About Me

I created this website to help other landscape professionals prepare for the California Supplemental Exam. I didn't find any that highlighted the steps needed to prepare and how to study. The Candidate Guide sent by LATC was fairly crude and not very helpful even though it does tell you exactly what will be on the exam. I advise you to read it carefully, as it may not contain the same information contained on this website.

I imagine it will be tougher for those whose first language is not English, as there are subtle language nuances in the questions and in the answers that make the exam tricky.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Davis in 1995. I have over 25 years of experience working as a landscape professional in California. My first job, in 1993, was a student internship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Sacramento. The internship went to a full-time, permanent position after graduating from college. From the Corps of Engineers I went on to two different private firms: EDAW, Inc. and The Collaborate West, both in Orange County. I have been working for the State of California's Caltrans in Oakland as a Landscape Associate since 1998.

I started the licensure process in 1999 and had passed all but one LARE exam when I became pregnant with my first child in 2003. As you are aware, the LARE exams are extremely expensive and are very time-consuming, two things that were difficult to overcome once I became a mother. It was another 12 years before I took and passed the last LARE exam, then became eligible to take the CSE. I passed the CSE for Landscape Architects on January 4, 2016.

I finally realized my goal of becoming a licensed landscape architect 16 years after starting the process..

I wish you a much speedier process through licensure. Good luck!


Lori Richardson, PLA
January 12, 2016