of Practice for Architects (CHOP) free?
Yes. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada publishes the CHOP online at chop.raic.ca, in English and French, and every chapter can be read without an account. The Preparation Guide names the CHOP as one of the four principal references.
Are the NBC 2020 and NECB 2020 free to download?
Yes. The National Research Council Canada offers both codes as free PDFs, in English and French. For the Section 2 session, the Preparation Guide permits paper copies of the NBC 2020 (the national edition, without provincial adaptations) and the NECB 2020. Digital copies are not permitted in the room, so plan for a printed copy.
Do I need to buy every book on the ExAC reference list?
No. The four principal references (CHOP, NBC 2020, NECB 2020 and the IAP manual) are all free online, and most of the other references are free from the organizations that wrote them. The Committee itself does not guarantee that every listed title is available in bookshops. Before buying, check your firm, a public or university library, and your regulator.
Which edition of each book should I get?
The reference list names a specific edition for most books, and several have been replaced since. For example, the list names the 6th edition of The Architect’s Studio Companion and stores now sell the 7th. Each book on this page shows the edition named on the list and the edition sold today, so you can decide between a current copy and a used or library copy of the listed one.
Are RAIC Document Six and Document Nine free for ExAC candidates?
For study, yes. The RAIC prepares watermarked versions of Document Six and Document Nine for ExAC preparation only, available from June 1 to November 15 to Interns who are registered ExAC candidates. Contracts for use on a real project are sold through the RAIC digital contracts service.
Is Examitect affiliated with the Committee for the ExAC or these publishers?
No. Examitect is an independent ExAC preparation platform and is not affiliated with the Committee for the ExAC, the RAIC, the National Research Council or any publisher or store listed here. The links are not affiliate links. For dates, fees, eligibility and rules, the pages on exac.ca are the source of record.