Archinect - News

NCARB testing set to resume June 9th in many states

2020-06-05T18:55:00-04:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), as of June 1, has begun re-opening testing sites for architectural licensure examinations. Starting on Tuesday, June 9th, 2020, prospective exam takers will be able to schedule an appointment at any open test center offering “All Programs” or “Essential Only” services, which include the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) .

Prometric, the company that actually administers the tests, has, according to a recent NCARB announcement, "been able to resume testing at locations where local and state mandates allow" as states across the country begin to reopen following the two-month-long COVID-19-related closures.

You can view Prometric’s current site openings on the company's website; This list is set to be updated daily with new re-opening information. The shift comes as NCARB and Prometric lobby to change the designation of ARE exam takers from "non-essential" to "essential" in the wake of the pandemic.

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Can architects really get away with cheating on their licensing exams?

2019-03-04T15:20:00-05:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards recently named and shamed eight people it said shared or received content from its Architect Registration Examination, a grueling, six-part test required to become a licensed architect — and which it says ensures people’s safety isn’t put at risk by sketchy designs.

Licensing exams are standard in many professions. However, to what lengths will people go in order to pass? The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) announced that eight individuals had been outed for cheating by a whistleblower from the group. Test materials were said to be shared via email forwarding, however one of the individuals affiliated with the incident claims what they had done was common in the industry. "It’s not like we snuck into the exam and took photos. We didn’t remove any content from any of the exams. We just had conversations,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “In any office, people talk about exams."

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Board certification is a requirement for those who wish to practice legally as architects. NCARB's CEO Michael Armstrong expresses the license as "a contract between the state and government. [...] If somebody has been inappropriately qualified … then that contract between the government and the pub...

NCARB reports architects take 12.5 years on average to get their licenses, down from 14 years in 2013

2017-06-27T13:37:00-04:00

In 2013, it took an architect an average of 14 years to complete the initial education, myriad examinations and extra curricular activities neccessary to acheive licensure. In 2016, that figure dropped by 1.5 years thanks in part to an accelerated testing schedule. As a press release notes, "NCARB's work with licensing boards over the past decade have focused on streamlining, updating, and aligning two key pillars on the path to licensure—the Architectural Experience Program™ (AXP™) and the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®)—leading to a reduction in completion times. Plus, candidates for architecture licenses are increasingly overlapping these two programs."

Architecture students at 17 schools will get licensed quicker with help from NCARB's new licensure program, IPAL

2016-12-13T19:36:00-05:00

The recently introduced IPAL, or Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure, promises to streamline the architectural licensure process for students at 17 universities and colleges by incorporating the Architectural Experience Program into the curriculum. Licensure, which is required by a majority of the fifty states and governing agencies in Canada, usually takes a few years of intense study and rigorous examinations after one's initial formal education is complete to attain. Initiated by NCARB, the in-school program will enable students to also take the ARE. Here's a full transcript of the press release:

Friends,The road to licensure for architects is getting shorter and shorter, thanks to a recent initiative spearheaded by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

The Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) provides students the opportunity to complete requirements for licensure while they are still earning their degree. Through the initiative, sc...

Taking your licensing exams? Prepare for ARE 5.0's release with NCARB's "Transition Calculator"

2015-11-04T12:53:00-05:00

NCARB is phasing out the ARE 4.0 and introducing the ARE 5.0 in late 2016, which means that depending where you are with your licensing exams, you'll probably need to figure out how your ARE 4.0 credits apply to the new version. Anticipating this need, the NCARB has released a "Transition Calculator" that allows you to plan your test path. Of note: although the ARE 4.0 won't be officially retired until June 30, 2018, once you jump to version 5.0, you can't switch back.