The Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) has announced updates to the Architectural Practice Examination in 2018.

The Architectural Practice Examination is the nationally consistent competency based assessment used by the architect registration boards around Australia to determine eligibility for registration as an architect. According to the AACA, candidates sitting the revised examination in 2018 will benefit from improvements introduced as a result of a review conducted last year.

“We want to ensure that the National Examination Paper is in line with best practice assessment of professional knowledge in other professions,” says Kate Doyle, CEO of the AACA. 

“The architect registration boards drove the review – conscious of the need to assure themselves, the profession and the general public that the primary assessment prior to registration as an architect meets best practice.”

While the changes will aim to improve both the method of assessment and the exam process, the content of the exam will remain the same. The exam will also move from a paper-based format to a computer-based test.

“The formatting of questions to allow each answer to attract marks, removal of penalties for incorrect answers, and introduction of feedback showing each candidate how they performed both in relation to the exam cohort as a whole and to each question means improved consistency and transparency,” says Doyle.