About the Architectural Practice Examination
Most people seeking to register as an architect in Victoria complete the Architectural Practice Examination (APE). It is a national examination conducted twice a year in all states and territories.
The APE assesses your knowledge and understanding of the practice of architecture in Australia and your capacity to exercise the professional skills required to be an architect.
If you successfully complete the APE, you can register as an architect.
The ARBV administers the APE with the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) and other state and territory architect registration boards.
The APE is open to overseas graduates of architectural courses, however they must meet the requirements in the Overseas Qualification Assessment (OQA) conducted by the AACA. For more information visit Overseas Qualification Assessment .
Various coaching courses aim to help applicants complete the APE, but please note that such courses are not compulsory and are not accredited by the AACA or affiliated with the ARBV.
Parts of the APE
The APE comprises 3 parts:
- Part 1 – Logbook and statement of practical experience
- Part 2 – National Examination Paper
- Part 3 – Examination by interview
You must complete the 3 parts in order. You can complete parts 1 and 2 in any state, but you must complete both parts in the same state. Part 3 can be completed in a different state than part 1 and 2.
Part 1: Logbook and Statement of Practical Experience
Part 1 of the APE requires you to provide documents demonstrating you meet the eligibility requirements of the examination process, you must submit a logbook, a statement of practical experience and other documentation outlining your experience.
Candidates must have completed at least 3,300 hours of architectural experience and as well as 2 years' practical experience. Your experience must demonstrate the 15 performance criteria outlined in the National Standard of Competency for .
The table below outlines the documents you will need to submit.
| 1 | Candidate summary | This is a summary of your personal details, academic qualifications and logged practical experience. ARBV candidate summary template | |
| 2 | Logbook | Logbook documenting your hours of architectural and practical experience. Candidates can only include projects that are less than 8 weeks (or 300 hours) in duration if the project hours logged have been accumulated while continuously employed with the same employer for more than 8 weeks (at full time equivalent).
| |
| 3 | Statement of practical experience | A concise statement outlining your practical experience, the scope of work you have undertaken, and key projects that demonstrate your experience. The project names and typograpghy must match the details in the logbook. | |
| 4 | Statutory declaration | A signed and witnessed declaration attesting to the accuracy of the logbook and documents you have provided. APE statutory declaration View guidance on who can witness a statutory | |
| 5 | List of supervising architects | A summary of the architects, including registration numbers, who have supervised your architectural experience as referenced in your logbook and statement of practical experience. The registration numbers included must be for the individual architect as listed in the ARBV Register of . | |
| 6 | Project List | The full list of the projects included in your logbook. the project names and total hours must match the details in the logbook. Project list template | |
| 7 | Qualifications | If you have completed an eligible qualification, you must provide a scanned copy of your academic transcript. If you completed the Overseas Q A (OQA), you must provide a copy of the outcome letter. If you completed the NPrA, you must provide a copy of the outcome letter. |
View AACA guidance on the logbook and statement of practical
Part 2: National Examination Paper
Part 2 of the APE is the National Examination Paper (NEP). It is a 90-minute exam that assesses your professional knowledge against the performance criteria in the National Standard of Competency for .
In the NEP, you will be asked to consider nine scenarios, with five multiple-choice questions for each scenario.
You cannot take notes or summary sheets into the exam.
Reasonable Adjustment
Candidates who have a disability or other health-related needs that might interfere with their ability to sit the National Examination Paper in the standard manner can apply for reasonable adjustments.
AACA NEP Reasonable Adjustment
AACA Reasonable Adjustment Form for registered health
Candidates should note that reviewing applications for reasonable adjustments can take time. If you think you may require reasonable adjustments, you must lodge your application along with supporting documentation by the part 1 submission deadline (see APE dates listed below).
Applications for Reasonable Adjustments must also be submitted with supporting documentation to NEP@aaca.org.au on or before the relevant APE session closing date for submission of APE part 1. Candidates are still required to submit their application for the APE directly to the ARBV.
Results
You will receive results approximately 4 weeks after you take the exam.
If you do not pass the NEP, you can apply to sit it again within two years. If you wait longer than two years, you will need to complete part 1 again.
Candidates resitting part 2 within 2 years of their first attempt are required to:
- resubmit all part 1 documents with their application. You may update the documents with any recent experience.
- submit a newly signed and witnessed statutory declaration.
- resubmit during the part 1 submission period listed in our key dates below.
Candidates resitting part 2 more than 2 years from their first attempt are required to:
- lodge their application during the part 1 submission period listed in our key dates below and apply for both part 1 and 2 (which includes paying the relevant part 1 and 2 fees).
- submit all part 1 documents with their application. You should consider updating the documents with any recent experience.
- submit a newly signed and witnessed statutory declaration.
View AACA guidance on the
Part 3: Examination by interview
The final part of the APE is an interview with two experienced examiners. In the interview, the examiners will ask you questions based on hypothetical situations, to assess your practical knowledge and experience.
Interviews typically take 45-60 minutes and will be conducted during the scheduled interview period (see key dates below). Once your interview has been scheduled, you cannot change the date or time. If you cannot attend the interview at the scheduled time, you will need to apply for the next interview session.
You cannot take notes or summary sheets into the interview.
Results
You will receive results within approximately 2 weeks of sitting the interview.
Receiving a successful result in part 3 indicates successful completion of the APE. You are then eligible to apply for registration as an architect.
Please see Registering as an for details on applying for registration.
If you do not pass the examination by interview, you can apply to sit it again within 2 years.
If you wait longer than 2 years, you will need to complete parts 1 and 2 before you can take the interview again.
Candidates resitting part 3 within 2 years of their successful result in part 2 are required to:
- resubmit all part 1 documents with their application. You may update the documents with any recent experience.
- submit a newly signed and witnessed statutory declaration.
- resubmit either during the part 1 submission period or the part 3 submission period listed in our key dates below.
Candidates resitting part 3 more than 2 years from their successful result in part 2 are required to:
- lodge their application during the part 1 submission period listed in our key dates below and apply for both part 1 and 2 (which includes paying the relevant part 1 and 2 fees).
- submit all part 1 documents with their application. You should consider updating the documents with any recent experience.
- submit a newly signed and witnessed statutory declaration.
Key dates for APE 2023
The ARBV runs the APE in 2 sessions each year. For part 3, we will email you a date and time for your interview closer to the interview period. The dates below for the interview are indicative only and subject to change. Dates are finalised post part 2 results being released and we are unable to provide specific details in advance.
If you are applying for parts 1 and 2 of the APE, you do not need to submit a separate application for part 3. If you are applying for part 3 only, you will need to submit a separate application for this part.
All candidates resitting for part 3 can apply either when applications open for part 1 and 2, or when applications open for part 3.
All candidates resitting for part 2 must apply when applications open for parts 1 and 2.
| APE 2023 | Session 1, 2023 | Session 2, 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Applications for part 1 and part 2 (Includes part 2 (NEP) resits) | Open 16 January Close 27 January | Open 26 June Close 10 July |
| Part 2: NEP | 18 April | 19 September |
| Part 3: Examination by interview submission dates | Open 15 May Close 26 May | Open 16 October Close 27 October |
| Part 3: Interviews conducted | June | November |
APE fees
| Part 1 and 2 | Part 2 | Part 3 |
|---|---|---|
| $620 | $250 | $510 |
Apply for the APE
There are 7 documents that must be submitted for part 1:
- APE Candidate Summary sheet
- AACA Logbook
- Statement of Practical Experience
- Statutory declaration
- Architect list
- Project list
- Architectural Qualifications
These documents are uploaded electronically. Hard copy documents are not accepted.
The documents must be:
- saved into a single PDF (apart from the Statutory declaration which must be a separate document)
- be in the order listed above
- be no more than 5MB in size.
You can only submit part 1 documents during the submission dates. See the above key dates for the submission period.
Submit your application via the ARBV .
2024 updates to the APE
In 2024 the Architectural Practice Examination will implement the 2021 National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA). The overall format of the APE will not change.
A summary of the changes is Below:
- The Procedure document has been updated and is now the Architectural Practice Examination Handbook
- Candidates will no longer log experience as Observer, Participant and Executive
- The logbook is now online
- The Statement of Practical Experience needs to be verified by a registered architect
- Candidates must complete the APE Performance Criteria Report
- Candidates must review the AACA APE study guide and online resources
- National Examination Paper (part 2) will also increase to an 80 question and 120-minute exam
All candidates applying in 2024 will need to comply with those changes. Please note that candidates resitting can still apply for the relevant part (2 or 3), but will be required to submit the new 2024 documentation.
For more information about the specific changes, please see the AACA 2024 Architectural Practice .
Reviewed 17 March 2023