ARE 5.0 · 6 Divisions
The Architect Registration Examination (ARE 5.0) is NCARB's six-division licensing exam — the single testing gate that stands between a graduate or intern architect and the legal right to call themselves an "architect" and stamp drawings in all 55 US jurisdictions. Every state architecture board requires you to pass all six divisions, and most candidates grind through them over a year or more while working full-time. A single failed division costs another $257 and a 60-day wait. This page breaks down exactly what each division tests, how PSI delivers the exam, and how to get through all six without losing a year to retakes.
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No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing result. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
How the ARE 5.0 is built — six divisions, taken one at a time
6
Each division is scheduled, paid for, and scored on its own. You can take them in any order and spread them across months or years.
2
Discrete multiple-choice and multiple-response items plus case studies — scenario sets where you read code, drawings, and contract resources to answer linked questions.
$1,542
Six divisions at $257 each — and every failed attempt adds another $257, so retakes get expensive fast on top of the lost months.
Divisions range from 80 items in 2 hours 45 minutes (Practice Management) up to 120 items in 4 hours 15 minutes (Project Planning & Design and Project Development & Documentation). Each appointment includes the test plus a built-in break allowance, so seat time runs longer than the test clock alone.
Every division is pass/fail with a cut score set by NCARB's standard-setting panel — there is no published number to "hit." Effective April 27, 2026, case studies are streamlined to fewer items and one to two resources each to cut loading time. Fail reports show a Level 1–3 indicator and content-area performance versus passing candidates.
Official NCARB division names, item counts, and testing time
| Division | Items | Test time | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice Management (PcM) | 80 | 2h 45m | Firm finance, business operations, risk, professional ethics |
| Project Management (PjM) | 90 | 3h 15m | Contracts, project teams, quality control, scheduling |
| Programming & Analysis (PA) | 95 | 3h 15m | Site & building analysis, zoning, codes, project criteria |
| Project Planning & Design (PPD) | 120 | 4h 15m | Design concepts, building systems, structural & envelope |
| Project Development & Documentation (PDD) | 120 | 4h 15m | Detailed design, materials, construction documents, specs |
| Construction & Evaluation (CE) | 95 | 3h 15m | Bidding, construction administration, project closeout |
All six divisions share the same scoring approach and item types — they differ only in length and content area. You must pass every division to complete the ARE, but because they are scored independently, a weak area in one division never drags down a division you have already passed.
Bars show each division's share of total items across the full ARE 5.0
The widest division. Design synthesis, building systems, and structural reasoning across the largest item bank — historically one of the lower pass-rate divisions.
Detailing, materials, and construction documents at depth. Deep technical recall plus drawing-based case studies make this a long, dense sitting.
Zoning, code analysis, and site evaluation. Heavy on reading legal and regulatory resources under time pressure inside case studies.
Bidding, construction administration, and closeout. Contract-heavy and easy to underestimate if you lack on-site experience.
AIA contract documents, project teams, and quality control. You must know contract clauses and party responsibilities cold.
The shortest division — firm finance, business operations, and professional ethics. Often the first division candidates attempt.
The two 120-item design divisions (PPD and PDD) are where most candidates stall: they overlap heavily in building systems and detailing, and the case studies demand that you cross-reference codes, drawings, and contracts inside a strict clock. Sequencing those last — after the contract-focused divisions build your vocabulary — is a common strategy.
Two ways to sit each division through PSI — and what to expect on test day
You sit the division in a quiet, monitored room at a PSI-operated test center. Staff verify your government-issued photo ID, store your belongings, and watch the room throughout. The exam fee is $257 per division regardless of delivery method.
You take the division from a private, walled indoor room at home through PSI's secure browser. A live proctor monitors you via webcam, and you must also set up a mobile device as a secondary camera. Check-in takes about 10–15 minutes before the exam launches.
A valid, unexpired government photo ID with your full name and a recognizable photo matching your NCARB record. The proctor verifies it before the secure browser unlocks the test.
Before launch you record a 360-degree video of your testing area for the proctor to review. A clear desk, walled indoor space, no second monitor, and no phone within reach are required.
Both the primary webcam and the secondary mobile camera stay on the entire session. Leaving frame, talking aloud, or losing connection can flag or void the appointment — and you forfeit the $257 fee.
The ARE is the testing gate to US architectural licensure
Eligibility is set by your state board — the exam is the hard part
Difficulty: The ARE is brutal not because any single question is impossible, but because it is six separate marathons. Each division blends recall, judgment, and case-study analysis under a hard clock, and a 60-day cooldown plus a fresh $257 fee punishes every miss. Most candidates take a year or more to finish all six — exactly the kind of multi-division grind our help is built to compress.
The ARE 5.0 is six high-stakes divisions, each with its own $257 fee, 60-day retake penalty, and PSI proctoring environment. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted ARE specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: just an honest plan, division by division, and a verified result before you settle.
Tell us which division(s) you're tackling, your delivery method (PSI center or online), your test date, and which board you're licensing under. A couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review the specific division and your timeline and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with an ARE specialist who maps the work around your division's case studies and the PSI secure-browser environment — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your passing result is confirmed on your NCARB record. No verified pass, nothing owed.
See how our results-first model works for high-stakes professional and licensure exams like the ARE.
Understand how AI-plus-live proctoring works so the PSI online environment never catches you off guard.
What to expect from PSI's secure-browser lockdown and how candidates prepare their environment.
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Straight answers about the Architect Registration Examination (ARE 5.0)
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Pair with a vetted specialist on a results-first arrangement. No upfront fee — settle only after a verified passing result.
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View examGet expert ARE 5.0 help with no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing result. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.