ARE 5.0

Overview

The Architect Registration Examination (ARE) 5.0 is the exam used across the United States to test the knowledge and skills needed to practise architecture. It is run by NCARB, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and is required by all U.S. licensing jurisdictions. It has six divisions, which can be taken in any order. The exam concentrates on areas that affect the safety, soundness and health impact of buildings, and on an architect's duties in managing projects and working with other professionals.

Who can apply

You need two things before you can book a division: an active NCARB Record, and eligibility to test from a licensing board (your testing jurisdiction). Each jurisdiction sets its own eligibility rules, and most allow testing once the education requirements are met. Check your own jurisdiction's rules first.

Eligibility can lapse if you complete no attempt, pass or fail, within a five-year period. If that happens before you finish all divisions, you must ask your board to set up eligibility again.

Exam pattern

Every division has the same layout: standalone questions first, then case studies. Each question is worth one point, with no partial credit. You can open the case studies in any order, and questions inside a case study do not depend on your earlier answers.

Three item types are used: multiple choice (three or four options), check-all-that-apply (select any number from six options, and all correct options must be chosen), and hotspot (click a location on an image).

Break time is flexible and can be taken as one long break or several short ones.

You can sit the exam at a test centre run by PSI, NCARB's delivery partner, or online with remote proctoring. Test centres are in the U.S., Canada and some other countries. NCARB's ARE 5.0 Guidelines (October 2026 edition) say online proctoring requires a computer running a native Windows operating system and a smartphone set up as a second camera.

Syllabus

Each division is split into content areas with a weighting range, shown below as a share of the questions.

Practice Management

• Business Operations: 20-26%

• Finances, Risk and Development: 29-35%

• Practice-Wide Delivery: 22-28%

• Practice Methodologies: 17-23%

Project Management

• Resource Management: 7-13%

• Project Work Planning: 17-23%

• Contracts: 25-31%

• Project Execution: 17-23%

• Project Quality Control: 19-25%

Programming and Analysis

• Environmental and Contextual Conditions: 14-21%

• Codes and Regulations: 16-22%

• Site Analysis and Programming: 21-27%

• Building Analysis and Programming: 37-43%

Project Planning and Design

• Environmental Conditions and Context: 10-16%

• Codes and Regulations: 16-22%

• Building Systems, Materials and Assemblies: 19-25%

• Project Integration of Program and Systems: 32-38%

• Project Costs and Budgeting: 8-14%

Project Development and Documentation

• Integration of Building Materials and Systems: 31-37%

• Construction Documentation: 32-38%

• Project Manual and Specifications: 12-18%

• Codes and Regulations: 8-14%

• Construction Cost Estimates: 2-8%

Construction and Evaluation

• Preconstruction Activities: 17-23%

• Construction Observation: 32-38%

• Administrative Procedures and Protocols: 32-38%

• Project Closeout and Evaluation: 7-13%

Marking and results

Results are reported as pass or fail. Each division has its own passing standard, set by architects, educators and board members, and it does not depend on how other candidates perform. A failing report shows your percent correct by content area and a scaled score to help you plan study.

An unofficial pass or fail indication appears when you finish, and the official report follows within 7-10 calendar days of the test date. Final results are official only after NCARB completes its checks on the exam data.

If you fail a division, you can retake it after 60 days, with at most three attempts at the same division in any 12 months. NCARB offers a score verification review for a $100 fee, refunded if a scoring error is found. Review of a failed exam through your state board is available in some states, for a$300 NCARB fee plus any board fee.

Important dates

There are no fixed exam dates. You book appointments through your NCARB Record. Online-proctored appointments need at least 24 hours' notice and are offered around the clock, and test-centre appointments need at least 48 hours' notice.

Passed divisions stay valid for the exam version they were taken under plus the next version. A rolling five-year clock was used before May 1, 2023 and has been retired. NCARB does not give extensions. For example, ARE 4.0 passes stay valid through the whole ARE 5.0 period and expire when ARE 5.0 is retired.

Fees

As listed on the official site in 2026:

Unused seat credits expire one year after purchase. NCARB Record fees are separate.

How to apply

1. Create and maintain an NCARB Record.

2. In the Exams section of your Record, request eligibility from your testing jurisdiction. NCARB checks your record against that board's rules and the board approves.

3. Pay for division seats in your Record.

4. Schedule each division at a test centre or online. You can mix both, and you can reschedule up to three times per seat within the fee rules above.

Candidates who need disability or English-as-a-second-language accommodations must get written NCARB approval before scheduling.

Preparation tips

NCARB provides six free division practice exams and one 75-item multi-division demo exam to licensure candidates through their NCARB Record. They use the same format and tools as the real exam, and offer a test mode and a practice mode with explanations. The practice exams use a fixed 68% pass mark, which differs from the real exams' division-specific standards. Use the weighting ranges above to plan study time.