ARE 5.0 FAQ
Direct answers on Architect Registration Examination (ARE 5.0) pass rates, costs, exam order, retakes and online testing, plus the rules for international candidates. Last updated November 5, 2026.
The overall ARE 5.0 pass rate was 55% in 2025, the same as in 2024, with 17,747 candidates testing in 2025. These rates include first-time and repeat attempts. By division in 2025:
Read more about what the ARE pass rates mean.
By pass rate, Project Planning & Design (PPD) is the hardest. It had the lowest pass rate of the six divisions every year from 2020 to 2025, ranging from 45% to 50%. That doesn’t mean it will be your hardest, because your experience matters more than a group average.
Each division has 65 to 100 items and 2 hours 40 minutes to 4 hours 5 minutes of testing time, plus flexible break time:
The ARE 5.0 has three item types: multiple choice, check-all-that-apply and hotspot. Every item is worth one point with no partial credit, so a check-all-that-apply item needs every correct option selected. Each division also includes case studies, which present a project scenario with one or two resources.
You need to reach the cut score for that division. The result is pass or fail, and your score is based on the whole division, not on each section, so a weak section can be offset by stronger ones. Each division also includes 6 to 9 unscored pretest items, which you can’t identify during the exam. The ARE 5.0 score calculator can help you read a score report.
No. After a break, every item you have already viewed is locked, including items marked for later review. Check all the items you’ve viewed before you start a break.
On April 27, 2026, minor adjustments were made to 12 of the 91 exam objectives, and case studies were changed to have fewer resources and fewer items each. The division structure, items per division, testing time and total case study items per division stayed the same. Passed divisions were not affected. See the 2026 ARE changes explained.
There is no required order: you can take any division at any time and in any sequence. One practical route is to study PcM and PjM together, then CE, then PA, and finish with PPD and PDD. Adjust it to your experience. Our ARE 5.0 study plan explains how to choose.
There is no official number of study hours. Estimate it by dividing a study-hour budget by the focused hours you can reliably complete each week: for example, a 64-hour budget at 8 hours a week takes 8 active weeks. That budget is only an example, so adjust it with practice results. Try the study-time planner.
Yes. The two divisions share building systems, materials and codes, so studying them together avoids repeating that work. PPD focuses on selecting and integrating a design, while PDD focuses on detailing and documenting it. You still take them as two separate exams. See PPD vs PDD.
Yes. NCARB offers seven practice exams at no cost to licensure candidates: one for each of the six divisions and one multidivisional exam. You open them through the Practice Exam Dashboard in your NCARB Record. KPath ARE also has a free knowledge check with 48 original questions, 8 per division.
Start with the official ARE 5.0 Guidelines, which list the objectives and references for each division, and the free official practice exams. KPath ARE also offers a free ARE Starter Kit PDF, free exam guides and articles, and more free ARE study materials.
Each ARE division costs $263, so all six cost $1,578 before any retakes. Licensure candidates also pay $105 to apply for an NCARB Record and $105 a year to renew it. A retake costs another $263, and NCARB fees are non-refundable. Unused exam seats expire one year after purchase.
You can change an appointment up to 7 days before it, and you can reschedule each exam seat up to three times:
Canceling costs $200 and gives you a replacement seat that expires after one year. If you miss your appointment, you lose the entire test fee.
You can retake it as soon as 60 days after your previous attempt, and you can take the same division up to three times in any 12-month period. Your failing score report shows relative strengths and weaknesses by content area, so use it to focus your review. Your jurisdiction’s rules also apply. Read how to prepare for a retake.
NCARB retired the five-year rolling clock on April 30, 2023. Under the score validity policy, a passed division stays valid while its exam version is delivered and earns credit toward the next version. All 55 U.S. jurisdictions accept this policy. Separately, most jurisdictions have a test activity requirement, so your eligibility to test may expire if you don’t attempt an exam within five years.
Yes. You can test at a PSI test center or online through PSI’s proctoring platform. Online testing requires a private indoor room, a computer connected by ethernet with at least 3 Mbps of dedicated bandwidth, a webcam, and a smartphone as a second camera. You must complete a free test run before each online exam.
Yes. You don’t need to be a U.S. citizen to take the ARE. You request eligibility through your NCARB Record by selecting the U.S. jurisdiction where you want a license, and that jurisdiction’s education and experience rules apply. There is no national U.S. license, so check that board’s requirements.
Yes. You can test at a PSI test center outside the U.S. or online, and you don’t have to test in the jurisdiction where you are seeking a license. Check the available locations when you schedule. For online exams, your setup must meet the same requirements as in the U.S., and any VPN must be turned off.
Yes, usually through an education evaluation. The typical steps are to create an NCARB Record, complete an EESA evaluation, complete the AXP, and pass the ARE. Some U.S. jurisdictions also offer other paths, including experience-based paths, so check your board’s requirements. See licensure without a NAAB degree.
EESA (Education Evaluation Services for Architects) is run by NAAB. It compares your transcript with the NCARB Education Standard, which requires 150 semester credit hours, and reports any deficiencies. You generally need it for initial licensure with a professional architecture degree from outside the U.S. or Canada. Accredited degrees covered by the Canberra Accord may qualify for accelerated processing.
No. A professional degree from a NAAB-accredited or CACB/CCCA-accredited program meets the education requirement, so your international education doesn’t need an EESA evaluation.
Yes, within limits. The AXP requires 3,740 hours, and at least 1,860 must be in setting A, under an architect licensed in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction. That firm can be in any country, so all your hours can be earned abroad under such a supervisor. Working under an architect not registered in the U.S. or Canada counts in setting O, which has a 1,860-hour maximum.
The experience must be gained at an organization engaged in the practice of architecture, where you meet the employment requirements, or at an approved community-based design center. Unpaid internships don’t qualify for employment-based settings. Experience up to one year old earns full credit, and older experience earns 75% with no age limit.
Often, yes. The International Architect Path is for architects licensed outside the U.S. or Canada, and it requires both the AXP and the ARE, with no EESA unless NCARB requests one. It leads to an NCARB Certificate, which is not itself a license. Acceptance varies by jurisdiction, so check with your intended board.
NCARB lists agreements covering Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Mexico (with Canada, through the Tri-National Agreement), South Africa and the United Kingdom. Each has its own eligibility rules and fees, so read the specific agreement. If your country isn’t covered, or you don’t qualify, look at the International Architect Path or the EESA route.
No. The ARE is only available in English, and its measurements are in inch-pound units only. If you trained in metric, practice working in feet, inches and square feet before you test.
NCARB offers two ESL accommodations: 20% additional testing time, and a printed word-to-word translation dictionary at a PSI test center. The dictionary isn’t available online and must come from a reputable publisher, with no added notes. Apply through your NCARB Record and wait for approval before you schedule, which can take 7 to 10 business days.
Submit one of the following: proof of a past ESL accommodation in education, TOEFL or IELTS results, other records such as transcripts showing you are a non-native English speaker or reader, or an attestation from someone such as an employer or educator on NCARB’s form.
A valid passport or national ID card is acceptable, as long as it shows your full name, photo and signature. The first and last name must match your NCARB Record, so check how your name is written before you schedule. Resolve any differences at least seven business days before your exam, or you could lose your test fee.
Start with what’s most specific to U.S. practice: the building codes and accessibility standards, AIA contract documents, the roles of owner, architect and contractor, and inch-pound calculations. The ARE 5.0 Guidelines list the references for each division. PcM, PjM and CE often need extra attention if you’ve worked under another country’s contracts.
KPath ARE is an online ARE 5.0 study platform. It has day-by-day courses for all six divisions, illustrated knowledge points, a course AI assistant, course-grounded AI practice, and a 200-question fixed practice set for each division. It also has practice questions for the California Supplemental Examination (CSE).
Yes. KPath ARE offers explanations in English, Chinese (中文) and Spanish (Español). This lets you learn a concept in your strongest language, then practice for an exam that is only delivered in English.
Our exam guides, articles and tools are free to use without a KPath account, and our free study materials only need an email address. Courses and practice require a KPath account, and new users can join the waitlist.
It’s useful for practice and explanations, but it can make mistakes, so check anything important against the code, contract document or official reference. KPath’s AI practice is grounded in its courses, and each knowledge point has its own code, so you can go back to the lesson behind a question.
No. KPath ARE is a study aid, and no result is guaranteed. Our goal is to help you understand the concepts, practice them, and see where to focus next.
Rules and figures were checked on November 5, 2026, against these sources. Policies can change, so confirm anything important with NCARB, NAAB or your licensing board. KPath ARE study advice is our own.
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