Effective April 27, 2026, NCARB is making several changes to the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) to align the program with the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects.

These updates focus on minor adjustments to some exam objectives and formatting adjustments to case studies. The changes will not impact the ARE’s overall division structure, number of items per division, or testing time per division. Candidates’ passed divisions, including divisions reinstated through the retirement of the former rolling clock policy, will not be impacted.

CTA-Block-Image_Subscribe_202403 (1).png

Learn About NCARB's Competency Standard

Understand how the Competency Standard was developed and how it will shape the future licensure process for architects.

Read More

An updated version of the ARE 5.0 Guidelines that reflects these upcoming changes to the exam will be available in January 2026. NCARB will release updated practice exams that reflect these changes in early 2026.

Exam Objective Adjustments

NCARB will make minor adjustments to 12 of the 91 exam objectives identified in the ARE 5.0 Guidelines. These adjustments are limited to small clarifying updates and, in some cases, narrowing the competency expectations assessed in the exam to align with the Competency Standard. NCARB does not expect that these changes will affect how you prepare for the exam.

The objectives being narrowed are:

  • Practice Management Objective 3.3: Currently, this objective assesses both the risks and rewards of a potential project. The Competency Standard has removed project rewards as a knowledge area for initial licensure.
  • Programming & Analysis Objective 4.5 and Project Planning & Design Objective 5.2: Currently, these objectives assess the ability to create a project budget, schedule, and cost estimate. The Competency Standard has narrowed expectations for initial licensure to the ability to review budgets, schedules, and cost estimates as prepared by others.

The objectives being updated to clarify and strengthen their alignment with the Competency Standard are:

  • Practice Management Objectives 4.1 and 4.2
  • Project Management Objectives 4.1, 4.3, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4
  • Project Planning & Design Objective 5.3
  • Construction & Evaluation Objective 1.1

The updated language for each objective is:

  • Practice Management Objective 3.3: Understand potential project risks and how a practice can mitigate those risks
  • Practice Management Objective 4.1: Identify and compare practice and business structures relevant to an architectural practice
  • Practice Management Objective 4.2: Identify and compare processes, policies, and resources used in the design, coordination, and documentation of different project types
  • Project Management Objective 4.1: Monitor the project throughout its design and documentation for compliance with the construction budget
  • Project Management Objective 4.3: Implement appropriate policies and procedures to document a project for a specified delivery method
  • Project Management Objective 5.2: Identify processes, policies, and resources for quality control and risk reduction in the project
  • Project Management Objective 5.3: Implement quality control processes to ensure project coordination and constructability
  • Project Management Objective 5.4: Implement quality control processes to maintain integrity of design objectives
  • Programming & Analysis Objective 4.5: Review and assess the feasibility of the project budget and schedule to meet the project scope
  • Project Planning & Design Objective 5.2: Evaluate cost estimates based on the project design
  • Project Planning & Design Objective 5.3: Evaluate the project design based on cost considerations
  • Construction & Evaluation Objective 1.1: Understand the architect's role and responsibilities in advising the client during the bidding process based on project delivery method

Refreshed Case Studies

The format of the exam’s case studies will also be refined, with an end goal of making case studies more efficient for candidates. Effective April 27, case studies will feature fewer total resources and fewer items per individual case study—reducing exam loading times as well as time spent reviewing case study resources during the exam. You should still expect to see the same total number of case study items per exam division.

AXP Changes

As a reminder, NCARB is also making updates to the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®) on November 18, 2025, including:

  • Refreshed descriptions of each of the program’s six experience areas
  • Replacing the reporting requirement with a more flexible reporting policy
  • Expanding the setting O opportunity that allows candidates to gain AXP experience by completing professional development courses

Learn more about changes to the AXP.

More About the Competency Standard for Architects 

The NCARB Competency Standard for Architects is a document that establishes 16 knowledge areas, skills, abilities, and behaviors—called competencies—necessary for initial licensure as an architect. Rather than being a program on its own, like the AXP or ARE, the Competency Standard creates a shared foundation for NCARB’s programs.