Guide

How Datum works

A division is a stack of short units. Read them, then drill them, and Datum remembers where you are — resurfacing what you're about to forget. That's the whole loop; everything below is the detail.

Study the exam like a drawing set

Each division is a volume; each unit is a numbered sheet, coded by discipline — the leading letter tells you which engineering discipline it belongs to. The number is stable: a unit keeps it everywhere it's tested, so a concept you learn for one division is already working for the next.

Read the prefix like a drawing set's cover sheet:

The study loop — Read → Drill → Space

Three moves, in order. Read to understand it, drill to make it stick, and let spacing bring it back right before you'd forget.

Read — the card

Every unit opens with a one-line gist, then the key points and the comparisons that actually get tested — often as a table you can hide to self-test yourself. The exam trap is called out in plain words, related units are linked, and a button at the end turns the unit straight into flashcards.

Drill — flashcards

Recall the answer first, then reveal it and rate yourself. Still learning sends the card back tomorrow; Got it pushes it further out. If you felt sure but missed it, Datum marks it a high-value gap and brings it back first. Space flips, the arrow keys move, and you can export any deck to Anki or CSV.

Space — Due today

Cards you've drilled come back on an expanding schedule — 1, 3, 7, 14, then 30 days. Each Got it widens the gap; each Still learning resets it. The Due today door shows what's ready (anything you missed surfaces first). You never schedule anything by hand — drilling does it for you.

Four ways into a division

Every division opens to four doors — the same units, four ways to work them:

• Read. Work through the units — key points, comparisons, and the traps, in plain words.
• Flashcards. Drill a topic or the whole division. Recall, then check — retrieving beats re-reading.
• Due today. Spaced review — the cards your past drills scheduled to return. Empty until you start drilling.
• Flagged. A cram list of units you bookmarked. Empty until you flag something.

Read and Flashcards are always there. Due today and Flagged stay empty until you've drilled or flagged something — then they appear with a count.

Finding your way around

A few ways to move and orient inside a division:

• The topics rail. The left rail lists every unit by topic — your map of the division. It remembers which topics you’ve opened.
• The mindmap. On a division’s hub, the mindmap shows how its topics cluster. Tap one to jump to its units.
• Search. Press / anywhere to search every unit by title, topic, or content.
• Core vs. second-priority. The hub’s stats show a “core” count. Core units are the division’s own first-priority material; second-priority units (marked 2nd) are carried in from other modules because they’re relevant — quieter, but still here.
• Previous / next. Every unit links to the one before and after, so you can read a topic straight through.

Yours, on this device

Everything you do is saved in this browser — what you've read, your flags, your review schedule. No account, no tracking. A few consequences worth knowing:

• Install it. Add Datum to your home screen to use it like an app.
• Go offline. Save any division for offline study from its page — no connection needed once it's cached.
• Back it up. Because progress lives only on this device, export it (and restore it) from the Your data page — do this before clearing your browser or switching devices.

More on beta access and local study data in the FAQ.

Datum is an independent study aid. ARE® and ARE® 5.0 are trademarks of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, sponsor, or review, this product. All diagrams are original. Content is an educational aid — verify critical facts against current official sources.