Registration by Examination

Candidates who wish to become registered by examination must meet the following requirements:

• Completion of a professional degree in architecture from a college or university program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB);

• Completion of the Intern Development Program; and

• Pass all parts of the Architect Registration Examination® (A.R.E).®

Applicants must choose one of the following options for pursuing registration by examination:

1. Six Months’ Experience Option

2. Regular Option

The Board and NCARB have a procedure for granting reasonable testing accommodations to candidates with qualifying disabilities as outlined under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Click here for more information.

Additional Candidate Information

A comprehensive overview of the A.R.E.®, practice software, a listing of test centers, and other useful information can be found on the A.R.E.® page of the NCARB website.

The A.R.E.® is administered by a network of Prometric Learning Centers throughout the United States and Canada. The test vendor will forward an Authorization to Test (ATT) and scheduling information directly to the candidate. Board staff members cannot schedule or cancel appointments.

All candidates for the A.R.E.® should become familiar with the NCARB “rolling clock” provisions.

Examination scores are not released over the telephone.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to notify the Board of any change in his/her mailing address as soon as it occurs. Address changes submitted to a test center must also be submitted to the Board in order to update the candidate’s examination records. Please use the Board’s on-line change of address form to ensure we have your correct address.