After four years of development, the latest version of the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®), ARE 5.0, launched on November 1, 2016. The updated exam incorporates new testing technologies and features six divisions that align with current practice and the progression of an architecture project. ARE 5.0 was developed with the help of practicing architects who volunteer their time and expertise, and reviewed by experts who ensure the exam is fair, reliable, and meets national testing standards.
Developed and administered by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the ARE assesses the knowledge and skills of all candidates seeking a license to practice architecture in the United States. NCARB periodically updates the exam to ensure it continues to reflect the demands of professional practice.
Aligning to Current Practice
To adapt to changes in the profession, ARE 5.0 content has been restructured into six divisions organized around architectural practice and the progression of a typical project. The new divisions also align with the experience areas of the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®), helping candidates connect their practical experience to exam topics and making the licensure process smoother and easier to understand. ARE 5.0 test durations are substantially shorter than ARE 4.0—ranging from three and a half to five hours and reducing total seat time by eight hours.
In addition, ARE 5.0 features the latest graphic testing methods, replacing vignettes with two new question types: hot spots and drag-and-place. ARE 5.0 also includes case studies, which provide candidates with multiple pieces of information and require them to assess and solve the types of problems architects face on a daily basis.
Preparing Candidates for ARE 5.0
Candidates looking for insight into the new exam have access to several free study tools developed by NCARB. These include the ARE 5.0 Handbook, the ARE 5.0 Guidelines, the ARE 5.0 Community, the ARE 5.0 Demonstration Exam, and the ARE 5.0 Test Prep video series. In addition, as an incentive to take the new exam, the first 600 candidates to test on each division will receive a $100 gift card.
NCARB will continue to administer ARE 4.0 until June 30, 2018. This 20-month period of dual delivery will enable current candidates to finish the exam in a way that best suits their needs.
For more information about ARE 5.0 visit www.ncarb.org/ARE5.
Related Stories
Industry Research | Mar 2, 2023
Watch: Findings from Gensler's latest workplace survey of 2,000 office workers
Gensler's Janet Pogue McLaurin discusses the findings in the firm's 2022 Workplace Survey, based on responses from more than 2,000 workers in 10 industry sectors.
AEC Innovators | Mar 2, 2023
Turner Construction extends its ESG commitment to thwarting forced labor in its supply chain
Turner Construction joins a growing AEC industry movement, inspired by the Design for Freedom initiative, to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production and distribution of building products.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 1, 2023
Multifamily construction startup Cassette takes a different approach to modular building
Prefabricated modular design and construction have made notable inroads into such sectors as industrial, residential, hospitality and, more recently, office and healthcare. But Dafna Kaplan thinks that what’s held back the modular building industry from even greater market penetration has been suppliers’ insistence that they do everything: design, manufacture, logistics, land prep, assembly, even onsite construction. Kaplan is CEO and Founder of Cassette, a Los Angeles-based modular building startup.
Airports | Feb 28, 2023
Data visualization: $1 billion earmarked for 2023 airport construction projects
Ninety-nine airports across 47 states and two territories are set to share nearly $1 billion in funding in 2023 from the Federal Aviation Administration. The funding is aimed at help airports of all sizes meet growing air travel demand, with upgrades like larger security checkpoints and more reliable and faster baggage systems.
Seismic Design | Feb 27, 2023
Turkey earthquakes provide lessons for California
Two recent deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria offer lessons regarding construction practices and codes for California. Lax building standards were blamed for much of the devastation, including well over 35,000 dead and countless building collapses.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 27, 2023
New 20,000-seat soccer stadium will anchor neighborhood development in Indianapolis
A new 20,000-seat soccer stadium for United Soccer League’s Indy Eleven will be the centerpiece of a major neighborhood development in Indianapolis. The development will transform the southwest quadrant of downtown Indianapolis by adding more than 600 apartments, 205,000 sf of office space, 197,000 sf for retail space and restaurants, parking garages, a hotel, and public plazas with green space.
Architects | Feb 27, 2023
Hord Coplan Macht announces retirement of Founder/CEO Lee Coplan, FAIA, and names successor
Hord Coplan Macht, an award-winning integrated architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and planning firm, announces the retirement of Founder and Chief Executive Officer Lee Coplan, FAIA. Lee leaves behind a long and celebrated career leading the practice over the last four decades while bringing innovative design strategies and leadership to the architecture and design community.
Libraries | Feb 26, 2023
A $17 million public library in California replaces one that was damaged in a 2010 earthquake
California’s El Centro community, about two hours east of San Diego, recently opened a new $17 million public library. With design by Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects and engineering services by Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering, the 19,811-sf building replaces the previous library, which was built in the early 1900s, damaged by a 7.2 earthquake that struck Baja California in 2010, and demolished in 2016.
Architects | Feb 24, 2023
7 takeaways from HKS’s yearlong study on brain health in the workplace
Managing distractions, avoiding multitasking, and cognitive training are key to staff wellbeing and productivity, according to a yearlong study of HKS employees in partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth.
University Buildings | Feb 23, 2023
Johns Hopkins shares design for new medical campus building named in honor of Henrietta Lacks
In November, Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine shared the initial design plans for a campus building project named in honor of Henrietta Lacks, the Baltimore County woman whose cells have advanced medicine around the world. Diagnosed with cervical cancer, Lacks, an African-American mother of five, sought treatment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the early 1950s. Named HeLa cells, the cell line that began with Lacks has contributed to numerous medical breakthroughs.
