Construction & Evaluation (CE) assesses objectives related to construction contract administration and post-occupancy evaluation of projects.
The division will focus on issues related to bidding and negotiation processes, support of the construction process, and evaluation of completed projects. Candidates must demonstrate an understanding of and abilities in construction contract execution, construction support services (including construction observation and shop drawing or submittal review), payment request processing, and project closeout. In addition, candidates must also demonstrate an understanding and abilities in project evaluation of integrated building systems and their performance.
Preparing for Construction & Evaluation?
NCARB has created a full-length, scored practice exam specific to Construction & Evaluation now available for free in your NCARB Record.
You can also find more details and suggested references in our ARE 5.0 Guidelines and test prep video series.
Construction & Evaluation Details
- Number of items: 75
- Test duration: 3 hr
- Allowed break time: 30 min
- Total appointment time: 3 hr 40 min
CE includes sections on the following content areas:
Preconstruction Activities (17-23% of exam items*): In this section, you’ll focus on the construction planning and activities that occur prior to the start of construction. Objectives include:
- Interpret the architect’s roles and responsibilities during preconstruction based on delivery method
- Analyze criteria for selecting contractors
- Analyze aspects of the contract or design to adjust project costs
Read the ARE Guidelines
Understand all the policies you’ll need to follow in order to take the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®), as well as an overview of the exam’s six divisions and other exam candidate resources.
Construction Observation (32-38% of exam items): This section addresses visiting the job site throughout the course of construction and the architect’s roles and responsibilities. Objectives include:
- Evaluate the architect’s role during construction activities
- Evaluate construction conformance with contract documents, codes, regulations, and sustainability requirements
- Determine construction progress
Administrative Procedures & Protocols (32-38% of exam items): The previous section is about the onsite responsibilities of an architect. This section is about the documentation necessary to the construction process. Clear written communication is an essential aspect of the construction process. Objectives include:
- Determine appropriate additional information to supplement contract documents
- Evaluate submittals including shop drawings, samples, mock-ups, product data, and test results
- Evaluate the contractor’s application for payment
- Evaluate responses to non-conformance with contract documents
Project Closeout & Evaluation (7-13% of exam items): In this section, you’ll focus on post-construction activities. This is the smallest section of the division but covers several important aspects of completing a project. Objectives include:
- Apply procedural concepts to complete close-out activities
- Evaluate building design and performance
Find more information about all divisions of the ARE on our website or in the ARE 5.0 Guidelines.
*The percentages shown for each section and objective represent a typical form of this division. The specific form you experience may vary slightly, as adjustments are made from form to form to balance factors such as overall form level of difficulty and average time to answer the assembled items.
