Part of the ARE pass
ARE PA practice exam: the full timed 75-question exam
75 questions · 3 hr · case studies at the end · 30-minute optional break
NCARB’s October 2026 format for Programming & Analysis: 59 standalone questions, then 5 case studies with 16 questions, on one 3 hr clock. Questions per section follow NCARB’s expected counts. You get a score by section and question type, and an explanation for every answer.
Before you start
- Most questions have four options and one best answer. Check-all-that-apply questions have six options and say how many to check; they score only when every correct option is checked. Case study questions draw on a scenario and one or two resources shown above each question.
- You can skip, go back, change answers and mark questions for review. One 3 hr clock runs across the exam and keeps running in background tabs and reloads. When you finish the standalone questions they lock, as viewed items do after a break on the ARE, and you may take up to 30 minutes of break time with the clock paused. Our simulator does not include NCARB’s hotspot items (click on a drawing or photo).
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.