NCARB ARE Exam Changes

I need the feel of real paper and pencil. It’s apart of the sketch and note taking experience.

Architecture is both a visual and physical practice, and as such it seems absurd that an essential, simple, useful, and harmless tool like scratch paper would be removed from the ARE exams. This seems like a pointless move in the wrong direction.

As a visual learner who comprehends word problems better through sketching, it is an extreme detriment to remove scratch paper during my exam. This decision is impeccably bureaucratic and uber disheartening and discouraging.

I've been actively studying and taking these exams for the past 2 years. I rely heavily on the scratch paper & pencil the testing center provides for us during the exam for every single exam I've taken. It's much easier to scribble down notes, draw sketches quickly, or to write out math problems by hand than to try to type it out. For timed exams, every second counts to work through each problem quickly. Please reconsider this rule & make an exception for those are testing in a testing center. There are reasons why I choose to take my exam at a testing center.

Can’t take away pen and paper from future architects!

Keep scratch paper as an option for test takers

We literally draw as a profession!

Please donnot remove scratch paper, we are not robots and best way for us is too use paper ... please please please do not do this to us! Is not fair.

This is wrong. Test takers need scratch paper.

Having a paper is important

For crying out loud. Let the test taking candidates have scratch paper that has been screened by the testing center.

I support this petition if no additional time or second monitor are given.

We absolutely need scratch paper for a reasonable reasonable testing situation.

Please Continue to allow scratch paper to be used at the test sites. It’s a very valuable future for us who are trying there best to became architects. I truly hope that NCARB community opinion will be taken in consideration.

Scratch paper is a necessary for design!! So keep it!!!

Keeping the scratch paper is critical. Some of us use every inch of that paper to better take the test. Taking away that tool will severely handicapp us and cost us the exam themselves.

This is a major set back in the progress NCARB has made over the years. It is time prohibitive to use an on screen white board verses the ability to notate and refine solutions as you move along the exam, especially so in the case study questions.

I'm a test taker that uses every space available on the scratch paper. I use it to sketch and solve problems, and even do calculations. It's essential for test taking. I imagine the whiteboard like the one featured in Zoom. I have tried sketching on Zoom's whiteboard, but when used with a mouse is not so convenient. This is such a terrible decision.

WTF. Come ON. Let them use paper like every other test in the world ever.

This is an absolutely terrible idea. To disconnect drawing and sketching from Architecture is absurd and should not be done. Fix the already buggy software. NCARB needs reconnect with those they expect to continue the profession, or otherwise they risk pushing people into other professions that do not make them jump through hoops.