I took my grandchildren to a Chief’s game. To hold my attention and provide a learning experience I kept score. Having been thought scoring before designated hitter, pinch runners, early inning and late inning relief pitcher; I decided to take a refresher course on the internet. It sure has become complicated. There are right and left hand K’s for strikeouts. Every player’s inning box has a diamond in it. At least the right fielder is number 9! I passed on my continuing education to my grand children but I am sure they won’t pursue scoring as a profession for two reasons. They attend Padre games and MLB does not give learning units to scorers.  

It is well known that many baseball fans are static freaks. Professional baseball is not the only profession to succumb to static mania. Architecture has caught the virus. The professions apprentice has become an intern architect and is now subject to IDP. Special note, the September “You Came a Long Way Arch”, has related Figures to this article). The Intern Development Program has total required training units of 700(see ARCH figure 1). It is divided into four alpha categories and subdivided numerically. Each sub number is provided with a minimum required training units. For example A-1 = 10, B-12 = 15, C-14 = 15 D-16 = 10. Put them all together they spell ARE.  

The practicing architect’s responsibility for training by direct supervision and stating that the apprentice was competent to sit the exam was supplanted by the IDP system. The alpha training system is created from A to FF. Setting maximum training units allowed as follows, A= no limit but, Note 4 states at least 235 TU must earn for direct supervision from a RA, B= 465TU, C= 235TU, D= 235TU in categories B, C and D,  E= 117TU in categories C and D, E= 245TU in category D and FF= 10TU in category D16. Of course this has been simplified and condensed from 3 NCARB documents from 1 page to 35 pages. Are you sill with me?  

Now you pays your money for IDP (See Figures 2 & 3 on Arch) and what you get are license application forms. The forms are available on the SED web site. Form 1 is titled, “Application for Licensure and First Registration”. Note: “Applicant Must complete all four pages of this application IN INK”. The first 5 items are as required on any form. Number 6 the applicant gets to choose from 4. Being new to the profession and completed IDP the first box is checked. Number 7 states, “Name as it appears on degree or other credentials”’, (if different from above) here list all aliases. Item 8 asks, Have you previously applied for New York State Licensure”? Who in their right mind would answer this?  After 5 years of formal education and 3 years of IDP; who could answer this question? Maybe Lawyers as I have heard of such a thing. Number 9 is a follow up to number 8. If one said no to 7 one would think you could skip 8 but, don’t bet on it. So it is best to be a No, No.  

Numbers 10, 11, 12 and 13 all deal with crime and punishment obviously a Lawyer has been involved with this form. Hopefully four No, No’s are in order. Number 14 is recording education as is number 15 recording experience. Isn’t your IDP record that is forwarded to the Registration Board a duplication of time and money? Number 16 is getting very personal, “Student Loan Disclosure”, do they think your check will bounce? How is your credit? Number 17 is inserted between 18 “Asking Child Support Obligations” and addresses “Reasonable Testing Accommodations for Individual Disabilities”. Now 17, being meaningful to the administration of the ARE, should be surrounded by personal financial information that are character demeaning is beyond reasonability. Now the form really gets into “Immigration”, “Gender and Ethnicity” but, it is couched well with (This item is optional); oh really? Page 4 is cute. Number 21 “Education Program Review” (See Figure 5 of Arch to see how it is used): here the applicant may or may not allow SED to release exam results to the professional school. Of course the answer must be initialed. Then comes a photo with date, affidavit with signature and date and finally Notary Certification of Identification.  

Now, don’t that give applicants a warm fuzzy feeling of the profession. For $345 by check to SED you have the assurance that the cancelled check is your receipt. This is followed by an individual who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund. Well now on to the ARE.  

In the 50’s, the exam was pencil, paper, essay and graphic answers.  In the 60’s, multiple choice sections started to appear.  The exam became nationally graded and changed its character and the question writing became much more generic.  Today, all parts of the exam are computerized and computer graded.  The divisions for testing for minimum competency of an architect are: building design and construction systems, building systems (mechanical & electrical), constructions documents and services, program planning and practice, schematic design, site planning design and structural systems.   

There is help at hand. NCARB has study guides, yes there is a PP study guide and a PP practice program and as well for SPD, BD, SS, BS (this is very important) and CDs. All these may be down loaded for the applicants use. There is another source for study.  

Kaplan AEC Education shall provide a full set of study guides with questions, practice vignettes, on-line learning and flash cards on-line learning for a price of $1299.95.  This is equal to two semesters in the 1950’s that gave you 10, 9hour sketches, six hours of mechanical, electrical and building systems, six graphic project presentations, three hours of construction documents etc.  for the same cost. If you didn’t get it in school or on the job training, it’s a bargain.   

For passing rates by division see Figure 4 of Arch.  

SCHOOL BOX SCORES: 2007 –2005 see Figure 6 of Arch.

 

The rules of any game evolve and change over the years. A rule of thumb for building codes is review and revision every 3 years. NCARB seems to review and revise every 10 years. They are now presenting an ARE 4.1. Transition is the name of the game and the losers are the Interns trapped in the system. It sounds like the old Abbott and Costello routine 

 

Comparing the two ARE exams one can question the wisdom and reasons for change. See Arch Figures 6, 7 and 8. ARE 3.1 would take a minimum of 32hours to complete. This was equal to the time allotted in the 50”s including a 12 hour design problem. ARE 3.1 has a total of 603 questions including vignettes. The 603 divided by 32 hours equals an answer rate per hour of 19.4. ARE 4.1 has not stated a time but its 13 parts contain 1301 questions and vignettes. Therefore 1301 divided by 19.4 equals 67 hours. This does not seem fair or reasonable. As Olivers Fagan would say I think I should think it out again.  

Time is money. Let’s keep it simple, ARE 3.1 if completed in one shot cost $1,071. ARE 4.1 if completed in one shot would cost $1,190. It does not look like an economic burden to the candidate. Exclude the cost of formal education and the time in the examination rooms as its requirement met. In New York State the applicant minimum cost is $1,300 for prep, $345 for application and $1,071 equals $2,716. This is a big investment of time and money to be a minimum qualified architect. When the ARE 3.1 was in development some authors claimed they could ask five questions properly phased and determined if the candidate was qualified. What was once an endurance test has become a perseverance examination. Is ARE 4.1 a qualification exam or a disqualification exam? Has the individual been mislaid or by passed in a statistical process? Where is the human main element that the architect wishes to serve? When the torch is passed, hopefully, the Intern Architect shall grab the right end.