NCARB works regularly with our psychometricians and hundreds of volunteer architects to ensure the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) aligns with exam best practices and current architectural practice. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the ARE, we are implementing two updates that will go into effect on April 28, 2025:  

  1. NCARB is retiring drag-and-place item types from the exam. NCARB strives to align with evolving testing best practices, which indicate that other item types used on the ARE assess candidates’ qualifications more effectively. The format and scoring of the remaining item types will not change. 
     
  2. All candidates will automatically see provisional feedback at the end of their exam. Going forward, you will not need to indicate if would like to see provisional feedback at the end of an exam division. The provisional feedback displayed on the screen will inform you of your overall likelihood of passing or failing the division. Keep in mind that provisional feedback is fully accurate, but is not official until the score validation process is complete and you receive your score report in your NCARB Record. 

We’ve also added clarifying language to the instructions for scheduling an exam appointment with accommodations, updated the AIA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct listed in the Reference Guide to the most current version, and aligned the lists of AIA Contract Documents on pages 119 and 123 to accurately reflect the content on the exam. The exam objectives covered by each division, as well as the tools and resources available to you during the exam, will otherwise remain the same. NCARB has released an updated version of the ARE Guidelines that reflects these changes, which go into effect on April 28, 2025. NCARB will update the practice exams on April 28 to reflect these exam changes. 

Item Types 

After April 28, 2025, you should only expect to see three item types on the exam: multiple choice, check-all-that-apply, and hotspot. All items are worth one point and there is no partial credit. For a detailed review of each item type, visit NCARB’s YouTube channel or explore the ARE 5.0 Guidelines.  

NCARB’s exam prep content related to drag-and-place items will remain available until April 28. If you are testing between now and April 28, 2025, you should still anticipate encountering some drag-and-place items, and you should follow the process outlined in the current ARE Guidelines to view provisional feedback. 

NCARB Live Webinar – February 25 

Questions about how these changes will impact you? Join our experts for a live webinar on Tuesday, February 25, at 3 p.m. (ET). We’ll explain the changes and answer any questions you may have. Register to join us. 

Have questions? Contact us.