ARE Construction & Evaluation Exam: Section Weights and What Gets Tested (2024)

64 to 76 percent. That is how much of the ARE 5.0 Construction & Evaluation exam falls on Sections 2 and 3 alone. Get construction observation and administrative procedures wrong and the exam fails before Section 4 starts. Here is every section weight, every tested objective, and the four mistakes that send candidates back to the testing center.

What are the CE exam section weights at a glance?

The Construction & Evaluation (CE) division is the ARE 5.0 division that tests contract administration from bidding through post-occupancy evaluation, per NCARB’s 2013 Test Specification. Four sections carry published weight ranges.

Section 1 covers contractor selection, bidding processes, and cost adjustment. Section 2 covers the architect’s observation role, conformance verification, and field documentation. Section 3 covers RFIs, submittal review, applications for payment, and non-conformance responses. Section 4 covers substantial completion, final completion, and post-occupancy building evaluation.

Sections 2 and 3 carry identical weights. Together, the two sections account for 64–76% of scored items, more than twice the combined weight of Sections 1 and 4. DataDrivenAEC’s analysis of the 4 CE section weight ranges confirms that Sections 2 and 3 jointly hold a minimum of 64% of scored items in every possible scoring scenario: regardless of how individual ranges fall, construction observation and administrative procedures always dominate the CE exam.

Why does NCARB weight observation so heavily?

Construction observation is the architect’s act of making periodic site visits to observe the work for general conformance with the contract documents, per AIA A201 §4.2.2. Construction observation is not construction supervision. The architect does not direct the contractor’s means, methods, sequences, or schedules.

The distinction carries legal weight. When a defect appears, the owner asks whether the architect observed and documented the work. Observation reports, photographs, and field notes form the record. Non-conforming work prompts a written non-conformance notice from the architect to the contractor.

NCARB places 32–38% of CE items on Section 2 because field judgment cannot be replaced by recall. All Section 2 objectives in the ARE 5.0 Test Specification reach the analysis/evaluation (A/E) level. Analysis/evaluation questions require a candidate to weigh competing considerations, not simply identify a rule from memory.

Section 3 carries the same 32–38% weight for an equivalent reason: administrative procedures under AIA A201 also require judgment about authority, cost, and documentation. A candidate who memorizes procedures without understanding authority fails both sections.

How does submittal review work under Section 3?

Submittal review is the architect’s evaluation of contractor-submitted shop drawings, samples, product data, mock-ups, and test results against the contract documents, per ARE 5.0 CE Objective 3.2. Submittal review confirms conformance with design intent. Submittal review does not verify the contractor’s means or methods, and approval of a submittal does not waive contract document requirements.

Submittals enter a queue. The architect logs each submittal on a submittal register, reviews the submittal for conformance, marks the submittal as approved, approved as noted, revise and resubmit, or rejected, then returns the submittal to the contractor. Response time is established in the contract documents.

The ARE 5.0 Test Specification places Objective 3.2 at the analysis/evaluation level. Candidates must distinguish between a submittal review comment and a change order: a submittal comment cannot authorize a cost increase, a construction change directive can. Section 3 as a whole accounts for 32–38% of CE scored items, per ARE5 CE §Section 3, and submittal review is one of the highest-volume tested topics within Section 3.

What is the difference between an RFI and a change order?

Request for Information (RFI) is a written query from the contractor to the architect asking for clarification of the contract documents, per AIA A201 §4.2.14. An RFI does not authorize a scope change, a cost increase, or a schedule extension. The architect reviews the RFI and issues a written response.

A change order is a written agreement among the owner, architect, and contractor authorizing a change in scope, cost, or time, per AIA A201 §7.2. A construction change directive (CCD) authorizes the same change when the parties cannot agree on cost or time adjustments. The CCD is unilateral: the owner and architect can issue a CCD without contractor agreement on price.

The ARE 5.0 CE exam tests RFI processing in Section 3 (Administrative Procedures & Protocols), weighted at 32–38% of the overall CE score, per ARE5 CE §Section 3. Candidates who conflate RFIs with change orders lose points on questions about authority and cost.

The distinction: an RFI clarifies what the contract documents say. A change order changes what the contract documents require. An RFI costs nothing unless the clarification reveals a document conflict. A change order costs money by definition.

How does the architect certify a contractor’s application for payment?

The contractor’s application for payment is a formal request, typically submitted on AIA G702 (application form) and AIA G703 (continuation sheet), for the architect to certify the amount earned as of a payment period, per ARE 5.0 CE Objective 3.3. The architect’s certification is a representation to the owner that the certified amount reflects work in place and stored materials.

Certification is not a guarantee. The architect reviews the application, compares claimed amounts against observed progress, then certifies as submitted, certifies a reduced amount with written explanation, or withholds certification pending additional information. The architect cannot certify amounts for work not observed.

The ARE 5.0 CE exam tests payment certification at the analysis/evaluation level under Objective 3.3. Candidates must know that the certificate does not relieve the contractor of obligations to complete non-conforming work, even if the architect certified payment for the non-conforming work.

Over-certified payment means the owner has advanced funds the contractor has not yet earned. Recovery requires contract provisions or legal action, a consequence that extends well beyond a wrong answer on a practice exam.

What does project closeout require under the CE exam?

Substantial completion is the stage at which the work is sufficiently complete for the owner to occupy or use the project for the intended purpose, per AIA A201 §9.8.1. Substantial completion is not final completion. The architect issues a certificate of substantial completion only when the work meets the §9.8.1 standard.

At substantial completion, the architect prepares a punch list: a written record of incomplete or non-conforming items the contractor must address before final completion. The contractor corrects punch list items. The architect re-inspects. Final completion follows when all work conforms to the contract documents and all closeout documentation is received.

Closeout documentation includes as-built drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, spare parts, and warranties. The architect cannot certify final payment until all closeout documents are received and all punch list items are resolved.

The ARE 5.0 CE exam places Section 4 (Project Closeout & Evaluation) at 7–13% of scored items, per ARE5 CE §Section 4. Post-occupancy building evaluation is also tested in Section 4 at the understanding/application and analysis/evaluation levels.

The part everyone gets almost right — DataDrivenAEC

Four mistakes recur on ARE 5.0 CE exams and in real construction administration.

1. Treating an RFI as a change order. An RFI clarifies the contract documents. A change order authorizes cost, scope, or schedule changes. The CE exam tests the RFI-versus-change-order distinction at the analysis/evaluation level, per ARE5 CE §Section 3. Confusing the two on a real project costs money without authorization.

2. Approving a submittal without checking conformance. Submittal review confirms that the contractor’s proposed product or method conforms to the contract documents, per ARE 5.0 CE Objective 3.2. An architect who stamps a submittal without reviewing the specifications invites field substitutions that violate the design intent.

3. Certifying payment for unobserved work. The architect’s AIA G702 certification represents to the owner that the certified amount reflects work in place, per Objective 3.3. Certifying amounts the architect has not observed is a misrepresentation regardless of the contractor’s claims.

4. Issuing substantial completion prematurely. Substantial completion means the owner can use the building for the intended purpose, per AIA A201 §9.8.1. Early certification starts the punch list clock before the work is ready and may limit available contractor remedies.

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