A few years ago, NCARB moved the ARE from seven divisions to a more focused six, which saved you time as the division testing time decreased significantly in comparison to ARE 4.0.
And NCARB is at it again! With the updates made in conjunction with the release of online proctoring on December 14, 2020, both the number of questions and the time allotted for all divisions have shrunk. Nevertheless, your time for each question has gone up. We will take that trade.
The item types you can expect to see are multiple choice, check-all-that-apply, quantitative-fill-in-the-blank, hotspot, drag-and-place as well as case studies. Read up on the ARE 5.0 format on NCARB’s site, and rest assured that since we’re NCARB-approved, all of our content is consistent with the exam objectives.
Since we’re self-proclaimed perfectionists and (slightly, only slightly) competitive, we ensured our Practice Exams stay the best on the market by aligning them with these recent ARE 5.0 updates. See how our platform directly mirrors what you’ll see come exam day.
For those wanting a breakdown of the timing and questions per division, see how each division differs below. Similar to the cash grandma snuck you, don’t spend your break all at once! You have a total of 30-45 minutes to use throughout your testing appointment.
Practice Management
Items: 65
Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Break Time: 30 minutes
Appointment Duration: 3 hours 20 minutes
Project Management
Items: 75
Time: 3 hours
Break Time: 30 minutes
Appointment Duration: 3 hours 40 minutes
Programming & Analysis
Items: 75
Time: 3 hours
Break Time: 30 minutes
Appointment Duration: 3 hours 40 minutes
Project Planning & Design
Items: 100
Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Break Time: 45 minutes
Appointment Duration: 5 hours
Project Development & Documentation Details
Items: 100
Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Break Time: 45 minutes
Appointment Duration: 5 hours
Construction & Evaluation
Items: 75
Time: 3 hours
Break Time: 30 minutes
Appointment Duration: 3 hours 40 minutes