The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has its own bundle of terms—and NCARB is no different. From program names to exam-specific lingo, we’ve explained our most common terms that are essential for you to know.
Whether you’re just starting out on the path to licensure or a practicing architect, this glossary will ensure you can navigate all things NCARB with ease. Without further ado, let’s get started with our NCARB vocabulary session!
Becoming Licensed
Licensure: Documentation granted by your chosen jurisdiction that enables you to legally offer architectural services. To earn a license, you must typically complete three basic requirements—education (degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, or NAAB), experience (the Architectural Experience Program, or AXP), and examination (the Architect Registration Examination, or ARE).
Jurisdiction: One of the 55 U.S. states and territories whose architectural licensing boards make up NCARB’s membership. Also referred to as licensing board, state board, and/or Member Board.
Understand Architect Credentials
A guide to the most commonly used credentials in the architecture profession.
Licensure Candidate: Refers to an individual completing the AXP and/or the ARE for initial licensure.
Licensing Advisor: Licensing advisors are professionals, educators, and students who volunteer their time to help others pursue licensure. These volunteers often provide candidates with their first glimpse into the licensure process, lending help and advice along the way. You can look to your advisors for insight into completing the AXP, passing the ARE, and meeting licensure and reciprocity requirements.
NCARB Record: A detailed, verified account of your education, experience, and examination history. Candidates will need to establish a Record to report AXP experience, start the ARE, earn an initial license, and later apply for an NCARB Certificate.
My NCARB: The secure portal on NCARB’s website that provides access to NCARB Records for candidates and architects, the reporting tool for supervisors and mentors, and a registration board section for Member Boards. Note: My NCARB accounts are free, while NCARB Records are a paid service. Supervisors and mentors do not need a paid account.
Getting an Education
Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL): An option within NAAB-accredited architecture programs offering candidates the opportunity to complete the requirements for licensure while earning a degree.
NAAB-accredited program: A program that offers a professional degree in architecture. Note: Since the NAAB accredits programs, not degrees, individuals who graduated from a NAAB-accredited program should not be referred to as having a NAAB-accredited degree or an accredited degree. Rather, they hold a degree from a program accredited by the NAAB.
Education Standard: A document that approximates the requirements of a professional degree from a program accredited by the NAAB. It is used to evaluate the educational background of individuals who do not have a degree from a NAAB-accredited program—typically those pursuing licensure or certification as a foreign applicant, or those pursuing NCARB certification through the Education Alternative.
Education Alternative: A path that offers two ways by which architects who don’t have a degree from a NAAB-accredited program can satisfy the education requirement for certification—either by documenting additional experience beyond the requirements of the AXP (Two Times AXP), or by submitting an NCARB Certificate Portfolio. Available options are based on a candidate’s educational background, as evaluated by NCARB.
Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA): Administered by the NAAB, this evaluation compares your academic transcript to the NCARB Education Standard and determines whether your education meets the requirement for licensure or NCARB certification.
Documenting Experience
Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®): The program designed to guide licensure candidates through earning and reporting practical experience. Most jurisdictions require (and all accept) completion of the AXP for licensure.
AXP Supervisor: An AXP supervisor manages your work on a daily basis and is ultimately responsible for your work. In most cases, your supervisor must be an architect licensed in the U.S. However, there are certain experience settings that allow for engineers, landscape architects, and unlicensed individuals to serve as your supervisor.
AXP Portfolio: An alternative method for completing the AXP through an online portfolio, available only to experienced design professionals.
My AXP: Free NCARB app used for recording AXP experience—available for Apple and Android devices.
Mentor: Mentors can offer valuable instruction, encouragement, and advice as you navigate the path to licensure. Licensure candidates aren’t required to have a mentor, although having another experienced architect or designer to turn to can be beneficial. While mentors won’t typically monitor your experience reports, there are certain opportunities where mentors can approve experience.
Taking Exams
Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®): The architect licensing exam required by all 55 U.S. jurisdictions in order to become licensed. The current version of the exam, ARE 5.0, is developed by NCARB and features six divisions.
Cut Score: The minimum passing standard for exam performance. It identifies the number of items you need to answer correctly in order to receive a “Pass” on an ARE 5.0 division. If you score at or above the cut score on a division, you’ll receive a “Pass.”
Item: Another term for test questions, specifically when talking about the ARE.
Pretest Items: Unscored items included on all divisions of the ARE. These items are being evaluated for official use on the ARE and have no impact on a candidate’s overall score. Note: Candidates will be unable to tell which items are pretest items and should treat all items as if they count!
Rolling Clock Policy: (Retired in May 2023) The rolling clock was a policy that placed a five-year expiration date on passed exam divisions. This meant that if a candidate had not finished testing within five years of the date they passed their first exam division, they would need to retake that division.
Score Validity Policy: NCARB's current exam policy that defines the period during which any ARE division will remain valid. Under the score validity policy, passing ARE divisional scores will remain valid throughout the delivery of the exam version under which they were taken. They’ll also be used to establish credit toward the immediately following version of the exam (e.g., ARE 6.0).
After Licensure
Certification: An official credential (NCARB Certificate) granted by NCARB that demonstrates you have met national standards to practice architecture—offering additional benefits that can advance your professional career, including the flexibility to pursue work in multiple jurisdictions.
Continuum Education: NCARB’s collection of online self-study resources, written by experts in the profession and available for Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) learning units. Previously known as NCARB’s Monograph Series.
Reciprocity: An agreement among the 55 U.S. jurisdictions—and some countries—to recognize licenses issued by other boards. The easiest way to apply for a reciprocal license is through the NCARB Certificate, which allows architects to practice in more than one jurisdiction, providing them with job flexibility and security. To find out if your jurisdiction requires the Certificate for reciprocal licensure, visit the Licensing Requirements Tool.
Registered Architect (RA): This qualification is sometimes used by architects who are not affiliated with other professional associations to signify licensure.
International Practice
Foreign Architect Path: A streamlined path to licensure for architects who were initially licensed in a country outside the U.S. or Canada but want to pursue licensure in a U.S. jurisdiction. Candidates must pursue an NCARB Certificate by verifying their license and completing two programs: the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) and the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). After earning an NCARB Certificate, the candidate can use this credential to apply for a license in a U.S. jurisdiction that accepts an NCARB Certificate issued through the Foreign Architect Path.
Mutual Reciprocity Arrangement/Agreement (MRA): Through NCARB's established agreements, Certificate holders can pursue reciprocal licensure in the following countries: Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
Go-to Resources
Destination Architect: NCARB’s recently launched online resource that serves as a guide for candidates along the path to licensure. On the site, you can find a basic breakdown of the steps needed to become an architect, informational videos, and more.
Guidelines: Document(s) providing instructions and requirements for completing specific NCARB programs—including the ARE Guidelines, AXP Guidelines, Certification Guidelines, Continuing Education Guidelines, and Education Guidelines.
NCARB by the Numbers (NBTN): NCARB’s annual publication analyzing data on the path to licensure and the architecture profession.
Building on Belonging: The National Organization Minority Architects (NOMA)’s and NCARB’s joint initiative to understand and address barriers facing underrepresented groups
