Turn the 'Quick Selection' (magnet) off so that you have to select an edge or node rather than a surface.
You can always hold the space bar as a toggle to temporarily turn it on if you want to select a surface.
Or leave it on if you prefer and select by edges and nodes anyway - they will tack preference over a surface.
Or activate a tool (wall, slab, roof, door, etc.) and hold SHIFT when selecting.
Then Archicad will select that element before any others.
Don't forget you also have the TAB to cycle through multiple overlapping elements.
And holding SHIFT highlights elements instantly so you can see what will be selected.
Barry.
One of the forum moderators.
Versions 6.5 to 27
i7-10700 @ 2.9Ghz, 32GB ram, GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB), Windows 10
Lenovo Thinkpad - i7-1270P 2.20 GHz, 32GB RAM, Nvidia T550, Windows 11