Free ARE PcM Practice Exam (Practice Management)
Firm finances, ethics, risk and delivery-method questions with case studies, every answer explained.
A firm's annual financial summary shows net revenue of $2,000,000, total direct labor of $640,000 and overhead of $960,000. What is the firm's overhead rate?
86 original PcM questions · 6 case studies · 51% of attempts passed in 2025
PcM practice questions by section
NCARB divides Practice Management into 4 sections and sets each one’s share of the exam. Every section has a free ten-question drill with an explanation after each answer, and the case study drill gives you three scenarios with ten questions.
Business Operations (20–26%)
About 15 of 65 questions · 4 objectives
Staffing and capital resources, employment law, ethics and the standard of care
Finances, Risk, & Development of Practice (29–35%)
About 21 of 65 questions · 3 objectives
Overhead rates, multipliers, utilization and cash flow, insurance, dispute resolution, marketing and growth strategy
Practice-Wide Delivery of Services (22–28%)
About 16 of 65 questions · 3 objectives
Responding to client requests, delivery methods and contract types, and managing project risk
Practice Methodologies (17–23%)
About 13 of 65 questions · 2 objectives
Business entities and ownership, office standards, quality management and project records
Case studies
14 questions in our practice exam
A project scenario with one or two resources such as contracts, budgets, schedules, code or zoning excerpts and drawings, followed by three or four questions.
Mixed PcM drill
Ten questions from all 4 sections
A quick check across the whole division before you sit the timed practice exam.
6 free drills in PcM; each drill’s first attempt is free.
Ready for the full exam?
65 questions on the real 2 hr 40 min clock, standalone questions then case studies, with check-all-that-apply items, a score by section and an explanation for every answer.
Or start with a free 10-question drillThe PcM exam at a glance
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. Facts below are from NCARB’s ARE 5.0 Guidelines effective October 1, 2026, and its website.
- Questions
- 65 items: 59 scored and 6 unscored pretest items you cannot identify
- Time
- 2 hr 40 min of testing time and 30 minutes of optional break time, in a 3 hr 20 min appointment
- Case studies
- Up to 6 case studies with up to 14 questions, after the standalone questions
- Question types
- Multiple choice, check-all-that-apply and hotspot; one point each, no partial credit
- Passing score
- NCARB: 59–71% of scored items correct, depending on the form
- Fee and retakes
- US$263 per attempt; retake after 60 days, at most three attempts in 12 months
- Pass rate
- 2023: 53% · 2024: 48% · 2025: 51%
- Sections
- Business Operations 20–26%; Finances, Risk, & Development of Practice 29–35%; Practice-Wide Delivery of Services 22–28%; Practice Methodologies 17–23%
What PcM tests
- Finances, Risk, & Development of Practice is the largest section (29–35%): overhead rate, net multiplier, break-even rate and utilization from a firm’s financial data, claims-made insurance, limitation of liability and the mediation step before binding dispute resolution.
- Business Operations (20–26%) tests staffing decisions, employment rules such as overtime and worker classification, ethics situations from the AIA Code and NCARB’s Model Rules, and the ordinary standard of care.
- Practice-Wide Delivery of Services (22–28%) asks you to match delivery methods and contract types to an owner’s goals: design-bid-build, CM at-risk with a GMP, design-build, CM adviser and integrated project delivery.
- Practice Methodologies (17–23%) compares business entities (LLC, partnership, corporations, joint ventures) and firm-wide processes such as CAD standards, BIM execution plans and quality reviews.
Our practice exam draws questions per section inside NCARB’s expected counts and ends with 4 case studies. It does not include hotspot items, and it scores every question, including the share that would be unscored pretest items on the real exam.
Common questions
How many questions are on the PcM exam?
Practice Management has 65 items: 59 scored and 6 unscored pretest items you cannot identify. You get 2 hours 40 minutes of testing time and 30 minutes of optional break time, in a 3 hour 20 minute appointment. The division includes up to 6 case studies with up to 14 case study items.
What score do you need to pass PcM?
NCARB says you need to answer between 59 and 71 percent of the scored items correctly to pass Practice Management. The exact cut score depends on the form you get, because forms differ slightly in difficulty. Every item is worth one point, with no partial credit and no penalty for a wrong answer. Pass or fail depends on your total across the division, not on any one section.
Can I retake PcM if I fail?
You can retake a failed division 60 days after your previous attempt of that division, and take the same division no more than three times in any 12 months. Each attempt costs US$263. A failing score report shows your relative strengths and weaknesses by section on page two.
Are these real ARE questions?
No. NCARB keeps its exam content confidential, and candidates agree not to share it. Every question and case study here is original, written to the objectives NCARB publishes in the ARE 5.0 Guidelines, with an explanation and a reference for each answer.
Ready for exam day?
65 questions on the real 2 hr 40 min clock, standalone questions then case studies, with check-all-that-apply items, a score by section and an explanation for every answer.
Or start with a free 10-question drillThe other ARE divisions
One ARE pass covers every division’s practice exam and drills.
Format, scoring, fees and pass rates checked November 2026: 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.
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.