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Released June 28, 2022
NCARB is pleased to offer two new accommodations for Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) candidates who speak English as a second language (ESL): 20% extended testing time and the use of a word-to-word translation dictionary.
NCARB staff and psychometrician consultants have conducted extensive research and analysis into the performance of candidates who are not native English speakers. Based on the findings, NCARB has determined that offering these industry-standard ESL accommodations will encourage greater accessibility and equity in the licensure process.
Application Process
You are eligible for an ESL accommodation if English is not your native language.
To apply, download the ESL testing accommodations application form from NCARB's website and submit the form to testingaccommodations@ncarb.org with the subject line "ESL Accommodation."
Do not schedule any exam appointments if you are in the accommodation application process. Exam accommodations cannot be applied retroactively to already scheduled appointments.
Note: If you are pursuing licensure in New York, please be aware that New York will not accept divisions of the ARE passed using ESL accommodations.
Other Accommodations
NCARB is committed to ensuring the exam is accessible to all candidates by providing reasonable accommodations for temporary or permanent medical conditions, including those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Learn more about applying for a medical accommodation in the ARE 5.0 Guidelines.
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Comments
6 comments
Ncarb - Appreciate your commitment to this. However, you guys should really listen first.
The problem is not ESL people can't understand your questions. I found many native English-speaking people also have problems understanding your questions in the first place, with all the tricky wordings or Grammarly's incorrect non-sense questions.
I don't know if Ncarb has any ESL people on the board of directors making this decision.
You can also refer to other public exams - like driving test in other languages. Many people actually found it easier to understand in English, not in their own languages.
"word-to-word translation dictionary" will not help. Because a lot of terms just cannot translate directly. Specially when it comes to technical terms in PPD PDD.
When you don't understand a question, you just don't understand no matter how much time you give more to the exam. Unless you have more clear info in that questions.
Imagining your kid stuck in a cave, that kid won't un-stuck himself unless someone gives him some help.
For a better solution- you guys should write better questions-less subjective-more clear-easier to understand-focus on how to make us a great architect-not how to trick us to continue paying this rabbit hole.
Are building codes not written exclusively in English? For the most part they aren’t easily read either, with many native English speakers interpreting them in different ways. Being able to navigate the complexity of codes and the language they’re written in would count as essential in “protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public”.
I don't think it's English that is the problem, it's the length of paragraphs on questions, and wrong grammar. I think NCARB should structure its language like the USMLE, this is the hardest exam to take, and has a 90% pass rate for doctors, and foriegn doctors actually score really high without accommodation. You should have a lingeust on board for sure.
100% agree with Mr. Parga
and 100% agree with Mr. Ayyoub.
I am struggling passing these exams, English is my second lenguaje and I am getting 20% extra time and I am always finding myself running out of time. No having enough time to comprehend the question and review them has been an issue and the trickiness of how some questions are written. When I am about 3/4 of the exam is when my brain gives up and I have been so close of passing my first 2 divisions , I understand why the exam exists and its purpose but in real live we have tools to research or colleges to provide support when it’s needed. I want to encourage NCARB to use clear questions and check statistics of passing rates of ESL candidates. I don’t think that they understand the level of complexity that our brains go through in one of this test.
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