Washington, DC—The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has moved to a new vendor, PSI, to facilitate the delivery of the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) 5.0. Starting June 14, 2022, candidates can take both in-person and online proctored appointments with PSI.

As part of the migration to PSI, NCARB is excited to announce the launch of a suite of free practice exams. These new resources offer a full-length, fully scored practice version of each division of the ARE and are an important step toward increasing access to affordable, high-quality study materials.

Research from the Baseline on Belonging study, conducted jointly by NCARB and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), showed many exam candidates spend significant amounts of money on study materials, with limited insight into how well the prep materials prepare them for the exam. The study also showed that candidates of color were more likely to spend over $500 on exam study resources and less likely to receive access to free study materials compared to their white peers.

"The availability of high-quality, free practice exams will help ensure equitable access to exam preparation materials, leading to a more equitable experience for diverse candidates,” said NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong.

Additional benefits of the new vendor for candidates include increased flexibility in scheduling and rescheduling, free exam rescheduling, and the ability to cancel exams without forfeiting the entire appointment cost. PSI also offers an increase in test centers compared to the number available through NCARB’s previous vendor, Prometric. NCARB has also launched updated score reports that provide candidates with more detailed feedback on failed divisions.

Final ARE 5.0 Guidelines

To assist candidates taking the exam with PSI, NCARB has released the final ARE 5.0 Guidelines for testing with PSI. This document outlines policies for taking the ARE and provides insight into the exam’s content and development.

To learn more about the ARE, visit www.ncarb.org/ARE.