It’s been over six months since NCARB launched a new score validity policy and retired the rolling clock policy, which placed a five-year time limit on the validity of passed exams. This change was a part of NCARB’s larger effort to increase accessibility by removing unnecessary impediments on the path to licensure. The new score validity policy bases the validity of passed Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) divisions on exam versions, such as ARE 4.0 or ARE 5.0, rather than a set time frame. As a result, NCARB reinstated previously expired divisions of ARE 4.0 for candidates seeking licensure from jurisdictions that do not have a rolling clock-type requirement.
When NCARB initially announced the new score validity policy, 14 jurisdictions had a five-year rolling clock policy written into their legal requirements. Since then, half of those jurisdictions have been able to update their requirements to adopt NCARB’s new score validity policy, including:
- Arizona
- Kentucky
- Maine
- New Mexico
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
Additionally, the California Architects Board will also adopt the new score validity policy, effective on January 1, 2024.
NCARB continues to collaborate with the remaining boards to support their efforts ahead of upcoming legislative changes to update the score validity policy. These jurisdictions include:
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- South Dakota
- Washington
