History
The earliest examinations were written and scored by each individual state board. Practicing architects, educators, and specialists in other disciplines were organized to prepare and score these tests. Since each state prepared its own test specifications, test questions, and passing standard, there was little uniformity among the boards on examination, no effective reciprocity system, and no equal protection for the public across the nation.
As NCARB grew, it organized delegates from its Member Boards into working groups during its Annual Meetings to address the problems of exam uniformity. Their efforts eventually led to agreement on a syllabus of written examination subjects. Subsequently, the length of each test and the dates of administration were agreed on, and this concurrence served to achieve the goal of greater consistency in examination questions and scoring.
By the late 1950s, standardized testing had made impressive progress. The NCARB examination committees studied the latest developments and converted sections of the syllabus to a multiple-choice format by the mid-1960s and made them available to all of NCARB Member Boards.
In 1979, NCARB conducted an extensive “task analysis and validation study” that led to the development of the forerunner of today’s ARE. At that time, candidates were required to take all nine divisions over a four-day period. The exam was only offered once a year in major cities across the United States.
In the late 1980s, as the practice of architecture moved into the computer age, NCARB began to develop a computer-based exam. After a decade of research and development, the last paper-and-pencil test was issued in 1996, and the computed-based exam rolled out in 1997.
NCARB conducted comprehensive Practice Analysis studies in 2001 and 2007 that led to improvements to the ARE. These improvements have been rolled out in phases in ARE 3.0, ARE 3.1, and ARE 4.0. NCARB’s next practice analysis is scheduled for 2012.
Read more about this topic: Architect Registration Examination
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