Project Management (PjM) focuses on the management of architectural projects, including organizing principles, contract management, and consultant management.
The division will focus on issues related to office standards, development of project teams, and overall project control of client, fee, and risk management. Candidates must demonstrate an understanding of and abilities in quality control, project team configuration, and project scheduling. In addition, candidates must demonstrate the ability to establish and deliver project services per contractual requirements in collaboration with consultants.
Preparing for Project Management?
NCARB has created a full-length, scored practice exam specific to Project Management 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.
Project Management Details:
- Number of items: 75
- Test duration: 3 hr
- Allowed break time: 30 min
- Total appointment time: 3 hr 40 min
Preparing for Project Management? NCARB has created a full-length, scored practice exam specific to Project Management now available for free in the Practice Exam Dashboard in your NCARB Record if you have ARE eligibilities. You can also find more details and suggested references in our ARE 5.0 Guidelines and test prep video series.
PjM includes sections on the following content areas:
Resource Management (7-13%* of exam items): Once you have a signed contract, it’s time to determine what resources will be needed to execute the project. In this section, you will need to determine the composition of the project team and how each team member’s time will be managed and allocated in order to execute the project. Objectives include:
- Determine criteria required to assemble team
- Assess criteria required to allocate and manage project resources
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.
Project Work Planning (17-23% of exam items): In this section, you will evaluate effective ways to develop and communicate a work plan with the assembled project team in order to complete the project. Objectives include:
- Develop and maintain project work plan
- Determine criteria required to develop and maintain project schedule
- Determine appropriate communication to project team—owner, contractor, consultants and internal staff
Contracts (25-31% of exam items): In this section, you will analyze the contracts that establish relationships between the architect, owner, contractors, and consultants. Objectives include:
- Evaluate and verify adherence to owner/architect agreement
- Interpret key elements of, and verify adherence to architect/consultant agreement
- Interpret key elements of the owner/contractor agreement
- Interpret key elements of the owner/consultant agreement to integrate the consultant’s work into the project
Project Execution (17-23% of exam items): This section assesses management of the project’s execution. It is not about the design-related decisions, but rather the necessary administrative procedures throughout the project. Objectives include:
- Evaluate compliance with construction budget
- Evaluate and address changes in scope of work and scope creep
- Evaluate project documentation to ensure it supports the specified delivery method
- Identify and conform with the requirements set forth by authorities having jurisdiction in order to obtain approvals for the project
Project Quality Control (19-25% of exam items): The last section in this division analyzes quality control methods, procedures, and review processes in order to maintain the proper Standard of Care throughout the entire project. As with the previous sections, this section is not about the design-related decisions, but rather the necessary administrative procedures throughout the project. Objectives include:
- Apply procedures required for adherence to laws and regulations relating to the project
- Identify steps in maintaining project quality control, and reducing risks and liabilities
- Perform quality control reviews of project documentation throughout life of project
- Evaluate management of the design process to maintain integrity of design objectives
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.
