The ARE assesses candidates on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for providing services in the practice of architecture.
As NCARB grew, it organized delegates from its Member Boards into working groups during its Annual Meetings to address the problem of exam uniformity.
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.
[2] 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 and 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.
Before an ARE division can be scheduled, candidates must be approved to test and receive eligibility from their state board.
The cases are then forwarded to the NCARB Board of Directors for review and, if applicable, a final disciplinary action.