This week, NCARB announced that candidates can now sit for exams in London or Abu Dhabi. You can read their full announcement here.
They also state in the article that they are actively pursuing locations in China. You may be wondering, why would NCARB be working so hard to let people take the exam overseas? Further, you might also be thinking, “OK, but why London, Abu Dhabi and China?”
Well, the answer is simple. Over the last decade, many large firms have opened offices overseas, and in particular, in London, Abu Dhabi and China. Often they send their U.S. based staff over to those offices to work for extended periods, stalling their exam plans in the process.
After all, how can a candidate pass Site Planning and Design, when they are 5000 miles away from the nearest Prometric testing center?
Firms like HOK have offices in London, Dubai, and Shanghai. So does Gensler, AECOM and many others. In fact, of the 100 largest architecture firms in the world, virtually all of them have some presence in one (or all) of those places.
Imagine how many letters NCARB has received from candidates working overseas, but fighting against their 5 year rolling clock?
This is great news for candidates (and their firms), as you won’t have to delay your dreams of licensure by working overseas.
Are you one of the candidates who will be taking the Architect Registration Exam overseas? Let us know in the comments below.
