I want to take the ARE but what do I need to do first?

I want to take the ARE but what do I need to do first?

Okay so you want to be a licensed architect? It may seem overwhelming and scary BUT it is possible! Required tasks:

1. Obtain an architectural degree from an accredited college. Since the license is provided through the state, each state accredits certain colleges that provide this degree for people to obtain. National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is in charge of that. Contact NAAB and your local college to see what that they offer. It typically takes 4-6 years to obtain this.
   1. For each state licensing requirement, please refer to https://www.ncarb.org/get-licensed/licensing-requirements-tool
2. Intern hours: You have to intern under the professional supervision of a licensed professional. Not only do you have to intern under a licensed professional, you have to complete your experience in certain area. There are 6 areas that correlate with the exam process. You must complete the indicated hours of each section. However, a recent change to NCARB allows users to take the exam while they are still working on their intern hours. Before this change, they required you to finish all of your intern hours before starting your exam. They also reduced the number of hours required. The required intern hours are roughly 3,700.
   1. For exact numbers and details about the internship program, please refer to https://www.ncarb.org/gain-axp-experience/start-axp.
3. PASS the exams! Okay so you have your education done(Congrats! No more models!) and you have your intern hours/working on them. The third and final step is pass all of the exams. Which is probably why you are here and that’s where I am here to help. After the education and interning, you need to pass SIX(6) exams. After passing these exams, along with the rest of requirements, you will finally be able to call yourself an architect.

I know it may seem scary or overwhelming at first but with time, it is possible. Tackling each task, one at a time makes it possible. It is not easy but that’s why I have made this website. To help people with the hardest step which is step 3. The exams are the hardest task of them all. But together we can do it!   Please refrain from posting any exam questions that are from the actual exam or practice exams. This jeopardizes the existence of the open comment format. Such comments will be deleted. Thank you for your understanding. Back to the main FAQ page