General information regarding the ARE Exam

ARCHITECT REGISTRATION EXAMINATION (ARE)

In most states within the U.S., in order to be eligible to take the Architect Registration Examination (the "ARE") you must have completed the following two tasks (since licensure is granted by your state, you should check with your state's Architecture Licensing Board to make sure this applies to you):

1. You must have received an NAAB-accredited B.Arch. degree, or an NAAB-accredited M.Arch. degree.

2. You must have established a Council Record with NCARB and have completed the requisite number of IDP Training Units (the number depends on the degree received).

There are nine separate divisions of the Architect Registration Examination. The divisions, along with the type of test and the maximum time allowed are as follows:

1. Pre-Design, multiple choice, 4 hours
2. General Structures, multiple choice, 4.5 hours
3. Lateral Forces, multiple choice, 3 hours
4. Mechanical and Electrical Systems, multiple choice, 3.5 hours
5. Materials and Methods, multiple choice, 3.5 hours
6. Construction Documents and Services, multiple choice, 4 hours
7. Site Planning, graphic, 3.5 hours

Site Design vignette, 1 hour
Site Zoning vignette, ˝ hour
Parking vignette, ˝ hour
Site analysis vignette, ˝ hour
Site section vignette, ˝ hour
Grading vignette, ˝ hour

8. Building Planning, graphic, 6.25 hours

Block diagram vignette, 1 hour
Interior layout vignette, ž hour
Schematic design vignette, 4 hours

9. Building Technology, graphic, 5.75 hours

Building section vignette, 1 hour
Structural layout vignette, ž hour
Accessibility ramp vignette, ž hour
Mechanical and electrical vignette, 1 hour
Stair design vignette, 1 hour
Roof plan vignette, ž hour

NCARB has contracted with an outside firm, The Chauncey Group, to administer the test. Upon completion of the IDP, you automatically become eligible to take the Architectural Registration Examination (the "ARE"). NCARB then reviews all material in your Council Record for compliance with your state's testing eligibility requirements. NCARB will then enter your information into their exam eligibility system, called the Chauncey Client Management System, the "CCMS." NCARB then notifies you and your state Architect Licensing Board that you are eligible to take the exam. (Note that you must have completed all required Training Units and received your degree prior to admission to the exam.

You may sign up to take any division of the exam any time you feel ready. You have to pay for the division you want to take first, and then you will be given a special number which you can use to sign up. ARE Test centers are located at over 200 Prometric Test Centers throughout the country, Monday through Saturday.

Each test division will be custom prepared individually for a candidate. You will not get exactly the same test that someone else would get, although they have been judged equivalent in difficulty. Six divisions of this customized test will contain a random selection of multiple-choice questions from a large master pool of questions, so that every candidate will take different, but equal tests. All divisions will be taken by the candidate sitting at a computer located at the Prometric Test Center. The computerized testing program will sequentially display each question one at a time and present the candidate four possible answers from which he or she will select an answer. The candidate may go back and review any question already presented or change any answer already given, prior to completing each portion of the exam. The testing program will contain a certain number of questions for each division which must be answered by the candidate within a designated time limit. The test may be terminated early by the computer testing program if a candidate displays a persistent and thorough knowledge (or lack of knowledge) of the subject. It is anticipated that a candidate's test score will be available within four to five weeks after taking each division. If a division is not passed by a candidate, he or she will have to wait six months before re-taking that division. There is no limit to the number of times that a candidate may re-take each division.

The three graphic divisions of the ARE are also computer-administered and computer-graded. Each graphic division of the exam will consist of several short vignettes. Solutions to these will be presented as drawings made by the candidate on the computer at the Prometric Test Center. The program is Microsoft Windows-based and is similar to the old Windows Generic CAD software. It draws rectangles representing rooms of any size with three corner picks, with double lines around them representing walls. These rectangles can be readily moved around either individually or in groups, rotated at any angle, and stretched vertically or horizontally. The program will quickly insert doors and windows, move them, or delete them as desired. The program will allow you to draw in 2D only on two floors. You designate whether you want to draw on the first or second floor and whether you want the other floor to be dimmed out or turned off completely. The program is relatively easy to use for a candidate already skilled in CADD, but it could slow a beginner down and perhaps make the exam process tedious. Every candidate will receive free tutorial software to practice with before they take the test. The software is available on NCARB's web site for downloading (www.ncarb.org).

Once all divisions of the ARE are passed, your state Architecture Licensing Board will be notified by NCARB, and you will then be eligible for licensure in your state.

Upon completion of the IDP, you automatically become eligible to take the Architectural Registration Examination (the "ARE"). NCARB then reviews all material in your Council Record for compliance with your state's testing eligibility requirements. NCARB will then enter your information into their exam eligibility system, called the Chauncey Client Management System, the "CCMS." NCARB then notifies you and your state Architect Licensing Board that you are eligible to take the exam. (Note that you must have completed all required Training Units and received your degree prior to admission to the exam.) When you are ready to begin taking one or more divisions of the exam, payment for those divisions can be made by telephone when you reserve a testing date to the Prometric Test Center using Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. Payment may also be made in person at the Prometric Test Center by personal check, certified check, or money order. In addition, a candidate may prepay for one or more divisions with the Chauncey Group, and receive a voucher which then may be presented to the Prometric Test Center in person or the voucher number given to Prometric over the telephone. There are no other hidden charges, although you may, if you choose, pay for practice sessions at the Prometric Test Center of your choice on an hourly basis.

Source: Frank Heitzman, AIA, Triton College