Failed ARE (Architectural Registration Exam)? Here's Your Recovery Plan

Pro tip: Contact the exam provider directly for their specific retake policy.

• Bringing a personal calculator to a division.
  Personal calculators are prohibited at PSI test centers and during online-proctored exams, and using one can get your scores canceled. An on-screen calculator is provided, but its history and memory reset every time you move to a new item, so write intermediate values in the on-screen tools instead.
• Bringing a military ID as your only identification.
  NCARB's accepted list is a driver's license, state issued ID, passport, national ID card, residency card, or green card. Military IDs, student IDs, employee IDs, and expired IDs are refused, and being turned away costs the full test fee with no refund.
• Taking a break in the middle of a section you have not finished reviewing.
  After a break, every item you have already viewed is locked, including ones you marked for later review. Finish reviewing what you have opened before you click Break, and remember you must navigate to the On Break screen and show it to the proctor first.
• Leaving the case studies until the last 30 minutes of the division.
  Case study items take longer than standalone items because you must locate information in the resources and then apply it. Project Planning and Design and Project Development and Documentation carry up to 20 case study items each. Use the Exam Summary tool to start the case studies whenever you choose.
• Guessing at only some options on a check-all-that-apply item.
  There is no partial credit. All correct responses must be selected for the point. The prompt always states in bold how many to check, for example check the two that apply, so read that line before scanning the six options.
• Leaving items blank when time runs out.
  Unanswered items are counted as incorrect and you lose nothing for a wrong answer. Answer every item, use the strikethrough tool to eliminate options, and mark items for review only if you still have time to return to them.
• Booking a retake as soon as the failing report arrives.
  You can retake a failed division no sooner than 60 days after the previous attempt, and you may take the same division only three times in any 12-month period. Use the page-two strengths and weaknesses feedback on the failing report to target that 60-day window.
• Assuming the ARE runs on a fixed five-year rolling clock for everyone.
  NCARB's score validity policy keeps passed ARE 5.0 divisions valid for the whole delivery period of ARE 5.0, but rolling clock requirements are set by individual jurisdictions and passing score reports show a division expiration date five years out. Check whether your jurisdiction has a rolling clock requirement before planning a long schedule.
• Skipping the free NCARB practice exams and paying for third-party question banks first.
  The seven ARE 5.0 Practice Exams are free with an active Record, use the same software and tools as the real division, and were built with the same process and guidelines. They are the closest available match to the live exam, so take them before you spend money elsewhere.

• Six divisions, each passed separately
• Computer-based at Prometric centers, mix of MCQ and case studies
• Most candidates take 2-3 years to complete all 6 divisions
• Black Spectacles and Amber Book are top prep resources
• Must complete AXP (Architectural Experience Program) hours first
• Required to call yourself a licensed architect in all US states