ARE 5.0 division
Practice Management
New members: $99/month (previously $199/month; plus applicable tax) for all six ARE divisions and the California CSE. Free PcM sample questions and a free PcM sample lesson, no account needed.
How an architecture practice is run as a business: staffing, insurance, ethics, finances, and the way a firm wins, prices, and delivers work without taking on risk it can't carry.
01Exam facts
- Number of items
- 65 (including 2 case studies)
- Total appointment time
- 3 hr 20 min
| Business Operations | 20–26% |
| Finances, Risk & Development of Practice | 29–35% |
| Practice-Wide Delivery of Services | 22–28% |
| Practice Methodologies | 17–23% |
NCARB states these ranges represent a typical form of the division; the form you take may vary slightly. Source: NCARB (ARE 5.0), checked October 1, 2026. Always confirm with the official source before your exam.
02Who it's for
- Designers and project architects who have never seen a firm's books or negotiated a fee
- Candidates at large offices where business decisions happen several levels above them
- Anyone planning to start or join a small practice after licensure
03Learning approach
- 1
Read the firm, not just the project
Each unit opens from the principal's chair — a staffing gap, a cash-flow month, an insurance renewal — before naming the rule behind it.
- 2
Trace consequences forward
Practice questions follow a business choice into its later effects on liability, profitability, and reputation.
- 3
Separate ethics from preference
Review distinguishes what professional conduct requires from what is merely good policy.
04Curriculum
Loading the curriculum outline…
05Decisions you'll practice
- Whether to accept a commission that stretches the firm's current staff
- Which entity structure limits personal liability for a new partnership
- How to respond when a client asks for services outside your agreed scope and fee
- When a marketing claim crosses into a conduct violation
Examples of the kinds of decisions covered. Not actual exam questions.
06Published now
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07Sample
No free sample is approved yet. The curriculum outline above lists every published section; How It Works explains the study flow.
08Questions
Start with PcM.
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