The AXP® identifies 96 key tasks across six practice areas. To demonstrate competent performance of these tasks, your candidate will need to document a total of 3,740 hours across these six areas:
- Practice Management
- Project Management
- Programming & Analysis
- Project Planning & Design
- Project Development & Documentation
- Construction and Evaluation
Some licensing boards require additional hours of work experience, so encourage your candidate to report all applicable experience.
Experience reported under any of these areas will fall into one of two experience settings: setting A or setting O. The experience setting is determined by the work being done, the type of employer, and your credentials as a supervisor.
Experience Setting A
To qualify for this setting, you must be an architect licensed to practice in the United States or Canada, and you must exercise direct supervision over your candidate.
To qualify for setting A, your candidate must be employed by an organization engaged in the lawful practice of architecture, receive payment for their work, and be supervised by an individual who is licensed to practice architecture in the U.S. or Canada.
Experience Setting O
Setting O covers other types of experience that qualify for the AXP. There are several opportunities in setting O, and each has its own requirements regarding your credentials and your candidate’s employment status.
| If You Are: | Qualified Experience You Supervise |
|---|---|
| An architect registered in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction working in the U.S. or Canada for an organization not practicing architecture | Other Work Experience Under Licensed Professionals |
| A landscape architect or engineer registered and working in the U.S. or Canada | Other Work Experience Under Licensed Professionals |
| An architect registered and working outside of the U.S. or Canada | Other Work Experience Under Licensed Professionals |
| A design or construction professional without a license to practice architecture, landscape architecture, or engineering | Design or Construction Related Employment or Construction Work, depending on the type of work |
| A mentor who’s registered to practice architecture in the U.S. or Canada | Design Competitions and Site Visit with Mentor |
| An architect registered in the U.S. or Canada at a 501(c)(3) organization supervising a volunteer | Community-Based Design Center/Collaborative (your organization must be pre-approved |
You can find details about each of these opportunities in the AXP Guidelines.
Reporting Requirement
Encourage your candidate to submit their reports frequently. To receive full AXP credit for their work, candidates must submit experience reports within eight months. Specifically, they will submit experience in reporting periods of no longer than six months and within two months of completing each reporting period. The additional two-month window is known as the filing period.
Experience reported after this eight-month period—and as far as five years back—is still eligible to receive 50 percent credit toward the AXP. Experience earned beyond five years will not count toward your candidate's AXP hours.
