The AXP® Portfolio is an alternate method of documenting experience, designed exclusively for individuals in the AEC field who face difficulties completing the AXP by submitting hourly experience reports.  

AXP Portfolio candidates must submit a collection of PDFs, images, certificates, and/or written documents, called exhibits, to demonstrate their ability to competently perform all 96 AXP Portfolio tasks spread across the six experience areas. As an AXP Portfolio supervisor, your role is to review and evaluate these exhibits for competency. 

AXP Portfolio Supervisor Requirements 

To be an AXP Portfolio supervisor, you must be one of the following:

  • Current architect supervisor. You have been licensed to practice architecture in the United States for at least six months, have known the candidate for at least six months, and the candidate currently works under you.
  • Architect mentor. You have been licensed to practice architecture in the United States for at least one year and have known the candidate for at least one year. This is only an option if the candidate does not currently work for an architect.

All portfolio supervisors are also required to take NCARB’s  AXP Portfolio supervisor training course, which qualifies for continuing education credit. 

Getting Started as an AXP Portfolio Supervisor 

All candidates must apply through NCARB to be made eligible for the AXP Portfolio. Once they are eligible, you should meet with your candidate prior to starting the portfolio process to review the six experience areas in the AXP Guidelines, the list of tasks that fall within each area, and the AXP Portfolio requirements.  

Work with your candidate to set expectations for the portfolio and individual exhibits. Making a plan at the beginning, before your candidate starts submitting exhibits, may reduce the need for revisions later on.

Before your candidate starts building their portfolio, you will need to approve past “duration only” experience reports to confirm that they have at least two years of experience that is older than five years. To learn more about AXP Portfolio eligibility and requirements, see the  AXP Guidelines. 

Reviewing Your Candidate’s Reports 

To review and approve your candidate’s AXP  Portfolio, you’ll need a  free My NCARB account. Once you’ve created your account, you can view your candidate’s reports by following these steps:

  1. Log in to your account.
  2. Select “Go” next to AXP Supervisor and Mentor.
  3. Select “Portfolio” from the menu.
  4. Choose which candidate you’d like to view.
  5. Select the experience area you’d like to view.

Your candidate will submit their exhibits by experience area, and you’ll receive an email notification from NCARB when an entire experience area is ready for your review. After your review, you’ll select one of two options:

  1. Return to candidate.  If you’re not ready to certify that your candidate has demonstrated competent performance of the associated tasks, you can return an experience area for edits. You’ll be asked to document in My NCARB why you are returning the section, but it’s a good idea to schedule a meeting to review your comments together.
  2. Approve.  If your candidate has demonstrated they’re able to perform the associated tasks competently and independently, you can approve the experience area.

If you’re not sure what kind of exhibits demonstrate performance of each task, take a look at this  list of suggestions—but keep in mind that these are examples, not requirements.