Washington, DC—The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has issued sanctions for a candidate who violated several areas of the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) Candidate Agreement.

The ARE plays a crucial role in ensuring the public’s health, safety, and welfare by affirming that candidates have the required knowledge and skills to competently practice architecture. To ensure the validity of exam results, NCARB takes several steps to protect the security of ARE—including requiring that all candidates abide by the ARE Candidate Agreement. The agreement prohibits candidates from accessing unauthorized devices and from accessing, distributing, or attempting to access or distribute exam content before or after taking any ARE division.   

In this case, potential ARE misconduct violations were flagged during the candidate’s exam administration. After a thorough investigation, the candidate was found to have violated Categories 2, 3, and 4 of the Policy for the ARE: Exam Candidate Conduct. These categories cover inappropriate conduct during an exam administration, unauthorized use of electronic devices while testing, and copying, recording, or disseminating exam content.

Following the investigation, and after providing the candidate the opportunity to address the charges against him, the candidate’s actions were reviewed independently by NCARB’s Professional Conduct Committee. Final disciplinary decisions were made by NCARB’s Board of Directors in June 2024. 

In addition to receiving this public reprimand, the candidate’s exam score for the appropriate division of the exam has been invalidated. His testing authorization has been suspended for four years from the incident, he will be required to complete 10 hours of ethics education, and he is banned from taking future exam divisions via online proctoring.

NCARB is dedicated to reviewing and strengthening the role of ethics in the regulation of architecture and maintains a public database of all disciplinary actions receiving a public reprimand. The recent candidate misconduct has been reported to the appropriate licensing board, which may take additional disciplinary actions as warranted by the case.   

Individuals who wish to learn more about ARE security can learn more by reviewing the security section of the ARE Guidelines.