The latest edition of NCARB’s annual data publication, NCARB by the Numbers, is now available! Focusing on data from the 2023 calendar year, this year’s publication provides an inside look at recent trends along the path to licensure, including the positive impact of recent programmatic changes on Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) pass rates.
Over the past several years, NCARB has been implementing changes to make the ARE more accessible, including:
- Creating free practice exams for candidates
- Offering one free reschedule for exam appointments
- Offering accommodations for ESL candidates
- Retiring the ARE’s rolling clock policy
The rolling clock placed a 5-year expiration date on passed exam divisions, a policy that was found to disproportionately impact women and people of color. When NCARB retired the rolling clock, over 6,600 previously expired exam divisions were reinstated, bringing 3,000 candidates one step closer to becoming licensed architects.
As a result of all these efforts, pass rates rose by 3% in 2023—the largest increase ARE 5.0 has ever seen.
Candidates performed better on 5 of the 6 ARE divisions in 2023. Overall pass rates across all 6 divisions increased by 3 percentage points to 58%—the biggest change in pass rates seen since ARE 5.0’s introduction in 2016.
Pass rates for the Programming & Analysis division increased by 5 percentage points, the largest increase across all divisions. Project Management had the highest pass rate of all divisions at 67%.
NCARB’s free practice exams have helped drive this positive change, providing candidates greater insight into the testing experience.
Nearly 80% of candidates are now using NCARB’s free practice exams before testing—and results indicate that individuals who use the practice exams perform 15 percentage points better than those who don’t. While NCARB continues to see a disparity in pass rates between white candidates and candidates of color, recent changes are helping to close the gap over time.
The findings in NCARB by the Numbers are pulled from NCARB’s database of nearly 125,000 licensure candidates and architects, making this annual report the most comprehensive source for licensure statistics.
Learn more about trends on the path to licensure in the 2024 edition of NCARB by the Numbers!
