Completely free
No account walls, no upsell
Free exam prep for every test — 20,000+ exam pages and 2.4M+ practice questions.
Open free ARE 5.0 PcM prep resources ↗Exam facts & prep options
ARE 5.0 Practice Management (PcM)
The ARE 5.0 Practice Management (PcM) division is one of six divisions of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) 5.0 developed by NCARB: a 65-item computer-based exam (including 2 case studies) with 2 hours 40 minutes of testing time in a 3-hour-20-minute appointment (30-minute allowed break), covering four sections — Business Operations, Finances/Risk/Development of Practice, Practice-Wide Delivery of Services, and Practice Methodologies — scored pass/fail against a division-specific passing standard, administered by PSI at test centers or via online proctoring for USD 263 per division, with a 60-day retake wait.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions65 items, including 2 case studies
Testing time2 hours 40 minutes of testing time, plus 30 minutes of allowed break time, in a total appointment of 3 hours 20 minutes
ScoringPass/fail — each division has a separate passing standard (cut score) set by NCARB with practicing architects, educators, and licensing board members; the standard does not change based on location or candidate volume. Failing score reports include per-content-area percentages and a scaled score.
Exam feeUSD 263 per division (retakes also USD 263; USD 1,578 total for all six divisions). Cancellation fee USD 105 (USD 200 as of October 1, 2026); reschedule fees apply. Candidates also need an active NCARB Record (USD 105 application for licensure candidates plus USD 105 annual renewal).
Prep options
Study resources for ARE 5.0 PcM
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- NCARB
- Category
- Architecture & Design
- Current version
- ARE 5.0 (current version; remains ARE 5.0 — no ARE 6.0 announced). Updates effective April 27, 2026 aligned the exam to the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects: minor updates to 12 of the 91 exam objectives, refreshed case studies (fewer resources and items per case study), and updated delivery software; division structure, number of items per division, and testing time are unchanged.
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- PSI (NCARB transitioned ARE delivery from Prometric to PSI; appointments are booked through the Exams tab of the NCARB Record)
- Format
- Computer-based, delivered by PSI either in person at secure test centers throughout the U.S. and Canada and several international locations, or via online proctoring (requires native Windows OS; Macs not accepted)
- Availability
- Year-round: in person at PSI test centers (book at least 48 hours in advance) or via online proctoring 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (book at least 24 hours in advance); candidates may test at any location regardless of their jurisdiction
- Results
- Provisional pass/fail feedback before exiting the exam (unofficial and unvalidated), then an official score report within 7–10 calendar days of the test date, viewable in the NCARB Record with email notification
- Score validity
- Passed divisions remain valid through the delivery of the exam version under which they were taken plus the following version (rolling clock retired April 30, 2023): passed divisions expire after two versions of the exam; NCARB gives at least 18 months' notice before retiring any exam version and does not offer extensions
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
65 items (including 2 case studies) across four content sections: Business Operations (20–26% of exam items), Finances, Risk, & Development of Practice (29–35%), Practice-Wide Delivery of Services (22–28%), and Practice Methodologies (17–23%). Percentages reflect a typical form; specific forms may vary slightly.
Where rules vary
The ARE 5.0 is the uniform national licensing examination required by all U.S. jurisdictions for architect licensure (passing all six divisions is required by every U.S. jurisdiction); candidates receive exam eligibility from an individual jurisdiction and may test at any PSI test center or online regardless of the jurisdiction where they are seeking licensure; the exam itself is identical nationwide, and NCARB notes all 55 U.S. jurisdictions accept its score validity policy.
Eligibility
Candidates must first receive exam eligibility from a U.S. licensing jurisdiction and schedule through the Exams tab of an active NCARB Record (NCARB Record application USD 105 plus USD 105 annual renewal for licensure candidates)
Retake policy
A failed division can be retaken as soon as 60 days after the previous test date; the same division may be taken only three times within any 12-month period. (Reschedule/cancellation: no changes within 7 days of the appointment as of October 1, 2026; unused seat credits expire one year after purchase.)