At the end of April, NCARB’s new score validity policy will go into effect for passed Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) divisions. We’ve updated the ARE 5.0 Guidelines to reflect the details of the new policy; like the score validity policy, the updated Guidelines will go into effect on May 1, 2023.

Download the Guidelines

Guidelines Updates

Here’s a comprehensive list of the changes NCARB has made to the latest edition of the ARE 5.0 Guidelines:

Score Validity Policy: We’ve replaced the “Rolling Clock” section of the Guidelines with a new “Score Validity Policy” section and removed references to the rolling clock policy throughout.

Under the score validity policy, passing ARE divisional scores will remain valid throughout the delivery of the exam version under which they were taken (e.g., ARE 5.0). They’ll also be used to establish credit toward the immediately following version of the exam (e.g., ARE 6.0). If the jurisdiction where you are seeking licensure has a rolling clock requirement, you will still be subject to their rolling clock.

$50 Rebate for First Online-Proctored Appointment: NCARB will discontinue the $50 rebate for candidates taking their first online proctored appointment effective July 1, 2023. This upcoming change is now noted in the Guidelines.

Score Reports: Previous divisional passes and the related rolling clock information will no longer show on ARE 5.0 score reports, unless you are seeking licensure from a jurisdiction with a rolling clock requirement. The section of the Guidelines that details how to read a score report now explains this difference.

Tips for Taking an Online Proctored Exam

Getting ready for an online proctored exam? Here are our top tips for avoiding common candidate problems when testing online:

  1. Connect via ethernet, not WiFi
  2. Don’t use headphones or a headset
  3. Adjust your volume to a comfortable level before launching the exam
  4. Make sure your webcam uses autofocus
  5. Know that it may take a moment to connect to your exam

Read more details about each of these tips to make your online testing experience as smooth as possible.