NCARB Customer Service is available to answer questions Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding holidays.

You may contact NCARB Customer Service via e-mail at customerservice@ncarb.org or by telephone at 202-879-0520, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Letters may be addressed to NCARB Customer Service at 1801 K Street, NW, Suite 700K, Washington, DC 20006.

In May 1919, during an American Institute of Architects (AIA) convention in Nashville, TN, 15 architects from 13 states came together to form an organization that would become the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). For more information, please read The History of NCARB.

Fees associated with NCARB programs and services can be found here.

The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture in the United States.

Persons interested in registration without a professional degree from a NAAB- or CACB-accredited degree program may need an EESA evaluation. Please contact your state board for more information regarding their education requirements.

The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture in the United States. For more information on the accreditation process and to see if your program is accredited, visit the NAAB website at www.naab.org.

If you are an intern, the application fee for an NCARB Record covers the first three years of renewals. After this three-year period, you must pay the annual renewal fee to keep an active Record.

In order for NCARB to receive a transcript from your educational institution, you will need to download, complete, and send the transcript form to your school. Many schools will allow you to request your transcripts online without the transcript form. Please be sure to reference your NCARB Record number on your request.

 

If your education is from an institution within the United States or Canada, have your transcript mailed to NCARB directly from your college or university. NCARB cannot accept student-issued transcripts.

 

If you were educated outside the United States or Canada and do not have a NAAB-or CAAB-accredited degree, you must get your post-secondary education evaluated by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). Do not use the transcript form and do not have your transcript(s) sent to NCARB. Contact NAAB.

Yes, many jurisdictions have procedures for considering a foreign education.

Most jurisdictions require that:

1. You hold a professional degree in architecture which is evaluated by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) as satisfying the NCARB Education Standard.
2. You satisfy the experience requirements of the Intern Development Program (IDP) and
3. You complete the Architect Registration Examination (ARE).

You may review the different jurisdictional requirements by visiting our registration board requirements section.

NAAB administers the Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA-NCARB) program, which evaluates non-NAAB accredited degrees and the credentials of foreign educated applicants against the NCARB Education Standard.

No, as long as your Master of Architecture program is accredited by NAAB. If your Master of Architecture program is not accredited by NAAB, you may be required to have an EESA-NCARB evaluation.

The Intern Development Program (IDP) is a comprehensive program that identifies the areas of architectural practice that interns must gain experience in prior to the independent practice of architecture.

No. Only those degrees listed on the post-professional degree list can be submitted for IDP credit.

In the architecture profession, an “intern” is any person who by means of their education or experience has qualified to participate in the Intern Development Program.

The first step is to establish an NCARB Record.

You will receive e-mail instructions on how to proceed. For more information about the IDP, download the IDP Guidelines.

You can start the IDP once you have established an NCARB Record and met the requirements of an IDP elgibility date. All of the requirements for starting the program are outlined in the IDP Guidelines and the Getting Started section.

An IDP eligibility date is the date on or after which you are able to earn IDP experience. It is determined based on your education or experience.

For experience earned on or after 1 October 2010, you must satisfy one of the current IDP eligibility dates outlined in the IDP Guidelines.

Please refer to Appendix A of the IDP Guidelines to learn how to establish an IDP eligibility date that is prior to 1 October 2010.

You only need to establish your IDP eligibility date once.

 

An IDP eligibility date is determined based on your education or experience. To establish an IDP eligibility date on or after 1 October 2010, you must document one of the following:

1. Enrollment in a NAAB/CACB-accredited degree program
2. Enrollment in a pre-professional architecture degree program at a school that offers a NAAB/CACB-accredited degree program
3. Employment in work setting A after obtaining a U.S. high school diploma, General Education Degree (GED) equivalent, or comparable foreign degree
   

For experience earned on or after 1 October 2010, you may document your IDP eligibility date using one of the IDP eligibility date forms available on the Getting Started page.

Please refer to Appendix A of the IDP Guidelines to learn how to document an IDP eligibility date that is prior to 1 October 2010.

You only need to establish your IDP eligibility date once.

You may submit your experience to your supervisor or NCARB through My NCARB without establishing an IDP eligibility date. However, once your IDP eligibility date is established, any experience you have submitted that was earned prior to your eligibility date will not be accepted.

No. Once your IDP eligibility date has been established, it is set for all experience earned on or after that date.

Since you have reported experience prior to 1 October 2010, you will need to establish your IDP eligibility date based on the rules that were in effect prior to 1 October 2010.

Please refer to Appendix A of the IDP Guidelines to learn how to establish an IDP eligibility date that is prior to 1 October 2010.

Yes. When you are reporting experience in My NCARB and you do not have an IDP eligibility date, you will see the warning, “Your IDP eligibility date has not been established.” This warning will not prevent you from reporting. However, once your IDP eligibility date is established, any experience you have submitted that was earned prior to your eligibility date will not be accepted.

If you have already documented your IDP eligibility date and are seeing this warning, please contact NCARB Customer Service.

Your IDP eligibility date is determined based on your education or experience.  

For experience earned on after 1 October 2010, you may document your IDP eligibility date using one of the IDP eligibility date forms available in the IDP Guidelines or on the Getting Started page.

You only need to establish your IDP eligibility date once.

There is an application fee to establish your NCARB Record. You must have established your NCARB Record to document your IDP experience. For the current intern application fee, please refer to the How much does IDP cost? page.

The online application charges the application fee based on your graduation date. If you are currently in school or are within six months of graduation, you have a choice of paying the partial student application fee or the full fee. If you chose the partial application fee, the balance will be due before your Record is transmitted to a jurisdiction in support of your application for the ARE. Please check your graduation date and select the payment option you prefer within the online application.

You report your experience through the NCARB electronic Experience Verification Reporting system (e-EVR).

"Category Minimums" refers to NCARB's minimum requirements for IDP completion within Training Categories A, B, C, and D. By viewing "Display Training Area Details" in the e-EVR, you can see a detailed breakdown of where specific training hours are required in Training Areas 1-16 throughout all of four training categories. 465 of the 700 total program training hours are required to be completed in specific training categories.

"Program Minimums" refers to the minimum total number of training hours (5,600) required to complete the IDP. In addition to the training category and specific training hour requirement (3,720), you must complete an additional 1,880 training hours to reach the 5,600 training hour program minimum. The additional 1,880 training hours can be applied to any training category(s) and through supplemental education as allowed by the IDP Guidelines.

NOTE: Completion of the IDP does not guarantee ARE eligibility in all jurisdictions. Please review your state's requirements for ARE eligibility, which is typically based on the combination of your education, completion of IDP, and experience, to determine if additional documentation may be required.

In general, you can receive up to one year of credit for foreign employment that occurred under the direct supervision of an architect registered in that country. If your direct supervisor was registered in a U.S. jurisdiction, you can usually receive unlimited credit.

Yes. You may earn IDP experience through supplementary education whether or not you are employed.

All of the opportunities available through supplementary education are explained in the IDP Guidelines.

The best way to maximize your experience is familiarize yourself with the rules of the program as outlined in the IDP Guidelines and to meet frequently with your IDP supervisor and mentor to review your progress.

Many IDP supervisors may not have been through the IDP. The IDP Supervisors Guidelines can help both you and your supervisor plan a course of action for your internship.

NCARB has developed the IDP Supervisor Guidelines to assist supervisors in the crucial role they play in the careers of interns in the Intern Development Program (IDP). The IDP Supervisor Guidelines explains the objectives and requirements of the IDP and gives a supervisor a better understanding of an intern's expectations. The guidelines offer a starting point to help develop and implement successful relationships that are beneficial to individuals, firms, and the profession.

Completion of the IDP is one of the requirements for NCARB certification. To learn more about the NCARB certification process and the benefits of becoming NCARB certified see the Certification & Reciprocity section.

Even if your current jurisdiction does not require IDP, many jurisdictions will require completion of IDP as a requirement to achieve reciprocity. You may review the different jurisdictional requirements on the State Board Licensing Requirements section.

 

It is also a requirement to earn an NCARB Certificate.

No, as each phase of IDP 2.0 is implemented, all changes to the program will be applicable to all interns currently participating in the IDP. At no point during the rollout of IDP 2.0 will any intern lose experience hours that have already been reported and approved.

The lowest denomination of hours the system will accept is .25 hours.

Some jurisdictional laws and regulations may still reference training units. Although My NCARB systems are denominated in training hours from the intern and supervisor’s perspective, some of NCARB’s "behind-the-scenes" systems will continue to reflect training units, and your jurisdiction will still be corresponding with NCARB in terms of training units. To avoid confusion, please be aware if you are referencing training hours or training units when corresponding with NCARB or your jurisdiction. One training unit equals eight training hours. 

If an intern realizes the mistake before it has been approved by a supervisor, the supervisor can select “return for edits” in the e-EVR and the intern may change the report to reflect training hours. If the supervisor has already approved the report, the intern should contact NCARB Customer Service at 202/879-0520 or here.

Yes, an IDP Workbook is available reflecting this change.

The Six-Month Rule is a reporting requirement that will help interns, together with their supervisors, identify and target deficient training areas sooner rather than later so that they can request exposure to such experience promptly.

Short-term employment must be reported within a reporting period of no longer than six months and within two months of completion of the reporting period. See Example 3 in the Six-Month Rule Examples section for more information.

Once an intern enters qualified hours into the e-EVR system, they will not be penalized by losing hours for delays in processing caused by their supervisor or NCARB. NCARB will electronically notify the intern’s supervisor that they have submitted a report for their review and discussion with their intern. In other words, once an intern submits hours by entering them into their Record online, those hours are “protected” from the Six-Month Rule while any loose ends are tied up. An intern can only lose the submitted hours if they are deemed invalid by the supervisor, or they are not earned in accordance with the rules of the IDP. See Example 2 in the Six-Month Rule Examples section for more information.

At the Annual Meeting in June 2008, NCARB’s Member Boards voted 49-1 in favor of implementing Resolution 2008-07 aka the Six-Month Rule.

All interns must comply with the Six-Month Rule when submitting work experience or supplementary education. If you are unemployed, you do not have any work experience to report, and therefore do not need to submit a work experience report.  However, if you take advantage of the Supplementary Education opportunities that are available for IDP credit while unemployed, then you will need to submit that experience in compliance with the Six-Month Rule.

The e-EVR is an acronym for NCARB's electronic Experience Verification Reporting system. NCARB Record holders are able to document their experience reports online through My NCARB. Each time you submit a report, your supervisor receives an e-mail notification with a link to their report. Once the supervisor has created a profile in the system, they can review and approve all your experience reports online.

Your Record is updated immediately, and you can log in to My NCARB at any time to view your progress.

You can access the e-EVR by logging in to My NCARB by clicking the orange button on the right side of NCARB's home page, www.ncarb.org. In "NCARB Record," you can access the e-EVR by clicking "NEW! e-EVR, the electronic Experience Verification Reporting system." Once you agree to the terms, you can begin building your NCARB Record faster and more accurately.

"Saved" experience reports are hours you have entered for a specific reporting period, but have not yet submitted to your IDP supervisor for approval. You may make changes to your "saved" experience any time until you submit your report

"Submitted" experience reports are hours you have submitted to your supervisor, but have not yet been approved. You may not make changes to an experience report once you have submitted it to your IDP supervisor for approval and certification of the accuracy.

"Approved" experience reports are hours your supervisor has verified and are now included in your IDP  hour totals.

If you need to make adjustments to an experience report you have submitted to your IDP supervisor for approval, you must have your supervisor select the "Return for Edits" option. This action will cause the experience report to be returned to you so that you can correct it and resubmit it.

NOTE: Your supervisor has a third option to permanently reject your report. This is only intended to be used if they do not agree that you performed any of the work noted on your submission or that your professional conduct or technical competence were unsatisfactory. If your supervisor rejects your submission, you will need to discuss this with them directly to see if a resolution is available. If this needs to be changed, the supervisor would need to contact NCARB directly.

 

 

 

 

Yes, all previously submitted and accepted hours are included in the IDP summary you see on your e-EVR home page.

When adding a new employer or experience report, you are asked to identify your direct supervisor and enter their e-mail address. (Note: please review the IDP Guidelines for information about identifying your direct supervisor). When you have finished entering the information for the experience report, click "submit" and an e-mail is sent to your IDP supervisor asking them to log in as a supervisor and review your submission. If your IDP supervisor approves the submission, the report is added to your NCARB Record and the hours are added to your totals; if they select the "Return for Edits" option, the submission is returned to you for revision and resubmission.

Hours from approved experience reports are immediately viewable in your IDP hour totals. You may need to log out of your NCARB Record and log back in for the update(s) to appear.

Paper forms are no longer accepted.

There is an option to print paper reports out of the e-EVR system, but there are limitations and restrictions to this approach and this option should only be utilized out of necessity, such as when your IDP supervisor does not have an e-mail account.

Please note: This option will be eliminated when the final phase of IDP 2.0 is implemented in April 2012.

A "Warning" in the message center alerts you to the potential for a mistake in your report that could lead to rejection by your supervisor or NCARB. You may proceed with your submission despite a warning message.  

An "Error" message alerts you to a mistake that must be corrected before you can submit your experience report. Error messages are most often problems such as overlapping reporting periods or submitting too many training hours for the reporting period. You may not submit an experience report until all "error" messages have been addressed and no longer appear in your message center.

Yes, the e-EVR will accept the two employments while providing you a warning regarding overlapping experience reports. You will need to accept the warning message in the e-EVR. NCARB may require additional documentation from your employers.

Once the e-EVR indicates that you have completed the requirements for the IDP, your Record will automatically be placed in the queue for a final evaluation. After this evaluation, which currently takes between 30-45 days, you will be updated by NCARB staff regarding your status and the next steps you'll need to take.

Select "My Employers" in the bar at the top of the e-EVR screen; locate the employer and select "Add Experience."

Select "My Experience" in the bar at the top of the e-EVR screen. Select "Add New Experience" and enter the information requested.

Select "My Experience" in the bar at the top of the e-EVR screen, locate the desired experience, and click "View." Select "Edit" and make any changes necessary. The experience is saved automatically until you either "Submit" or "Delete" the report. Until then, you can make changes as often as you like, including updating the training hours daily to reflect work completed that same day. However, once you submit the report to your supervisor you will not be able to edit it unless your supervisor returns the report for edits. Please make sure you are satisfied with the completeness and accuracy of the report before submitting it for verification.

You can only delete experience reports listed as "Saved" in the e-EVR. All other reports listed cannot be deleted through the e-EVR. To delete submissions other than those listed as "Saved," please contact customer service at customerservice@ncarb.org and request the deletion by indicating both the employer and reporting period.

Once you have received your Authorization to Test form, you can begin scheduling appointments for the exams listed on your letter. Visit Prometric’s web site www.prometric.com/NCARB or call the Prometric Candidate Services Call Center at 800/479-6215 between the hours of 8:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. EST (Monday-Friday) to find a test center near you and schedule your appointment.

You need to present one form of identification. The primary form of identification, current and non-expired, must bear your signature and a recent photograph of you. The name on the identification must be exactly the same as the name on the Authorization to Test (ATT). If your ID does not match your ATT, you will not be allowed to test. For further details, please refer to the ARE 4.0 Guidelines.

Please refer to the ARE 4.0 Guidelines for the policy and fees associated with rescheduling existing appointments. Cancellation of an appointment is not permitted. If you cancel an exam, regardless of the reason, your testing fee is non-transferrable and non-refundable.

If you attempt to schedule an exam and find that your eligibility is not in the system, you need to contact your board of architecture (or NCARB if your jurisdiction participates in Direct Eligibility or Direct Registration). Each individual board of architecture is responsible for transmitting your testing eligibility information to the ARE Helpdesk at Prometric.

It may be possible to extend or change your eligibility to take an exam. Your board of architecture is responsible for establishing eligibility periods. You must call your board for any changes.

When your board of architecture transmits your eligibility to the ARE Helpdesk, an Authorization to Test is automatically generated. If you feel that you should have received it already, please call the ARE Helpdesk at 800/896-2272.

If you need to change your name and/or address, you must first call your board of architecture. It is imperative that this be done so that your Authorization to Test matches the identification you will provide at the testing center. Additionally, you must notify NCARB of this change to ensure that you receive all important updates related to the ARE.

 

(NOTE: If you have made your appointment prior to changing your name and/or address, your new information will not appear on the check-in screen at the test center.)

If you have any comments or questions concerning your examination, direct your comments in writing to the following address within 10 days following your test administration:

ARE Helpdesk
1501 South Clinton Street
Baltimore, MD 21224
609/895-5022 FAX

A copy of this letter should be forwarded to your board of architecture. You will receive a reply from NCARB, Prometric, or your board of architecture as appropriate.

If you have any type of problem or a concern regarding your ARE testing experience, please contact the ARE Helpdesk (800/896-2272) to report your concerns immediately. DO NOT wait to receive your test results before expressing your concerns. NCARB policy does not allow for response to complaints received more than 10 days following your test date and does not allow for response to complaints sent to any other address than that of the ARE Helpdesk. The filing of a report by the test center administrator does NOT satisfy the requirements of notifying the ARE Helpdesk directly.

On behalf of its Member Boards, NCARB develops and maintains the ARE and owns all copyrights to the exam and its content. The content of the exam is developed, tested, and administered at great expense to the Council. The Confidentiality Agreement is in place to protect that investment and to ensure the ARE remains a valid and reliable process by which NCARB and jurisdictional boards ensure that those who practice architecture are qualified to do so. There are serious consequences that can result from disclosing exam content. Those consequences may include cancellation of test scores, suspension of test taking privileges, exposure to civil damages in a court of law, and additional disciplinary action by your board of architecture. For more information about the Confidentiality Agreement, please visit the exam security section of our web site.

Processing time varies from four to six weeks. After processing, your score is forwarded directly to your board of architecture. Your board then completes any additional processing and forwards the score report to you. Test results are not available at the test center and are not available through NCARB. If your board of architecture participates in the Direct Registration program, NCARB will process your score report and forward it directly to you.

The vignettes are scored by computer scoring engines, which have been programmed to objectively evaluate each solution for compliance to the specific vignette’s requirement.

No. The computer-delivered vignettes are developed to allow for more than one correct solution. With the exception of very specific criteria such as site setbacks in the Site Zoning vignette, there is no one right answer. The vignette scoring procedures allow for errors to occur without automatically assigning a failing score. The scoring engines evaluate the solutions to the vignettes in a holistic manner where minor errors are compensated for by overall compliance with the programmatic, code, and technical aspects of each vignette. Committees of volunteer practicing architects have determined the objective grading criteria.

This rule was established for two reasons. First, NCARB has a library of test questions and vignettes, but the library is not of sufficient size to offer each division of the exam more than once every six months to any given candidate. Second, it is important to spend the time between test administrations gaining additional knowledge and experience in the particular areas being tested.

No. If you wish to become certified by NCARB, you must apply for the NCARB Certificate after you have received your initial license. Your jurisdictional board will not notify NCARB. For more information on the certification process, contact NCARB’s Records Department at 202/879-0520. You can also get more information or request an application by visiting the Certification & Reciprocity section of the NCARB’s web site.

There are a total of seven divisions in ARE 4.0. Six of the divisions include both multiple-choice questions AND graphic vignettes. These divisions are: Programming, Planning & Practice, Site Planning & Design, Building Design & Construction Systems, Structural Systems, Building Systems, and Construction Documents & Services. One division, Schematic Design, includes only graphic vignettes. For further information, please refer to the ARE 4.0 Guidelines.

The Site Grading vignette and the Mechanical & Electrical Plan vignette have slightly different content than ARE 3.1. The updated Site Grading vignette requires candidates to re-grade the site and create a level pad on which a given object must be placed. There are new lighting requirements in the revised Mechanical & Electrical Plan vignette. Additionally, the test specification used for multiple-choice items has been updated to contain content noted in the 2001 Practice Analysis of Architecture.

The software used to solve the vignettes is proprietary to the examination and is not commercially available. NCARB did this for two reasons. First, it ensures that the exam does not unfairly advantage one group of candidates. Second, the software NCARB developed is specifically designed for testing, not for development of construction documents.

The software includes tutorials on how to use the various tools, plus one sample of each vignette to practice. The practice software for each division is free and available to download on our web site in the Preparing for the ARE section.

All divisions include an on-screen scientific calculator for your use.

The vignette calculator tool is included in the downloadable practice software. The calculator used in the multiple-choice sections of each exam is very similar to the Windows scientific calculator.

Yes. You are able to stop working on one vignette, move to a second or third vignette, come back to the first, etc., within each section of vignettes. However, once you choose to exit that section of vignettes, you cannot return to them. You do not need to save your work, as it is automatically saved approximately every minute. Each time you leave a vignette to move to another vignette your work also is saved.

You must be as accurate as possible when creating your solutions since more accurate information will result in more accurate scoring. Use the “zoom” tool and the “full-screen cursor” to make it easier to create more accurate solutions. A “check” tool is provided in several vignettes to help you identify problem areas such as overlapping elements. Tolerances are built into each scoring program that allow for slight inaccuracies. These tolerances vary from vignette to vignette based on the importance of the feature being evaluated.

No, you are not able to print out your work. In order to offer the ARE six days a week, year-round, NCARB has developed a library of equivalent vignettes. These vignettes must remain secure, thus printouts are not allowed.

The ARE Guidelines provide an outline of exam content for each division. The exam guides for each division also list many of the reference books used in development of that particular examination.

The ARE is developed by NCARB and is a high-stakes licensing examination in which you are required to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and ability. The ARE is not a teaching tool to prepare one for licensure. As such, the materials produced by NCARB serve a different purpose than those provided for college classes or admissions exams. NCARB provides exam information to candidates for the sole purpose of allowing them to become familiar with the format of multiple-choice and vignette items.

A brief tutorial is delivered before each division to explain how to move from one question to the next. Each multiple-choice section consists of a fixed number of questions delivered within a maximum time limit. Within each multiple-choice section, some questions are being pretested and do not affect your actual test score. These pretest questions are being evaluated and may be included as scored items in future editions of the test.

You will only see one question at a time; however, you can go back to review and/or change answers. It is possible to look at each question, answer it, and move on without going back. It is also possible to answer a question and mark it for later review. Additionally, you will have the option to skip a question and come back to it later.

Yes, all unanswered questions are counted wrong.

A “regular” multiple-choice question has four options from which you may select your answer. AIT questions include both “Check-All-That-Apply” and “Quantitative-Fill-in-the-Blank” items. In the new “Check-All-That-Apply” items, the question will have six options to choose from and the candidate must select all that are correct. In each item, it is noted how many options you need to select. In the “Quantitative-Fill-in-the-Blank” questions, a candidate must input the correct numeric answer and no options are given. Sample “Check-All-That-Apply” and “Quantitative-Fill-in-the-Blank” questions may be reviewed here.

Approximately 10-15 percent of each division will be AIT questions.

The maximum time allowed for each division includes adequate time to answer these questions.

No, all questions are scored equally.

No partial credit is given.

Contact the registration board in the jurisdiction in which you wish to become licensed in to apply to take the exam. Your board will provide you with all application requirements. Although NCARB develops the ARE, it does not register candidates to take the exam. For jurisdictions that participate in the Direct Registration or Direct Eligibility programs, NCARB does process candidate exam eligibilities based upon their jurisdiction’s requirements.

At the Annual Meeting in June 2007, NCARB registration board voted to allow interns to sit for the ARE while participating in IDP. It is up to each registration board to determine if their jurisdiction will adopt this new rule. The approved resolution also requires all candidates to establish an NCARB Record prior to being made eligible for the exam (regardless of allowing the ARE during the IDP). Contact your state board to determine the status of this eligibility rule for your jurisdiction.

You have the opportunity to test in any order at any time you choose once you have been approved to take the exam. Test centers are open Monday through Saturday, but hours may vary from test center to test center. Contact the test center of your choice to determine their hours of operation. Visit Prometric's web site to find a test center near you.

The ARE is administered at approximately 300 standardized test centers across the United States and Canada. Visit Prometric’s web site www.prometric.com/NCARB to locate a test site or schedule a test. You may also call Prometric’s Candidate Services contact center at 800/479-6215 to schedule an examination. For Teletyper, call 800/529-3590.

No. NCARB’s computer-based format removes geographical barriers. For instance, a candidate who started taking the exam in Texas, and now lives in New York, will be able to take the exam at any conveniently located test center, rather than having to return to Texas. Scores will be forwarded to the initial jurisdiction where you are seeking registration.

The development of the ARE is a lengthy process that involves thousands of hours of work by hundreds of volunteer architects from all over the United States and Canada. Several times a year, the various exam committees meet to write questions, evaluate scoring engines, and make recommendations related to the long-term future of the ARE.

NCARB's exam committees research the proposed changes and make recommendations to NCARB's Board of Directors. All changes to the ARE are approved by the NCARB Board of Directors.

Architecture is a continuously evolving profession and the practice of architecture has changed considerably since NCARB launched the first registration exam in 1965. Exam content and format goes through deliberate, studied, and controlled evaluation on a regular basis. Content is updated to reflect current architectural practices and technological changes are incorporated to more accurately assess the abilities of today’s candidate. Throughout all versions of the ARE and its predecessors, the goal of the exam has remained the same: to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public by providing a psychometrically justifiable and legally defensible examination that measures the level of competency necessary to practice architecture independently.

No, the opposite is actually true. The ARE is heavily subsidized by NCARB. The income generated by the administration of the ARE covers only a portion of the expenses related to the development and administration of the examination. The remainder of the expenses is covered by income generated by other programs operated by the Council.

Before a vignette or multiple-choice item is added to the exam it must be written, reviewed, edited, and thoroughly pretested. Prometric, NCARB’s test consultant, evaluates the psychometric data on each pretested item to determine if it meets established requirements to be included on the exam. Any item—multiple-choice question or vignette—that isn’t performing as expected is revised or thrown out. The rewritten items go back for another round of pretesting. Only items that perform acceptably during pretesting are included as a scored item in an actual exam. This process takes a minimum of two years from concept to becoming a scored item.

Prior to taking any division of the ARE and seeing any questions on the exam, candidates are required to agree to the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement. NCARB’s efforts to inform candidates of the consequences of breaking this agreement have included postcards, e-mails, a podcast, and articles in the ARE e-news and Direct Connection. NCARB staff members have spoken at many student and intern events, and warning messages have been posted on the internet. In addition, NCARB is in the process of hiring two full-time staff members to monitor and investigate exam disclosures and copyright violations.

Each division costs $210.

Once you schedule an appointment, your test fee cannot be refunded or transferred to another division of the ARE. As outlined in the ARE Guidelines, you can reschedule an existing appointment by calling Prometric’s Candidate Services Contact Center at 800/479-6215. At the time of your call, you must reschedule the appointment for a later date. A rescheduling fee will be charged to your credit card.

For more information about rescheduling an appointment, please refer to the ARE Guidelines, which can be downloaded from the NCARB website.

The candidates who expose exam content are sanctioned by having exam scores canceled and testing privileges suspended. While further action against candidates who violate the Confidentiality Agreement to recover a portion of the financial losses is an option, the high cost of pursuing legal action would likely negate any amount that could be recovered from an exam candidate. In the meantime, NCARB has a responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public by providing a psychometrically justifiable and legally defensible examination that measures the level of competence necessary to practice architecture independently.

The Direct Eligibility Program is a program for NCARB Member Boards. For participating boards, NCARB creates the testing eligibilities for an ARE candidate and then sends the Record to the jurisdiction. The jurisdiction then manages the eligibilities and score reports for that candidate. Click here for more information.

The Direct Registration Program is a program for NCARB Member Boards. For participating boards, NCARB creates the testing eligibilities for an ARE candidate and sends score reports to candidates. Once testing is complete, the Council sends the entire NCARB Record to the jurisdiction in support of licensure. Click here for more information.

The passing standard (i.e., the number of questions you have to get right) is the same for every registration board. It is not affected by the number of candidates who pass or fail each examination. There is no fixed percentage of candidates who pass or fail the ARE.

NCARB doesn't have a retake quota or profit margin it has to meet. The ARE is heavily subsidized by other NCARB operations. The income generated by candidate fees only covers a portion (about half) of the actual expense necessary to support the development and administration of the exam.

You receive limited diagnostic information for each failed division because the ARE is a licensing examination developed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public—as such, you are required to demonstrate your knowledge, skill, and ability. The ARE is not intended to be a teaching tool nor is it designed as a placement or certification examination.

As a high stakes licensure exam, the ARE is designed to measure the minimum competence of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that architects must possess in order to safely practice architecture independently. The disclosure of content tested by the ARE diminishes the reliability and defensibility of the exam and ultimately undermines the integrity of the process. If someone passes the ARE because they were exposed to exam content prior to taking the test, they could become licensed even if they are not competent. This could endanger the health, safety, and welfare of the public, which is not good for the public or our profession.

Before you start taking any division of the ARE, you are required to agree to a Confidentiality Agreement. By accepting this agreement, you agree that you will not disclose any content contained in your examination to anyone else.

“Disclosure” means sharing the substance or details of any test questions, vignettes or other graphics and/or alleged answers with anyone via electronic, written, or verbal means. This includes any attempt to reproduce, paraphrase, summarize, or describe any test content from memory after leaving the testing room.

Disclosure includes both the initial disclosure by a test taker and any further dissemination of ARE content by others. These prohibitions on disclosure also apply to forwarding, re-posting, or other distribution of ARE content that others have disclosed.

The biggest difference is that “cheating” occurs during the course of your examination. Disclosure typically occurs after your exam.

Unauthorized access to devices or materials outside the testing room during any scheduled or unscheduled break.

Presence of unauthorized devices (whether on or off) or unauthorized materials in the testing room. Prohibited devices include, but are not limited to, calculators, cell phones, pagers, personal digital assistants, text messaging devices, audio or video recording devices, scanners, language translators, and other devices. Prohibited written materials include, but are not limited to, any notes, books or written material whatsoever, whether or not related to the ARE.

Use of unauthorized devices or materials in the testing room. The use of or reference to any device or any written materials in the testing room is strictly prohibited and will be presumed to be for purposes of assistance on the ARE.

1. A warning letter
2. OR any or all of the following

• Cancellation of score(s) for the division(s) disseminated and any subsequent division(s) taken prior to the end of any period of test authorization suspension.
• Suspension of test taking privileges for all divisions for up to five years, or such longer period as may be warranted in exceptional circumstances.
• Prohibit granting of an NCARB Certificate for up to three years from date of initial registration, or such longer period as may be warranted in exceptional circumstances.

Recently, the NCARB Board acted upon eight different disclosure cases. The consequences for these candidates ranged from one year of testing privileges suspended and two exam scores cancelled to five years of testing privileges suspended.

Disclosure includes “forwarding, re-posting, or other distribution of ARE content that others have disclosed.” Actively seeking exam content or forwarding it once you acquire it is also a violation. While you may not have agreed to this confidentiality Agreement yet, you are still in violation of U.S. copyright protection. Every question and vignette included on the ARE is copyrighted.

After taking an exam, you are welcome to tell people about your experience when scheduling, at the test center, your score report, or how you prepared for the exam. When you are sharing your preparation experience, you may tell others what books, classes, or other resources you used. But do not attempt to paraphrase or describe any of the questions or vignettes on your exam.

If you come back from your test and want to share your experience, but don’t want to go too far, call NCARB and ask to speak to the ARE directorate. Someone there will be able to help you determine what you are and are not allowed to share.

 

It is probably hard for most people to prevent other candidates from exposing exam content. But, as long as you aren’t asking for the information or passing it on once you find it, you are doing as much as you can.

 

Discouraging inappropriate sharing of information by posting comments on known forums is also an option.

NCARB has never asked candidates to report findings, but some have in the past. If you find what you suspect is exam content, please feel free to forward the information to the ARE directorate at are@ncarb.org so we can ask the web site to remove the content.

Listings of general information are usually fine. If someone says “I just got back from my test” or “I had a vignette and I solved it like this” they are likely crossing the line.

Feel free to share with them how you prepared for your exam, but remind them that you agreed to the Confidentiality Agreement and are going to abide by it.

Sometimes. If we learn that you have posted something that may be exam content, we will evaluate it against your actual exam. If we determine that it wasn’t actual exam content, you will likely get a warning letter. We would do this in hopes of preventing you from crossing the line in the future.

If we determine that it does contain exam content, your case will be forwarded to the NCARB Committee on Professional Conduct (PCC) for review and action. If your first post on a web site crosses the line, the first letter will be the notice that your case is being forwarded to PCC.

If we determine that you have disclosed content, we make every effort to notify you as soon as possible. Typically, this will occur within a few weeks of our discovery.

You will have the opportunity to respond in writing to defend your actions. Your response will be provided to the PCC for review when they discuss your case.

Once the PCC reviews a given situation, they will make a recommendation to the NCARB Board of Directors. The Board will then review the case and take final action. Action by the NCARB Board is final.

When candidates disclose information, NCARB works with Prometric to determine the impact on the exam. If NCARB needs to turn exam content off, this impacts all candidates now and in the future. If we find that we need to turn off substantial amounts of content, our ability to continuously deliver the ARE is jeopardized.

• We may be forced to extend the current six-month mandatory waiting period following a failed exam to nine or 12 months.
• Our development cycle takes two years from a vignette or multiple-choice item to become “live” in an exam. This process is considerably expensive. To replace lost content, we will need to modify our development cycle. To do this, we may have to increase exam fees for all candidates in all divisions.

Not at this time, but should we feel that a division has been compromised, we will reconsider this option.

The NCARB Grant was created to support new educational initiatives that integrate practice and education, while the NCARB Prize was designed to showcase and reward current diverse programs and activities that integrate practice and education in an academic setting.

NCARB does not have plans to reinstate the NCARB Prize Program. NCARB is increasing focus on the NCARB Grant Program and will continue to support the academy through the NCARB Grant.

In addition to criteria such as integration of non-faculty architect practitioners, creation of innovative concepts and methods to integrate practice and education, and effectiveness in responding to relevant issues identified in the 2007 Practice Analysis of Architecture and "The Boyer Report," several new criteria have been added. These include the proposal's effectiveness in raising awareness of the architect's responsibility for the public health, safety, and welfare and its effectiveness in raising awareness about issues central to practice. Please refer to the NCARB Grant Program review and assessment criteria.

The NCARB Grant and its objectives support architecture schools' efforts to create academic initiatives that will have a long-term, ongoing impact on architecture students, faculty, and the curriculum by integrating practice and education in the academy. Within the larger objective of integrating of practice and education in the academy, the NCARB Grant criteria includes two specific issues: raising student awareness about issues central to practice and the architect's responsibility for the public health, safety, and welfare. These and other objectives are aligned with the NAAB 2009 Conditions for Accreditation that "define minimum standards that professional degree programs in architecture are expected to meet in order to ensure that students are prepared to move to the next steps in their careers including internship and licensure."

The "Boyer Report," the informal name for Building Community: A New Future for Architecture, Education, and Practice, was a study of architecture education and practice undertaken by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The report is referred to as "The Boyer Report" in recognition of Dr. Ernest Boyer, a noted educator, former U.S. Commissioner of Education, and co-author. The report identified a "sense of disconnection... between the two separate worlds of architecture education and practice." The 30-month study examined architecture programs and architecture firms and surveyed students, faculty, administration, alumni, interns, and architects. The study was significant because it drew attention to "the gulf dividing architecture schools and the practice world [that] has grown perilously wide."

Although the Boyer Report is out of print, architecture libraries may have a copy. NCARB undertook a review of the report to evaluate issues and recommendations that the report raised. These are summarized in the Report of the NCARB Carnegie/Boyer Review Task Force, which is available on the NCARB website here.

The 2007 Practice Analysis of Architecture is one of several periodic studies that NCARB regularly undertakes to determine the tasks and knowledge/skills that are important to the competent performance of recently licensed architects. The results of the 2007 Practice Analysis of Architecture provide a psychometrically valid foundation of empirically derived data upon which the Architect Registration Examination^® (ARE^®) and the Intern Development Program (IDP) are based.

The NCARB Grant was created to support creation of educational initiatives that integrate practice and education in the academy. Both documents outline a variety of issues that are central to the integration of practice and education in the academy that faculty members may want to reference. Within the larger objective of integrating of practice and education, the NCARB Grant Program allows faculty members to develop proposals that respond to these criteria in relation to their institution's specific context and needs.

Although the Grant proposal form requires more information than in previous years, it has been developed to focus on key concepts and elements of proposals. Faculty members can use this to help them develop proposals and focus on key issues that are important for the review process and facilitate the development of their ideas and concepts. It is intended to focus on aspects of projects that they might overlook and also ensure that all required information is submitted.

Following are some pointers that may be beneficial:

• It may be easier to compose proposal items in another program that has more features such as spell/grammar check and cut and paste the final text into the form
• Request letters of commitment, registration verification from non-faculty architect practitioners, and letters of commitment from school administration as soon as possible
• Double check to make sure that registration information is accurate and meets eligibility requirements for the proposal duration
• Double check that all required information and documents have been provided, including details such as the order of PDF documents, bookmarking, and word counts. Make sure all required documents are included on one file (including the Excel budget spreadsheet).

Yes, the NCARB Grant is an annual program. Each grant is for a one-year term time period; projects must begin in January and be offered no later than the following fall term.

It is anticipated that the 2012 NCARB Grant Program schedule will be similar to the 2011 NCARB Grant Program.

Members of the Practice Education Committee are volunteers from NCARB Member Boards (the 54 U.S. architect registration boards). All committee members are architects.

No, due to the number of proposals, the committee is not able to provide feedback on individual proposals.

Projects are required to begin development in January and the class/seminar/studio should be offered no later than the following fall term.

Yes, NCARB Grant recipients will receive a copy of award conditions that specify the terms and conditions of the NCARB Grant and requirements for interim and final reports.

NCARB Grant award conditions require submission of interim and final reports and supporting documents to describe the proposal development and implementation. Supporting documents include letters from school administration and non-faculty architect practitioners, budgets, course descriptions, and syllabi.

The 2010 NCARB Grant award amount was a total of $10,000 divided among three awards.

No, proposals are required to meet all format and submission requirements and include all required information and documents. Incomplete proposals and proposals that do not meet format and submission requirements will not be accepted. For example, if a proposal does not include one of the required documents, it will be disqualified. If a proposal is not submitted in PDF format and bookmarked, it will be disqualified.

Yes, you can submit projects with other faculty members from other departments or other institutions. Please note that joint projects between faculty members in different academic departments may be submitted as long as one of the faculty members is a member of the architecture school with a NAAB-accredited program or the program that is a candidate for NAAB accreditation. Faculty members may submit a joint proposal with faculty members from other academic institutions as long as at least one of the project directors from each institution is a faculty member in each institution's architecture school with a NAAB-accredited program or the program that is a candidate for NAAB accreditation.

No, proposals may only be submitted by faculty members in an architecture school with a NAAB-accredited program or the program that is a candidate for NAAB accreditation. However, architects can work with faculty members to develop proposals and be involved in the project as a non-faculty architect practitioner.

No, students may not submit a proposal. Students may have ideas for projects and may discuss them with faculty members and non-faculty architect practitioners; however, proposals may only be submitted by faculty members in an architecture school with a NAAB-accredited program or the program that is a candidate for NAAB accreditation.

No, proposals are not pre-reviewed. You are encouraged to review all program information and program requirements prior to submitting proposals.

No, it is the individual project director's responsibility to ensure that all required documents and information are provided and that all documents conform to the format and submission requirements.

No, proposals should not be anonymous; proposals and individual documents of the proposals may contain the names of institutions, project directors, and non-faculty architect practitioners, etc.

There is no limit to the number of proposals that an individual faculty member may submit as long as each proposal is limited to one project or initiative.

Faculty in architecture schools located in one of NCARB's 54 Member Board jurisdictions that have a program that is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) or a program that is a candidate for NAAB accreditation are eligible. There are no restrictions on appointment levels or designations; full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty members are eligible to submit proposals.

The 54 Member Board jurisdictions are the architect registration boards of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As NCARB Member Boards they elect NCARB officers and directors and work together to formulate NCARB policies, rules, and regulations in addition to their responsibility to regulate the profession of architecture in their jurisdiction. For a complete list of our 54 Member Board jurisdictions please click on the following link here.

The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)'s website has a list of all NAAB-accredited programs and programs that are candidates for NAAB accreditation. Your school should also be able to confirm if it has a program that is accredited by the NAAB or a candidate for NAAB accreditation.

No, only faculty members in schools that have programs that are NAAB-accredited or candidates for NAAB accreditation are eligible.

No, projects that include project directors from different departments or institutions will not be given preference over other projects. All submissions must meet all proposal and submission requirements. They will be assessed solely in relation to established program review criteria.

No, preference will not be given to proposals in which the project director is an architect. Project directors are not required to hold registration as an architect. However, a copy of the project director's resume outlining the education, professional, and academic experience, must be included.

Only architects who are currently registered in a U.S. jurisdiction may serve as a non-faculty architect practitioner. They are not required to be registered in the same jurisdiction in which the architecture school is located and they not required to be in the same location as the school as long as they are involved in significant ways.

Verification of all non-faculty architect practitioners' registration status must be provided with the proposal. Please refer to the proposal submission form for specific information required.

At least one non-faculty architect practitioner must be involved. However, it is important to ensure that the non-faculty architect practitioners are involved in the education of students in significant and meaningful ways.

No, only architects who are currently registered in a U.S. jurisdiction are eligible to serve as a non-faculty architect practitioner. Other professionals can be involved in the project; however, at least one non-faculty architect practitioner must be involved in the project. Verification of the non-faculty architect practitioner's registration must also be included in the proposal.

Non-faculty architect practitioners may not include any adjunct, visiting, part-time, or full-time faculty members. They may be involved in the project; however, they do not fulfill the requirement for non-faculty architect practitioners.

There is no alternative to involvement of non-faculty architect practitioners and other professionals cannot take the place of non-faculty architect practitioners. However, there is no requirement that the non-faculty architect practitioner be located in or even registered in the jurisdiction in which the school is located. You may want to consider other means of involving non-faculty architect practitioners in projects such as technology. There are no restrictions on the way in which you involve the non-faculty architect practitioner in the project as long as they are involved in significant and meaningful ways.

NCARB does not place specific requirements on the amount of or extent of involvement of non-faculty architect practitioners other than to require that the non-faculty architect practitioner be involved in significant and meaningful ways. It is the individual project director's responsibility to define this in relation to the architect, their expertise, the needs of the school, program, project, and students, as well as the individual project goals and objectives.

The non-faculty architect practitioner's registration must remain active during the duration of the project. It is important to ensure that it is active and that the period of registration documented in the registration verification documents is consistent with the project schedule.

Yes, you can involve other non-faculty architect practitioners who were not included in the original proposal. However, you must still include a non-faculty architect practitioner in the proposal form and submit all required documents related to the non-faculty architect practitioner. The possibility to include other non-faculty architect practitioners in the future alone does not fulfill this eligibility requirement.

Yes, you can involve other people in the office of the non-faculty architect practitioner who are not architects; however, they cannot take the place of the non-faculty architect practitioner.

Yes, it is eligible as long as it did not receive an award. Projects submitted in previous years that were not awarded an NCARB Grant are eligible to be submitted. Please note that you must use the current year's NCARB Grant Proposal Submission Form. Proposals using previous year's proposal submission form will not be accepted.

The NCARB Prize Program required that projects be completed or in progress at the time of submission. The NCARB Grant Program is for new projects or initiatives, so a project that met the eligibility requirement for the NCARB Prize Program would not meet eligibility requirements for the NCARB Grant Program.

Yes, projects submitted in previous years that were not awarded an NCARB Grant are eligible to be submitted. Please note that you must use the most recent NCARB Grant Proposal Submission Form. Proposals using previous year's proposal submission form will not be accepted.

There are no restrictions on the type of project as long as proposals respond to program objectives and criteria and they meet all eligibility requirements. Projects do not have to be studio-based or design-based; they do not have to result in a building project, a design project, or a built project. Non-design and non-studio projects such as classroom-, laboratory-, and seminar-based projects are eligible.

Yes, NCARB Grant funds are to be specifically used to support activities and initiatives that result in the integration of practice and education in the academy. NCARB Grant funds may be used for the items such as faculty release time to create the program, new equipment and technology, expendable materials, publication related to the project, travel and per diem for non-faculty architect practitioners, students, faculty, and consultants, and honoraria for non-faculty architect practitioners and consultants. Please refer to the detailed description of budget restrictions.

If you are awarded an NCARB Grant and do not receive funding that you included in your proposal, you will have an opportunity to submit an updated budget in the interim and final report. Please note that additional funding from the NCARB Grant will not be available.

The NCARB Grant Program provides funding for a new course (class/seminar/studio). It does not require completion of previous courses or initiatives. There are no restrictions on the type of project and it is curriculum-focused, not research focused. The NCARB Grant Program is one of the largest sources of funding available to school. These characteristics make it especially valuable to architecture faculty who want to explore new ideas and concepts to create new courses.

No, you cannot make revisions to proposal once it has been submitted. However, you may submit a revised proposal to include revisions and additional documents. Please note that the revised proposal must be submitted in its entirety and must conform to all submission and format requirements. In the event that duplicate proposals and/or resubmission of the same proposals are received, the proposal with the latest proposal will be assumed to be the final proposal. The earlier proposal will be disqualified.

No, you cannot submit additional documents and NCARB will not make any modifications to proposals once they have been received. If you would like to submit additional documents, you may submit a revised proposal to include revisions and additional documents. Please note that the revised proposal must be submitted in its entirety and must conform to all submission and format requirements. In the event that duplicate proposals and/or resubmission of the same proposals are received, the proposal with the latest proposal will be assumed to be the final proposal. The earlier proposal will be disqualified.

No, proposals that are submitted by mail or overnight will not be accepted. Proposals must be submitted by e-mail to NCARBGrant@ncarb.org.

No. Project directors are encouraged to plan ahead to avoid unforeseen circumstances that might delay submission and transmission of proposals.

No, due to the large number of proposals received individual notification of receipt will not be provided.

If you have additional questions, please call NCARB at 202/783-6500 or e-mail questions to NCARBGrantQuestions@ncarb.org.

Every jurisdiction has its own requirements for licensure. More than half of the U.S. registration boards require the NCARB Certificate for reciprocal registration.

If you are already certified, you can request your NCARB Record be sent to any jurisdiction in the United States or Canada by logging into My NCARB. From My NCARB, proceed to the NCARB Record section, select "Request Transmittal of NCARB Record," and follow the instructions.

If you are not NCARB certified, go to the Certification and Reciprocity section of the NCARB website to learn the requirements and steps to become certified.

Questions? Contact customer service at 202/879-0520 or customerservice@ncarb.org.

A requirement to maintaining an NCARB Certificate is the possession of an active architectural registration. As long as one of your registrations remains active, the status of your NCARB Certificate will not be affected.

Please refer to the Alternate Paths to Certification section that explains the requirements for the Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect (BEFA) Program. Please note that the requirements for the licensure of an architect vary on state-by-state basis. For state licensure requirements, please see our Registration Board Licensing Requirements.

There is no national license for architects in the United States. Architects are individually licensed in each individual jurisdiction of the United States. Architects are licensed separately under different laws, and must apply for a license in each jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions it is required that firms also have authorizations to practice.

After an architect has achieved an architectural license, that architect may be eligible for NCARB certification, a tool for achieving reciprocal licensure in multiple jurisdictions.

Please visit the Certification and Reciprocity section of the NCARB website to learn the requirements and steps to become certified.

Please visit the Certification and Reciprocity section of the NCARB website to learn the requirements and steps to become certified.

No, when seeking reciprocity, there are some jurisdictions that may not accept an EESA-NCARB Evaluation. You may review the different jurisdictional requirements by visiting our registration board requirements section.

You begin by establishing an NCARB Record. You will be notified by NCARB regarding the EESA-NCARB evaluation and what steps to take next. An EESA-NCARB evaluation will not be required if your degree program is accredited by either NAAB or the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB).

The NCARB Certificate is an individual credential. By obtaining and maintaining an NCARB Certificate, an individual has demonstrated that they have met the established standards for certification. An architect who has obtained an NCARB Certificate may use the letters "NCARB" after their name. The NCARB logo is reserved solely for use by NCARB. At this time there is no accepted means of using the NCARB logo or designation in association with a firm.

This resolution recommends one continuing education requirement for all of NCARB's 54 member jurisdictions. The benefits are:    

• Consistency among jurisdictions
• Less confusion for architects registered in multiple jurisdictions
• A simpler process for architects and jurisdictional boards when renewing

Currently an architect registered in five jurisdictions may have five different CE requirements to keep all of his or her licenses active. Differences in the number of hours required, timeframe for earning hours, and types of hours (HSW, SD, ADA, etc.) accepted are variables that an architect may encounter. Twelve continuing education hours in health, safety, and welfare subjects each calendar is simpler for the architect and jurisdictions to process.

No, NCARB is recommending that jurisdictions with continuing education requirements adopt 12 HSW CEH per year. Over 30 of the jurisdictions that currently require continuing education require 12 hours.

No, NCARB does not keep an individual's record of CEHs. Continuing education hours are a requirement for 46 of NCARB's 54 member jurisdictions for licensure renewal. You will continue to document hours as each jurisdiction requires.

No. The major change in this recommendation relates to having an architect complete continuing education each calendar year rather than each renewal cycle. However, an architect would still report their continuing education when renewing their license. For example: If you renew your license in April, you would document hours earned between January and December of the previous year rather than from the previous April.

It will depend on whether your jurisdiction chooses to adopt this recommendation. The timetable will vary greatly.

No. If your jurisdiction doesn't currently require continuing education, this resolution does not make them require it. However, if your jurisdiction decides to require continuing education in the future, this is NCARB's recommendation—as voted upon by its 54 Member Boards.

No.

No.

No.

This issue developed at the grassroots level among NCARB's Member Boards. The boards asked the Council to examine the complex problem to see if there was a way to create a simplified CE standard that is less confusing for both architects and the boards.

The quiz is included with the purchase of the monograph.

NCARB does not keep a record of continuing education hours. Current AIA members may be able to track their hours by contacting AIA.

CEHs are Continuing Education Hours that equal 1 contact hour. CEHs are also sometimes referred to as PDUs, LUs, CEUs, or CUs.

Yes.

HSW is the abbreviation for required health, safety, and welfare requirements as defined and mandated by the AIA (http://info.aia.org/aia/cesfaq_default.cfm) and state licensing boards. It is anything that relates to the structural integrity, soundness of a building, or building site. All NCARB monographs meet HSW requirements.

SD is the abbreviation for sustainable design as defined by the AIA (http://info.aia.org/aia/cesfaq_default.cfm). All NCARB monographs meet SD requirements.

All registered architects can receive credit for completed and passed monograph quizzes.

No, each person has to pay a separate fee to receive credit for a monograph quiz. Monograph orders are name and number coded for the person that ordered the monograph.

NCARB does not have a continuing education requirement to renew an NCARB Record. Continuing education may be required by an architect’s state board to renew an architectural license. Check the most current continuing education requirement with your jurisdiction.

To receive the discounted pricing, you must have an active NCARB Record number.

Visit the NCARB web site here.

Currently there are three ways an architect can submit a quiz for grading; 1) use a password to submit the quiz online, 2) fax the quiz sheet to 202/783-0290, or 3) or you can mail the quiz sheet to the NCARB office.

You can find your access code on the confirmation e-mail for your monograph order.

Architects are given two chances to take the monograph quiz. If you fail a quiz twice you must call NCARB Customer Service at 202/879-0520 or e-mail customerservice@ncarb.org to submit a retest request. The cost for each retest is $25.

Upon failing a monograph quiz title twice, the fee for each subsequent retest is $25 until you pass the quiz. Contact NCARB Customer Service at 202/879-0520 or e-mail to customerservice@ncarb.org to submit a request to retest.

Please contact NCARB Customer Service at customerservice@ncarb.org or 202/879-0520.

NCARB is upgrading its systems in order to streamline our services under one login. This upgrade will immediately provide additional security to each account. In the future, it will allow us to create personalized web pages for each user and the ability to add more tools to make interacting with us even easier.

The first time you try to log into one of our secure sections, you will be asked to update all accounts you may have with us. This will combine services under one new username, password, and security question.

There are three types of accounts.

My NCARB Record: You have access to this section if you have an NCARB Record or an NCARB Certificate.

IDP Supervisors and Mentors: You have access to this section if you are an IDP supervisor or mentor who approves experience through the electronic Experience Verification Reporting (e-EVR) system.

Member Registration Boards: You have access to this section if you are currently serving on or work for one of the 54 U.S. architectural registration boards or are a volunteer on one of NCARB's committees.

A major component of this system upgrade is adding additional security to each account. For data security purposes, each individual must update his or her own accounts.

You may easily update your accounts online.

1. Click “Login” on NCARB’s homepage.
2. Select “Update Accounts.”
3. Check the accounts that you currently have with NCARB, and enter your current username and password for each account. You must do this even if you only have one account.
4. Click “Continue.”
5. Enter your new account information (a new username, password, and security question), and click “Update.”
6. Check your e-mail to verify your new account information.
7. Once your new account information is verified, log in with your new username and password information.

For additional assistance, please watch "How to update existing accounts."

Once you have updated one of your accounts, you will have the opportunity to update or add other accounts through the My NCARB homepage as needed.

No, you must update your account(s) and select a new username, password, and security question before you may access any of your accounts with NCARB. You will no longer be able to log in with your e-mail address or Record number. Click here to update your account(s).

If you have an e-mail address on file with us, you may still update your account. Select “Forgot Password” under the My NCARB Record option, and then enter your e-mail or Record number. You will receive an e-mail with credentials to update your account and gain access. If you do not have an e-mail address on file, please e-mail NCARB Customer Service or call us at 202/879-0520.

You may only select one supervisor or mentor account through the update process. To update the additional supervisor/mentor accounts, you must contact NCARB Customer Service. DO NOT update your additional accounts separately.

To start a new account:

1. Click “Establish Record” on the login page.
2. Skip the combine existing accounts page.
3. Fill out the “create a new account” information.
4. Verify your e-mail address, and log in with your new account information.
5. Once logged in, select the service you would like to access. You can either establish an NCARB Record or, if you are an IDP supervisor or mentor, you can access the e-EVR to review and approve IDP experience reports.

For additional assistance, watch "How to create a new account."

To recover your saved application:

1. Click “Establish Record” on the login page.
2. Skip the combine existing accounts page.
3. Fill out the “create a new account” information. Make sure you use the same e-mail address you entered on your previously started application.
4. Under “NCARB Record,” click “Add.” If you have used the same e-mail, you will be linked to the section you left off on in your application.
   
   

NCARB’s only members are the 54 U.S. architectural registration boards. Those that receive access to Registration Board section will require additional verification.

The monograph ordering section of the website will remain a separate entity and will not be included in this upgrade. Therefore, your username and password for this section only will not change. If you have questions about the NCARB monograph series, please contact NCARB Customer Service.

Interns and architects can establish an NCARB Record here.

NCARB is upgrading its systems in order to streamline our services under one login. This upgrade will immediately provide additional security to each account. In the future, it will allow us to create personalized web pages for each user and the ability to add more tools to make interacting with us even easier.

The first time you try to log into one of our secure sections, you will be asked to update all accounts you may have with us. This will combine services under one new username, password, and security question.

An account is a set of login credentials that allow you to access a secure section of NCARB’s website.

A major component of this system upgrade is adding additional security to each account. For data security purposes, each individual must update his or her own accounts.

You must update your account even if you currently only have access to one of our secure sections. The upgrade to our system includes additional security for each account, which is why every user of our system must update their username, password, and security question—even if you only have one account.

1. Click “Login” on NCARB’s homepage.
2. Select “Update Accounts.”
3. Check the accounts that you currently have with NCARB, and enter your current username and password for each account. You must do this even if you only have one account.
4. Click “Continue.”
5. Enter your new account information (a new username, password, and security question), and click “Update.”
6. Check your e-mail to verify your new account information.
7. Once your new account information is verified, log in with your new username and password information.

For additional assistance, watch "How to update existing accounts."

Once you have updated one of your accounts, you will have the opportunity to update or add other accounts through the My NCARB homepage as needed.

1. Click “Establish Record” on the login page.
2. Skip the combine existing accounts page.
3. Fill out the “create a new account” information.
4. Verify your e-mail address, and log in with your new account information.
5. Once logged in, select the service you would like to access. You can either establish an NCARB Record or, if you are an IDP supervisor or mentor, you can access the e-EVR to review and approve IDP experience reports.

For additional assistance, watch "How to create a new account."

NCARB’s only members are the 54 U.S. architectural registration boards. Those that receive access to Registration Board section will require additional verification.

Fees associated with all NCARB programs and services can be found here.

No.  NCARB will not extend the expiration date on an NCARB Record if you are enrolled full time in a NAAB-accredited master's degree program.

An intern's NCARB Record expires after three years from the date of initial application. After that, you must renew your Record every year to keep it active.

If you have established access to your online records then you may update through My NCARB.

If you have not yet established access to your online records contact customer service.