Washington, DC—The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) will migrate the delivery of the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) 5.0 to a new vendor, PSI, starting June 14, 2022. Candidates will be able to begin scheduling exam appointments with PSI in spring 2022.
“NCARB is making this change in order to better support licensure candidates,” said NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong. “We expect that candidates will see several direct benefits from this change, including more flexibility when scheduling and rescheduling their exams.”
Currently, ARE 5.0 is delivered through Prometric, which offers candidates the option of testing online through a secure browser or at hundreds of in-person test centers around the globe. Migrating the ARE to PSI will increase the number of physical test centers available to exam candidates, while continuing to provide the option to test online through PSI’s Bridge. The exam’s content, structure, and tools will not change as part of the migration.
Candidates can view a list of PSI test centers that will deliver the ARE on NCARB’s website, including third-party sites that partner with PSI. Each of these sites, as well as PSI’s Bridge software, meets the security and technology standards in place to ensure that the exam’s content is protected and provide candidates with a reliable testing experience.
“The ARE is a high-stakes licensure exam that’s essential for protecting the public’s health, safety, and welfare,” said NCARB Vice President of Examination Jared Zurn, AIA. NCARB CAE. “We choose our vendors very carefully to ensure the exam’s security and validity, and we look forward to partnering with PSI going forward.”
In addition to the increase in physical test centers, NCARB anticipates that moving to PSI will offer candidates a range of benefits including more direct customer service, more flexible and less expensive exam rescheduling, and more detailed feedback on failing score reports.
Candidates can continue testing with Prometric through May 31, 2022. All existing appointments with Prometric will be upheld; candidates who have appointments scheduled with Prometric cannot transfer those appointments to be taken with PSI.
ARE Guidelines for Testing With PSI
To provide clear insight into exam policies and procedures for candidates preparing to test with PSI, NCARB has released a draft version of its ARE Guidelines that go into effect with the migration to PSI. The PSI version of ARE Guidelines has been merged with the ARE 5.0 Handbook to ensure that candidates can find all exam-related information in one comprehensive document.
Candidates who are still testing with Prometric should continue to refer to the ARE 5.0 Guidelines for testing with Prometric until they migrate to PSI.
Anyone interested in learning more about PSI migration can subscribe to NCARB’s ARE Update newsletter or visit www.ncarb.org/ARE.
About NCARB
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ membership is made up of the architectural licensing boards of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NCARB, in collaboration with these boards, facilitates the licensure and credentialing of architects to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
To achieve these goals, NCARB works with its Member Boards and volunteers to develop and facilitate standards for licensure, including the national examination and experience program. NCARB also recommends regulatory guidelines for licensing boards and helps architects expand their professional reach through the NCARB Certificate. Connect with NCARB on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.