A macOS study companion for the RIBA Part 3 professional practice exam.
Built with SwiftUI, SwiftData, and the Google Gemini API.
Upload your study PDFs and notes, and the app uses AI to break them into summaries, generate quizzes, flashcards, case studies, and full mock exams — all tailored to the 8 RIBA Part 3 topic areas.
Study Tools
- PDF reader with bookmarks, text selection, and AI-powered explanations
- AI-generated chapter summaries and study guides from uploaded documents
- Paste text import for notes from Obsidian, Word, etc.
- Global search across all content
Practice & Assessment
- Quiz mode with per-topic questions and explanations
- Timed exam simulator (20/40/60 questions, configurable time limit, 60% pass threshold)
- Leitner spaced-repetition flashcards (5-box system)
- Case study scenarios with decision points and AI feedback
Productivity
- Pomodoro timer (25/5 min) with session tracking
- Progress dashboard with per-topic accuracy breakdown
- Weakness radar chart with study recommendations
- AI chat assistant for ad-hoc questions
| Topic | Examples |
|---|---|
| Contracts & Law | JCT, NEC, dispute resolution, warranties |
| CDM Regulations | Principal designer duties, H&S |
| Insurance | PI, public liability, run-off cover |
| RIBA Plan of Work | Stages 0–7, procurement |
| Professional Ethics | ARB code, Architects Act, CPD |
| Project Management | Fees, resourcing, practice structures |
| Planning & Building Regs | Planning permission, Part B/L/M |
| Sustainability | BREEAM, Passivhaus, circular economy |
- macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
- Xcode 15+ to build from source
- A Google Gemini API key (free tier works fine)
git clone https://github.com/iSonik/archprep3.git
cd archprep3
open RIBAPart3.xcodeprojBuild and run in Xcode. On first launch, go to Settings and paste your Gemini API key.
- Upload a PDF or paste text — the app chunks it and sends each section to Gemini for summarisation
- Study the generated summaries, or let the AI create a full study guide per topic
- Practice with quizzes, flashcards, or case studies generated from your own material
- Track your progress — the dashboard shows which topics need more work
All data is stored locally on your Mac using SwiftData. The only external call is to the Gemini API for content generation.
RIBAPart3/
├── Models/ Data models, Gemini API service, timer logic
├── Views/ All SwiftUI views (14 screens)
├── Utils/ PDF extraction, Keychain, AI prompts
└── Assets.xcassets/ App icon and colors
The app uses Gemini 2.0 Flash which is cheap. Processing a full PDF costs roughly $0.01–0.05 depending on length. The app shows cost estimates before processing.
MIT