ARE Online Proctoring Launches Mid-November
Hey ARE Community,
NCARB is excited to announce that Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) candidates will be able to schedule online-proctored appointments in mid-November 2020. Online (or remote) proctoring enables candidates to take the ARE in a private location that meets specific requirements.
Scheduling Appointments
Changes that will make online proctoring possible are expected to launch November 16, at which point you will be able to schedule online appointments through My NCARB. Exam fees will remain the same, whether you test in-person or via online proctoring. To ensure the ARE’s security and validity, exam appointments will be closely monitored by a live “online proctor,” who will ensure compliance with testing conditions. In addition to a private location, you will also need a computer with a live video and audio feed; Prometric’s secure testing application; and high-speed internet. This fall, we’ll provide step-by-step instructions on how to schedule an online exam, plus the minimum technical and environmental requirements.
ARE Content, Format, and Resources
Once online proctoring is available, you’ll have the flexibility to choose between in-person or online testing for each exam appointment you schedule. Regardless of delivery mode, all ARE candidates will experience the same format.
It is important to note that the ARE’s content areas and division structure will not change. You can continue to use your existing study materials and resources. However, several elements of the exam’s delivery will be updated to enhance ARE security, make the ARE more efficient, and support online delivery—including navigation, breaks, the number of questions per division, and overall testing time per division. NCARB will provide detailed information regarding any policy changes in late-September.
We’re also planning to release updated resources in October, including a new demo exam and updated ARE 5.0 Handbook. Be on the lookout for an announcement about the exam’s updated format in the weeks ahead.
NCARB's New Vendor
As we look to the future of licensure and the continued evolution of our programs, NCARB will switch to a new test administration vendor, PSI, in summer 2021. PSI offers both in-person and online proctored exam appointments. More information around the migration to PSI will be available early next year.
If you have questions about online proctoring, post them within the newly created online proctoring discussion area.
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Hey RJ,
If your computer and office meet the requirements for online proctoring, the answer is yes! We are in the process of developing online proctoring technical guidelines which will be available in October. They will go into more detail on what computer specs are required, as well as what type of space is appropriate for an online proctored exam.
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This is a very good news, the best news on ARE exams for this year.
Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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Does this mean if you already have an exam scheduled in November, will we get the opportunity to select an online exam? Or will we need to cancel and reschedule to select the "online proctoring option"? Please advise how this process will go if you already have an exam scheduled and would like to change to this new method instead.
Thanks,
Michele
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Hey Michele,
When online proctoring launches on November 16th, candidates will have the ability to reschedule an exam from in-person to an online proctored experience, so the answer is yes. There is no rescheduling within 4 business days of an exam date, so make sure your exam is scheduled for later in November or December if you plan to switch it to online proctoring.
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Like David, currently I would have to drive an hour and a half to two hours (normal road conditions) to the nearest Test Center. I will be able to take the ARE exam online similarly to how I can take the AIBD's CPBD certification exam which will already be requiring many of the things about setting up the room. My desktop that I'll be using will have far above the minimum specs required for an online proctoring software.
I look forward to the new handbook and other updated information.
PS: Hello Gang Chen. I remember you from another forum years ago. I have been authorized for testing through state of Washington. I still have other requirements to be completed for licensure.
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Richard,
It is good to see you here. What a small world!Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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Nick,
Remote proctoring is amazing. I also think some people might still prefer to deal with the familiar format they have already seen in the test center. But I understand after the launch of the online version the "in-person" version will also change accordingly and the test in the current (today) format will not be available anymore?
Also, I understand people would be able to test even from abroad, in any location that they can make compliant?
Thank you,
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Hey Artem,
You are correct, both the in-person exam and online proctored versions will be the same. Beginning November 16th, candidates will no longer be able to take the current format that is in test centers. One thing the remember, the delivery updates being planned are very minor and nothing to be overly concerned about. The divisional sections (including percentages) and objectives listed within the ARE Handbook, as well as the case studies, are not changing. The exam will look and feel very similar to what candidates see today with a few differences. These changes will not be like what candidates experienced when switching from ARE 4.0 to 5.0.
Regarding international delivery of the ARE, online proctoring will allow candidates to test globally as long as their computer, internet speed, and testing space meet the technical specifications for delivery. There will no longer be a need for candidates around the globe to travel to an international Prometric site.
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Why is NCARB removing the use of scratch paper during the exam? It doesn't make any sense. I understand that for the online proctored exam is valid, but why change the in-person process too?. We have real math problem, a lot of information from the case studies, diagrams etc. I can't imagine taking the exam without having a paper to sketch or resolve problems. The exam program is already slow, how this digital note-taking option is not going to slow it down even more?.
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Unless I get something like an iPad and Apple Pencil, taking the exam without actual scratch paper will be difficult. It's not just about the math--we need the paper to draw and sketch stuff out! This will be near impossible on a computer, and/or will likely be a time consuming process.
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NCARB, I am really disappointed with your decision that people testing in-person will not have scratch paper. Architects are visual people and drawing diagrams and doing math by hand is part of who we are. This is making the overall process so much more difficult. Please reconsider this!! If someone chooses to test online, they choose to forego the scratch paper, but if you test in-person you should get paper.
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NCARB posted a new blog today with information regarding the Online Proctoring:
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https://www.ncarb.org/blog/online-proctoring-faqs
Okay.... that'll be interesting. I hope we'll be able to at least to sketch on-screen like an overlay highlight functionality. Calc and text notes should be on the side or something but the programmers needs to bear in mind that 1920x1080 screens we use has limited pixel real-estate to do all this and be legible. You'll need Ultra-4K to do what we are talking about in a nice manner because swapping between our notes and our exam content is a cumbersome and non-intuitive clutsy process. When I take notes on paper, I can read the notes and screen kind of at the same time or just a quick shift between where my eyes are looking but that will be at fractions of a second which is a lot faster than what I or anyone would be able to operate at with a mouse or track ball. An on-screen overlay approach of notes could be effective. This would be rather advance programming to do which I am not sure if the programmers you hired can pull that off but it can be a feature added.
The exam software in the existing exam is slow. This is probably because it is slow almost on purpose. The programmers use some sort of wait so many milliseconds of time to between an event trigger and responding. Certain built-in "wait cycles" are in the code of the exam software or an API framework used. Some things are going to take a while like when downloading the pdf content of a code section used in the exam from the exam server and then viewing the pdf. Once it's downloaded (buffered in to the exam browser's internet temp folder), it will take less time to 'reload' to see again and again but these operates only as fast as they can. I can expect server lag and systemic lag of the exam server(s) needs to be accounted for and monitored. Lets be realistic with the amount of time for exam questions with the delivery model. If it means 1 minute longer or whatever for the exam question, I can see that. I don't expect exam time per question to double or anything like that. It needs to be realistic, though.
Melissa Lemaster, NCARB does want to keep the exam experience the same in every practical way regardless of delivery or it can be considered unfair. Taking the exam from home isn't going to be easier. It's the same exam. Of course, if your computer is significantly better at home than the exam center than maybe I can understand if they are using low to medium class computer 10-15 year old computers (Intel Atom to i5 dual or quad core with up to 16 GB memory and only the integrated video not a video card) at the test centers when the average computer at home being less than 5 years old (64GB+ RAM, i7 or i9 with a modern video card). I can understand that but if the test centers are using half-ass competent computers with i7 or i9 CPUs from Dell with a 32 to 64 GB RAM, it wouldn't really matter that much and they would be comparable to what we have at home in which case, there shouldn't be any real reason for a difference in the exam experience. The exam experience should be the same in every meaningful way and the experience should be fair for both delivery model. No unreasonable advantage should be given to one delivery model of the exam versus the other. It defeats the purpose.
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I need a pencil. I need to sketch, write and do calc's on paper - in the office, we still use paper and note books to work out problems / thoughts.
Additionally - I was reworking my next exam strategy based on my previous exam experience - in which the exam summary did not function properly and others who experienced this issue suggested I write down my list "incomplete" or "marked" questions on the scratch paper just in case the exam summary fails me again.
I had other exam issues like reference docs not opening.
But I have an exam scheduled and the lack of scratch paper is a problem for me for several reasons.
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Generally, at test centers, they take the scratch paper you used and dispose of them according to protocols which ultimately involves both a shredding of the paper and incineration of that paper but this is usually done just like what is done by businesses using a special services to discard sensitive information of the business. Prometric and any other proctoring services uses a service for discarding and destruction of those scratch paper given out to test takers and used by them at test centers so it is completely unrecoverable. They can not assume we will do so to the same standard. Merely running the papers through a paper shredder isn't enough. People can tape the shreds together and in effect recoverable information. They can not have that. If I recall, you don't go home with the scratch paper. They need to make sure of that with online delivery. They have to make sure that you don't have notes written that you can share with other test takers. Although you are required to not disclose exam items on the test to other people, they can't assume everyone's integrity given past experiences with some test takers in the past.
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