Free ARE 5.0 Practice Exam (NCARB Architect Registration Exam)
Original questions and case studies for all six ARE 5.0 divisions, written to NCARB’s objectives, every answer explained.
A design team wants to bring daylight deep into a 90-foot-deep office floor plate. Which strategy is most effective?
624 original questions · 38 case studies · 6 timed practice exams in NCARB’s item counts and times
ARE practice exams by division
Each division has its own page with free sample questions, a free ten-question drill for every NCARB section, a case study drill and a full timed practice exam. One ARE pass covers all six.
Practice Management (PcM)
65 questions · 2 hr 40 min · 51% passed in 2025
Practice Management covers running an architecture firm: professional ethics, the standard of care, staffing and workplace rules, firm finances, insurance and risk, business development, delivery methods and contract types, and business structures.
Project Management (PjM)
75 questions · 3 hr · 63% passed in 2025
Project Management covers running a project: assembling the team, work plans and schedules, the owner-architect, architect-consultant and owner-contractor agreements, budget and scope control, approvals from authorities having jurisdiction, and quality control.
Programming & Analysis (PA)
75 questions · 3 hr · 59% passed in 2025
Programming & Analysis covers the work before design: site and environmental analysis, zoning and code requirements, site programming, building programming and space relationships, and whether the budget and schedule fit the scope.
Project Planning & Design (PPD)
100 questions · 4 hr 5 min · 48% passed in 2025
Project Planning & Design covers schematic design and design development: siting the building, zoning and code compliance, structural, MEP and special systems, materials and assemblies, integrating program and systems, and cost.
Project Development & Documentation (PDD)
100 questions · 4 hr 5 min · 54% passed in 2025
Project Development & Documentation covers turning a design into construction documents: sizing and detailing systems, coordinating consultants, drawing standards, the project manual and specifications, code compliance at the detail level and cost estimates.
Construction & Evaluation (CE)
75 questions · 3 hr · 61% passed in 2025
Construction & Evaluation covers bidding and construction: advising the owner on bids and contractor selection, site observation, RFIs, submittals, change orders, applications for payment, nonconforming work, and closeout and post-occupancy evaluation.
Sit a division under the real clock
Six full-length practice exams, one per division, in the October 2026 item counts and times: PcM 65, PjM 75, PA 75, PPD 100, PDD 100, CE 75. Case studies, check-all-that-apply items and an explanation for every answer.
Or start with a free 10-question drillThe ARE 5.0 at a glance
The Architect Registration Examination is the licensing exam U.S. jurisdictions use for architects, developed by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). ARE 5.0 has six divisions that follow a project from running a practice through construction. Facts below are from NCARB’s ARE 5.0 Guidelines effective October 1, 2026, and its website.
- Divisions
- Six, each its own exam, taken in any order: Practice Management (PcM), Project Management (PjM), Programming & Analysis (PA), Project Planning & Design (PPD), Project Development & Documentation (PDD), Construction & Evaluation (CE)
- Questions and time
- PcM 65 items in 2 hr 40 min; PjM 75 items in 3 hr; PA 75 items in 3 hr; PPD 100 items in 4 hr 5 min; PDD 100 items in 4 hr 5 min; CE 75 items in 3 hr. Each total includes 6 to 9 unscored pretest items.
- Question types
- Multiple choice, check-all-that-apply (six options, “Check the two that apply”) and hotspot. Each division ends with case studies built on a scenario and one or two resources.
- Passing score
- A cut score set for each form. NCARB says you need 58–66% of scored items for PDD and CE, 59–71% for PcM and PjM, and 65–71% for PA and PPD.
- Fees
- US$263 per division (US$1,578 for all six), the same for retakes, plus an NCARB Record at US$105 a year
- Retakes
- Wait 60 days after an attempt of a division, and take the same division no more than three times in any 12 months
- Where you test
- At a PSI test center or by PSI online proctoring on a Windows computer
- 2025 pass rates
- PcM 51%, PjM 63%, PA 59%, PPD 48%, PDD 54%, CE 61%; 55% overall across 17,747 candidates
ARE question types, and what you can practice here
| NCARB question type | In our practice |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | Yes: four options, one best answer |
| Check-all-that-apply | Yes: six options with the number to check stated, scored only when every correct option is checked |
| Case studies | Yes: a scenario with one or two table resources, followed by three or four questions; each practice exam ends with them |
| Hotspot (click on a drawing or photo) | No: our simulator does not include hotspot items |
Our practice exams score every question; the real exam leaves its 6 to 9 pretest items out of your score, and you cannot tell which they are.
Where the ARE fits in becoming an architect
- Open an NCARB Record (US$105 a year) and request exam eligibility for the jurisdiction where you want a license. Rules on when you may start testing are set by each jurisdiction.
- Accept the ARE Candidate Agreement, which binds you to keep exam content confidential.
- Pay for and schedule each division separately (US$263 each) at a PSI test center or online.
- Pass all six divisions, alongside the education and Architectural Experience Program (AXP) requirements your jurisdiction sets.
How to use this ARE practice
- Pick the division you will take next and start with its free mixed drill to see where you stand.
- Drill the largest sections first, such as Building Analysis & Programming in PA (37–43%) or Construction Observation and Administrative Procedures in CE (32–38% each).
- Take the case study drill until reading a scenario and its resources quickly feels routine.
- Sit the full practice exam under the real clock, then drill your two lowest sections and sit it again. Each new sitting draws questions you have not seen first.
Common questions
How many questions are on the ARE 5.0?
490 items across the six divisions: PcM 65, PjM 75, PA 75, PPD 100, PDD 100 and CE 75. Each division includes 6 to 9 unscored pretest items and ends with case studies. Testing time totals 19 hours 50 minutes.
What score do you need to pass the ARE?
Each form of each division has its own cut score. NCARB says you need to answer 58–66% of scored items correctly for PDD and CE, 59–71% for PcM and PjM, and 65–71% for PA and PPD. Pass or fail depends on your total for the division, not on any single section.
Did the ARE change in 2026?
Yes, slightly. Since April 27, 2026, 12 of the 91 objectives have been adjusted and case studies use fewer resources (one or two) and fewer questions each. Item counts and testing times did not change, and the exam is still ARE 5.0. Our questions follow the ARE 5.0 Guidelines effective October 1, 2026.
Which ARE division should I take first?
NCARB lets you take the divisions in any order. Many candidates group them by what they work on: Practice Management and Project Management together, or Project Planning & Design with Project Development & Documentation, which share building systems and code content. PPD had the lowest 2025 pass rate (48%) and CE the highest (61%).
Are these real ARE questions?
No. NCARB keeps exam content confidential and candidates agree not to share it. Every question and case study here is original, written to the objectives NCARB publishes, with an explanation and a reference for each answer. NCARB also offers six free practice exams, one per division, in your NCARB Record; ours add more forms, drills by section and timed practice in the real counts.
Ready for exam day?
Six full-length practice exams, one per division, in the October 2026 item counts and times: PcM 65, PjM 75, PA 75, PPD 100, PDD 100, CE 75. Case studies, check-all-that-apply items and an explanation for every answer.
Or start with a free 10-question drillSources
- NCARB: ARE 5.0 Guidelines (effective October 1, 2026)
- NCARB: ARE 5.0 question types
- NCARB: What score do you need to pass the ARE? (updated June 2025)
- NCARB: ARE 5.0 pass rates
- NCARB: fees
- NCARB: answers to your top questions about the ARE changes (April 2026)
- NCARB: free ARE 5.0 practice exams
- NCARB by the Numbers 2026: examination
ARE® and Architect Registration Examination® are registered marks of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Game Assessment Prep is an independent practice site, not affiliated with or endorsed by NCARB. Every question and case study is original, written to the published ARE 5.0 objectives; none is an ARE question, a recalled question or taken from NCARB’s practice exams.