Everything you want to know about ARE 5.0 passing scores!
What are the passing scores for ARE 5.0? And do you have to pass all the sections? And do you have to pass both the case studies? Or just one? I'll answer all those questions here, and more importantly, how you can use this information to plan your ARE 5.0 test strategy.
ARE 5.0 Passing Scores
Alright, here are the short answers to all those big questions. Long, nerdy test-strategy answers are below…
What score do I need in order to pass the ARE?
You need to score between 58 and 71 percent. Each exam has its own range. This is direct from the NCARB blog, ARE 5.0: What Score Do You Need to Pass? We'll talk about how this can help your test strategy below.
Do I need to pass all the sections?
No! Every question on the ARE is worth exactly 1 point. You just need to get enough right to pass, it doesn't matter what section they are in or what question type they are.
Do I need to pass both the case studies?
No! ARE 5.0 is not the same as ARE 4.0 where you had to pass the multiple choice AND the vignette. In ARE 5.0 every question is worth exactly the same, and you don't have to pass any specific section or question type. You just need to get enough questions right.
Video
You can watch a video version of this post right here. Blog continues below the video. Note that the video has slightly out of date passing scores, but the concepts are all the same.
ARE 5.0 TEST STRATEGY
Even though we don't know exactly what score we need in order to pass each exam, and there are some pre-test questions on each exam that are not counted, we can still say with confidence the number of questions we can get right to guarantee an ARE 5.0 passing score. This is slightly different for each exam, see the chart I made below.
Each exam has a slightly different passing score, but we can use this information to assist our test strategy in three key ways:
- We can plan our time-per-question strategy
- we can make sure we study to our strengths
- we can (try to) limit our time spent on long questions.
ARE 5.0 Time Per Question
NCARB recently reduced the number of questions on each exam, giving us slightly longer than before for each question. The number of questions and the allowable time on each exam varies, but you get about 2 minutes and 24 seconds per question. That's not much and it goes by quickly, especially on those case studies where you have to search through plans, code or project manual excerpts.
So you get 2 minutes 24 seconds per question, and we know we're not going to answer every question correctly. But what if we could magically only attempt the questions that we need to get correct? Our time per question would go way up! On PPD our time per question would go from 2 minutes 27 seconds all the way up to 3 minutes 33 seconds! That's 66 more seconds, which is a freakin' gold mine on the ARE.
This chart has a bunch of info about how many questions are on each exam and how much time you have. It also shows the maximum passing scores based on the passing thresholds for each exam and how much time you have per question if you only answer the ones you need to get correct.
EXAM:
Self explanatory
QUESTIONS:
How many total questions are on each ARE 5.0 exam
REAL QUESTIONS:
This is how many questions are graded
PRE-TEST ITEMS:
This is how many questions are not graded. There is no way to tell which questions are real or pre-test. You have to answer all the questions to the best of your ability.
TIME:
This is how much time you have for each each exam
TIME PER QUESTION:
This is the average time you have for each question on the exam
PASSING SCORE:
This is the range of passing scores for each ARE 5.0 exam.
GUARANTEED PASS # OF CORRECT ANSWERS:
This multiplies the Real Questions by the maximum passing score, then adds in the pre-test items as a safety factor. For PcM this is 59 * .71 + 6 = 47.89 = 48. If you get this number of questions correct you are guaranteed to pass…and you might even pass with fewer!
TIME PER MAXIMUM No. OF RIGHT ANSWERS:
This is how much time you would have if you could answer only the maximum number you needs to get correct.
ONLY ANSWER THE QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ANSWER…SORT OF
I know I keep talking about the impossible…only answer the questions you need to get right. We can't do that. But we CAN limit the time we waste on questions we know we don't know. For me it was wood grain patterns and most things electrical. I didn't study this stuff very much so I knew it was not worth my time talking myself in circles about wood grain patterns. If I didn't know it or almost knew it I just marked something and moved on. You want to maximize the time you spend on questions you CAN get right!
Marina Curac has a great post about a similar issue, how to pace yourself on the ARE 5.0.
The point here is to not waste time on things you don't know, or that will take you too long to answer. Remember, every question on the exam is worth exactly the same, 1 point. Long questions where you have to pick 3 items, calculation questions, drag and drop question and short multiple choice, they all count the same. See these two sample items from the NCARB ARE 5.0 Handbook. Sample Item 2 might take you a long time to read. And what if you aren't all that strong on sustainability topics? Sample Item 4 is much shorter, and counts for just as many points. And what if you are particularly strong at IBC items? (side note, I highly recommend that you do get strong on IBC stuff. Check out this post about what you need to know about the IBC to pass the ARE.
If you are on the exam and you're faced with Sample Item 2 and you know this is not your strength, do NOT waste a lot of time thinking about it. Instead of spending 5 minutes thinking about it and trying to figure it out, spend 1 minute on it, mark your best guess and use the time you saved to find more questions like Sample Item 4. Something short and to your strengths.
STUDY TO YOUR STRENGTHS
One thing I have learned in the last three years of helping people with the ARE is that every candidate is different and more importantly, equally different from the exam. A lot of people worry about their weaknesses and don't acknowledge their strengths. Something in which you have experience or exceptional skill which feels basic to you is undoubtedly a challenge for someone else. Studying for the ARE is a great way to work on some of your weaknesses, but definitely play up your strengths to help get you through the exam and get an ARE 5.0 passing score.
MORE STUFF
Here are a few things to check out next:
10 IBC Things to Know for the ARE
How to Round Code Requirements
ARE 5.0 study material and recommended practice tests
