NCARB ARE Exam Changes

This is ridiculous, during the exam the scrap paper is helpful to work out problems and sketches. Screen is not conducive to this.

This is part of our thought process and takes away from our critical thinking and design process And testing

Hello, I am very concerned about this decision I think this would make it more difficult, browsing through the references is quite slow and the internet works quite slow in the test centers, we need to do some calculations and sketches, I really believe the decision is very wrong and I think NCARB should reconsider it for the well of all that are immersed in this great effort, thank you.

Unbelievable negligence to the profession by NCARB

Even if we had faith in NCARBs ability to develop a bug-free way to complete an exam and use this "digital whiteboard" (which we do not...raise your hand if you had either failed an exam or lost a significant amount of time in what is already a pressed-for-time exam because of an ARE program bug/error/lag in loading), this would be a widely unpopular idea. We think with our hands and have all been trained to do so throughout our education and experience in architecture. If your goal is bettering the profession and the process of obtaining licensure, this is a big step backwards. If you were to roll out this change (again, would not advise), it should be done in the same way that the transition to 5.0 was rolled out - with PLENTY of time for candidates to finish in the current 5.0 version, not changing course in the middle of a pandemic where candidates have no choice in the matter and when anxiety is already higher than normal.

I actually was encouraged when I read about your attempts to improve things with the exam - until I saw this. How on earth can this be implemented and actually be expected not to cause EVEN MORE stress in taking these exams? What's next? Make us ride a unicycle while we spin plates and take the exam at the same time? The answer is simple: video record the entire test session, and then photograph the scratch paper at the end. Both the video and image along with the exam regardless if it's taken in person or online. For crying out loud - stop putting more barriers in our path!

Make the exams more accessible, not LESS acceptable.

I have just started studying for my exam. Out of the 20 years of my educational experience I have never once been asked to forgo scratch paper. We have literally been trained to use our hands to draw and solve problems - and then you want to test us on those problems without the tools we are expected to use once we leave the testing facility. This is so backwards and counterproductive. I have tested in other online proctored exams and have still been allowed to use scratch paper! Your claim "In order to maintain fairness across delivery modes, NCARB needs to ensure candidates are provided the same tools while testing, whether they are testing online or onsite." is actually a perfect example of how you are creating an unreasonable and biased situation to those who learn, think, process and solve problems differently.

Please... please... please Architects without paper are fish without water.

Please reconsider this decision, you are disallowing an integral process for many of us pursing licensure. There must be a compromise we can reach - please allow pencil and scratch paper to remain for in-person testing.

This (Again) is a ridiculous new rule from NCARB.

We use every second of time during the exams - to have us go back and forth on screen when we could simply glance down is not acceptable.

It is ridiculous to do this in light of "keeping the experience equal." Taking a test in the comfort of home vs. driving to another location and sitting in a room with multiple people with issued pencils and paper are already different experiences and people should be able to choose one over the other with the understanding there will be differences. Sure, keep the digital whiteboard as an option for both test centers, but make sure that those testing from home know they are agreeing to take without physical scratch paper. You cannot make the experiences equal so don't use this as an excuse. The program already doesn't function well, and not releasing the whiteboard function until a couple of weeks before people take their tests is ridiculous when they signed up without knowing these changes were coming in the first place.

This is a ridiculous change that will affect the time it takes to complete the test simply because you can’t do doodles on a computer as well or fast as you can by hand. It’s absolutely inconsiderate to make such a change with such short notice and without changing the time it takes to take the test!

Unacceptable.

A digital notepad does not even come close to being a replacement for a piece of scratch paper. The test is already difficult enough to navigate through, with so many tabs, scroll bars and horrible zoom controls. The scratch paper is the only way to quickly make a sketch, note or calculation. If I am forced to rely on an additional computer tool, I might as well just give up on the possibility of completing an exam in the time allowed. A digital notepad will be just one more useless, time consuming road block. Not to mention that changing the rules of an exam part way though is utterly wrong and unforgivable.

Architects are inherently trained to think by sketching. You are literally taking away our ability to sketch.

This decision needs to be reversed. Pencils and paper are an integral test taking tool and cannot be replaced with a mouse-navigated resource. Especially not on the platform at present.

Please keep the scratch paper

This is a horrendous and unnecessary change - using scrap paper has often helped me think through problems and solve them through drawing.