ARE pass rates, scoring and retakes

What are the ARE pass rates by division?

NCARB publishes a pass rate for each ARE 5.0 division every year, for all candidates, first time and repeat:

First attempts do better. In 2025, first attempts at a division passed 60% of the time, averaged across the divisions, and second attempts 51%. By the fifth attempt or later it fell to 32%. Among candidates who finished the whole ARE in 2025, 30% passed all six divisions on their first try.

NCARB’s pass rates page goes back to 2020 and also breaks the figures down by school of architecture.

Your ARE score report

When you end the exam, provisional feedback appears on screen. It’s unofficial and based on unvalidated results, and you can’t get a printout. NCARB then checks the results with data forensics. Your official report reaches the Exams tab of your NCARB Record within 7 to 10 calendar days, and NCARB emails you when it’s there.

• Every report says pass or fail at the top and has a link anyone can use to check it’s genuine.
• A failing report adds a scaled score and, on page two, your percentage correct in each section beside the average of candidates who passed.
• A passing report has no scaled score.

The Guidelines say a passing report also shows the division’s expiration date, five years after the exam, and rolling clock details if your board has a rolling clock-type rule. NCARB’s blog, updated December 10, 2025, says all 55 jurisdictions have aligned with its score validity policy, so ask your board if your report shows a date.

NCARB releases your score reports to the board where you’re seeking a license, and otherwise only for anonymous research or when the law requires it. If something went wrong on test day, tell NCARB in writing within 15 days of the test: a report by the proctor doesn’t count.