top of page

OFFICIAL CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Reddit | Google | Rate My Professor
These reviews are a compilation of raw independent 3rd Party Reviews without prejudice.

Lindsey F.

December 16, 2025

Houston

★★★★★

verified student

"success with mastery"

A.R.E. iReady Course

Very knowledgeable professor that leads you directly toward success with mastery of the material. Her advanced course is fast paced but highly focused on exactly what is needed to conquer exams with confidence.

Jeff D.

December 14, 2025

Tuscon

★★★★★

verified student

"expert instructor"

A.R.E. iReady Course

She is an expert in this.

Raymond J.

December 14, 2025

New York

★★★★ ½

verified student

"office hours are a plus"

A.R.E. iReady Course

Very knowledgeable but almost to a fault. Do not expect an intro level or basic course. Get ready to buckle down and take tons of notes fast. She readily answers questions if you can keep up with the advanced material fast enough to formulate one. Highly suggest going to office hours where she will reiterate material a bit slower.

Justin P.

December 13, 2025

San Francisco

★★★★☆

verified student

"detailed teaching"

A.R.E. iReady Course

Professor Hanlon is detailed in her teaching and ensures complex systems and topics are explained clearly and understandably. Although the class moves quickly, the material remains manageable and comprehensive given the time constraints and subject matter.

Jose V.

December 13, 2025

New York

★★★★☆

verified student

"useful insights"

A.R.E. iReady Course

Umber Hanlon's full course at Funkaar Institute was challenging but informative. The pace felt too fast at times, and the syllabus could be more refined. Extending the course length would improve it. Still, I gained useful insights and preparation from the experience.

Sara N.

December 10, 2025

Santa Monica

★★★★★

verified student

"good but difficult"

A.R.E. iReady Course

its good but difficult for second language people to understand complex topics.

Luz S.

December 9, 2025

Los Angeles

★★★★★

verified student

"fast paced"

A.R.E. iReady Course

pace is a little bit hard for second language people

Steve R.

December 6, 2025

Salt Lake City

★★★★★

verified student

"honed & relevant"

A.R.E. iReady Course

As an older student in this class, who has 30 years working in this field, I say that she has more knowledge than I do! Not only does she keep her knowledge honed fresh and relevant, she also knows how things actually work in the real world, not just theoretically for passing tests. I will take her classes again.

Vera S.

December 3, 2025

Milwaukee

★★★★★

verified student

"focused & effective"

A.R.E. iReady Course

The professor is always willing to answer questions and clarify concepts. She explains the material clearly and in a very structured way. I learned a lot in this seminar, and it really helped me understand which areas I need to focus on and how to prepare for the exam more effectively.

Nolan D.

November 15, 2025

Redwood City

★★★★★

verified student

"answers every question"

C.S.E. iReady Course

Professor Hanlon is incredibly intelligent, and it shows in the programs she creates and the answers she gives. The class moves at an extremely rapid pace (which I much prefer). She can come up with examples on the spot to support the learning environment and has answered every question thrown her way in depth and accurately. Among the best.

Natalie R.

November 5, 2025

San Francisco

★★★★★

verified student

"great teacher"

C.S.E. iReady Course

Have taken Professor Hanlon a few times now, great teacher. Extremely knowledgable.

Geoffrey H.

October 1, 2025

Los Angeles

★★★★★

verified student

"easy to understand"

C.S.E. iReady Course

Professor is extremely knowledgeable in the course material and breaks it down in a way that is easy to understand. She is great at explaining core concepts while also is able to answer very detailed questions on the subject matters. Great Professor.

Voula L.

September 15, 2025

San Diego

★★★★ ☆

verified student

"comprehensive"

C.S.E. iReady Course

Professor Hanlon's motivated for students to pass the ARE and CSE and tries for a comprehensive set of information on the needed knowledge. There are times when some clarity's been sacrificed to get through all the material—but construction code is, sadly, messy to start with so it would be hard to clarify any further than the original muddy laws.

Michael C.

August 21, 2025

Culver City

★★★★★

verified student

“engaging”

C.S.E. iReady Course

Professor Hanlon is extremely knowledgeable about all of the architectural exams and makes learning a large amount of information both easier and more engaging.

Edward H.

August 2, 2025

New York

★★★★★

verified student

“engaging”

A.R.E. iReady Course

I joined Professor Hanna's class three times, and it was always excellent. Her clear explanations and engaging style made tough topics easier to understand. I highly recommend her Funkaar sessions to anyone preparing for the ARE exam. Truly worth your time and effort!

Jonathan R.

July 30, 2025

Houston

★★★★★

verified student

“professional”

A.R.E. iReady Course

This course requires daily homework assignments. Ensure that you have set aside time and offered yourself grace as topics can be heavy on some days and lighter on others. Overall Professor Hanlon is very knowledgeable and has done the prep work necessary to guide the course and provide a professional foundation.

Roberto M.

July 30, 2025

Los Angeles

★★★★½

verified student

“worth every penny”

A.R.E. iReady Course

Professor used every second to flood you with all the possible knowledge you will need for these exams. Wasn't sure what to expect signing up for these classes & extremely happy I took the course. I know it will help me finally pass these tests & every penny I paid was worth it. The perfect professor for the lectures & very helpful with questions.

Nadeen A.

July 28, 2025

Chicago

★★★★★

verified student

“knowledgeable

A.R.E. iReady Course

Professor is very knowledgeable and is great at explaining difficult topics.

Kayla A.

July 27, 2025

New York

★★★★★

verified student

“clear & concise”

A.R.E. iReady Course

Professor Hanlon is very knowledgeable of the material and can clear answer question and concern, I would take courses with her again.

Angel A.

July 25, 2025

New York

★★★☆☆

verified student

“amazing”

A.R.E. iReady Course

Amazing content, great lecture, great professor. I understand less people take the course if it's longer but it would be great to have the option. The syllabus is very heavy and can get overwhelming.

Ronald C.

July 24, 2025

Houston

★★★★★

verified student

“good feedback”

A.R.E. iReady Course

She was very knowledgeable about the content she was sharing with the class. She gave the class extra examples and always provide clear feedback on question. She was clear and concise on the information she was teach in each lecture.

Reyhane B.

July 24, 2025

San Diego

★★★★ ☆

verified student

“pro-student”

A.R.E. iReady Course

She works quickly but slows down to clarify and explain if you do not understand something. She is friendly and very knowledgeable. Some of her math-based explanations are a bit complicated but understandable after some reviewing. Overall great professor; very pro-student.

Brittany G.

July 23, 2025

New Orleans

★★★★★

verified student

“knowledgeable

A.R.E. iReady Course

Extremely knowledgeable on the subject coursework.

Nader A.

July 23, 2025

Los Angeles

★★★★★

verified student

“knowledgeable

A.R.E. iReady Course

You will learn a lot.

Braden K.

July 20, 2025

Houston

★★★★★

verified student

“efficient tools”

A.R.E. iReady Course

Great preparation for the ARE and covered the material quickly and efficiently. At the end of the day, I feel like I was provided all of the tools, calculations and vocabulary to successfully pass the ARE.

Jenny L.

June 15, 2025

Houston

★★★★½

verified student

“inspirational”

A.R.E. iReady Course

Extremely clear and knowledgeable about ARE. Her directions, inspirational ,and practical manor in class might have altered my career in the most positive way.

Francisco M.

June 10, 2025

New York

★★★★★

verified student

“unmatched quality”

A.R.E. iReady Course

Professor Hanlon is a fantastic teacher. The course she taught is very dense with information and it is easy to get overwhelmed. However, she always encouraged the students and reminded us that we could get through the course and exams. The digital syllabus provided does not compare with anything I've seen before.

Luis P.

June 1, 2025

Seattle

★★★★★

verified student

“clear & concise”

A.R.E. iReady Course

Professor Hanlon's has a direct approach to teaching and explaining the information. The topics are current and relevant for exam prep, she's very positive and provides clear and concise explaining the topics. The syllabus is helpful but your participation does matter and expect lots of note taking. Worth the time.

Elahe H.

June 1, 2025

Philadelphia

★★★★★

verified student

“excellence”

A.R.E. iReady Course

She has the knowledge and passion for the breadth of ARE topics. I am grateful for the excellence in which she instructs with to help us prepare for the exams. She has been inspirational to me continuing in the field in which I wanted to give up.

Justin S.

May 23, 2025

New York

★★★★★

verified student

“knowledgeable”

A.R.E. iReady Course

A highly knowledgeable instructor who breaks down the topic and explains it in a way that everyone can easily understand the concepts.

Christine A.

May 20, 2025

Naval Facilities

★★★★½

verified student

focused

A.R.E. iReady Course

This online ARE prep course was very tough, but proffessor Hanlon is very knowledgeable and gives excelent consolidated information, lectures and tips to be able to focus on exam content material. I highly recommend this course it is a great refresher course for anybody that has been out of Architecture school for a while.

Nadeen A.

May 11, 2025

New York

★★★★★

verified student

“good tips”

A.R.E. iReady Course

The professor is very knowledgeable of the subject criteria and helps through various modules of the program. It is very good to get the tips and tricks of the exam so we don't get into the pitfalls of the exam so that we can have a better grade outcome. This course also provided knowledge that will help me even beyond the exam.

Rogerio C.

May 1, 2025

New York

★★★★★

verified student

“easy to digest”

A.R.E. iReady Course

it's difficult to study for the architecture exams as it exists, but the course was easy to follow and loved how she broke down complex concepts into easy to digest bits of information. a wonderful professor and always has the student's best interest in mind.

Diandra C.

April 24, 2025

New York

★★★★☆

verified student

“practical & effective”

A.R.E. iReady Course

The lecture is well-delivered, with valuable insights across all extended topics. The exam strategies provided are practical and effective. That said, the class duration and dense content can make it challenging to maintain focus throughout, suggesting that pacing or content distribution could be optimized for better engagement.

Andy F.

April 22, 2025

New York

★★★★☆

verified student

“animated content”

A.R.E. iReady Course

There is often miscellaneous information given, however a rhythm of lecture that allows your brain to grab an understanding of the important concepts. Be prepared to participate in the beginning of each class session. The animated content helps explain concepts of multi-faceted systems.

Julie J.

April 21, 2025

New York

★★★★☆

verified student

“clear & concise”

A.R.E. iReady Course

clear and concise conceptual lessons, could be a little more thorough explaining relationships between systems and WHY things are the way they are and the application of the concept. Also I struggled to follow the math explanations and the relationship between formulas and how to apply them, and why that formula applied to that specific scenario.

Harshad P.

April 15, 2025

Bakersfield

★★★★★

verified student

“great animations”

A.R.E. iReady Course

It is a lot to learn in short amount of time. This professor navigates the syllabus well to cover many topics. Graphics and animations help make information easy to absorb.

Patrick B.

April 13, 2025

Culver City

★★☆☆☆

verified student

“focus”

C.S.E. iReady Course

Too much focus on some items and not enough on others

Asiyeh K.

April 13, 2025

Los Angeles

★★★★☆

verified student

“good content”

C.S.E. iReady Course

Understands what will be on the exam.

Teak N.

April 12, 2025

Pasadena

★★★★☆

verified student

“answers questions”

C.S.E. iReady Course

Professor Hanlon moves quickly and covers a lot of material in a very knowledgeable manner - stops to answer questions thoroughly.

Your postcard is on its way!

© Copyright 2026 Funkaar Institute. All Rights Reserved.
Largest A.R.E. Exam Prep

Live preparation classes for Architect Registration Examination (ARE NCARB AIA)

Live preparation classes for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ)

Live preparation classes for California Supplemental Examination (CSE)

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for ARE 5.0 Construction & Evaluation

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for ARE 5.0 Practice Management

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for ARE 5.0 Project Management

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for ARE 5.0 Programming & Analysis

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for ARE 5.0 Project Planning & Design

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for ARE 5.0 Project Development & Documentation

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for NCIDQ  Interior Design Fundamentals

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for NCIDQ  Interior Design Professional

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for NCIDQ Interior Design Implementation

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for NCIDQ  Interior Design Practicum

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for CSE California Architects Board 

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for NCARB National Council of Architectural Registration Boards

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for AIA American Institute of Architects Contracts & Code of Ethics

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for ASID American Society of Interior Designers

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for IBC International Building Code

Live preparation classes & private tutoring for ASTM American Society for Testing & Materials

See Funkaar Reviews. Here's what former students say about our live classes.

bottom of page