After taking an ARE division, you'll receive an official score report with your results within 7-10 calendar days of your test date. You’ll receive an email notification once your score has been processed and is available to view in your NCARB Record. While we make every effort to process your score as quickly as possible, our highest priority is making sure your score is fair and accurate.
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.
Your score will be reported as pass or fail. If you fail, your score report will include descriptive feedback indicating the percent of questions you answered correctly per content area, a comparison to the average percent answered correctly by passing candidates, and a scaled score, allowing you to focus your studying efforts before retaking the division. You will not see a list of questions you answered incorrectly. Learn more about interpreting an ARE 5.0 score report.
How Your Score is Determined
With the help of many practicing architects, educators, and licensing board members, we have carefully set a passing standard (or cut score) for each division of ARE 5.0. Meeting the passing standard demonstrates you have the knowledge and skills to practice entry-level architecture.
To ensure that your score is fair, each division has a separate passing standard. It does not change based on your location, the number of candidates taking the exam, or the performance of other candidates taking the exam. Learn more about how the exam is scored.
Retaking a Division
You can retake a failed ARE division as soon as 60 days after your previous test date. Keep in mind that you can only take the same division three times within any twelve-month period.
Score Verification
Any candidate can request a score verification, which will involve the review of your performance on all questions by NCARB staff. The process will verify whether the score and descriptive feedback accurately represents your performance on the division.
A score verification can be requested through My NCARB and will cost $100. In the event that the score or descriptive feedback was not accurate, the score verification fee will be refunded. Learn more about score verification.
Review and Challenge
If you would like to review a failed exam, contact your board of architecture immediately. NCARB charges a $300 fee to review a failed exam. The process will vary based on your board; your board may charge additional fees.
Please note: Some boards do not allow reviews. If this is the case, you will not be able to review your failed division. For more information on reviewing and challenging a failed exam, read the ARE 5.0 Guidelines.
