dEFiNiNg YouR moRAL ComPASS - NCARB

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Defining Your Moral Compass
For interns approaching the threshold of their career as a
licensed architect, staying true to their moral compass is critical
to the health, safety, and welfare of the public they serve.
2008 Volume 11 Issue 2

“Architects must zealously guard their reputation for integrity,
and a review of some of the basic principles of
ethics, personal and professional, is vital to one’s career,
especially as one enters practice.”
— George Wright, FAIA.*
As professionals, architects are expected
to develop a moral compass by which they
navigate ethical dilemmas that arise in
professional practice. These dilemmas exist
in every facet of practice—from how to handle
challenging client situations to interpreting
life-safety codes. This commitment to ethical
and honest practice is mandated by the
profession’s responsibility to protect the
health, safety, and welfare of the public.
For interns approaching the threshold of
their career as a licensed architect, staying
true to their moral compass is critical to the
health, safety, and welfare of the public they
serve. The process of becoming licensed
offers numerous opportunities for interns to
demonstrate their moral maturity by adhering
to rules established for education, internship,
and examination. The integrity of the
educational process is the responsibility of
the institution granting the degree. However,
the integrity of the internship and examination
components is the responsibility of the intern
and the profession.
INTERN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The Intern Development Program (IDP) is
a comprehensive training program that
assists interns, as emerging professionals, in
acquiring the discipline, integrity, judgment,
skills, and knowledge necessary to legally
practice architecture independently. Although
IDP is a rigorously structured program, it is
largely based on the honor system.
As part of the program, interns are required to
complete training reports that document their
experience in specific training areas and have
them approved by their supervisors. When
interns submit inaccurate training reports,
they put their supervisor in a compromising
position. Some interns exaggerate their
training hours in an attempt to rush through
the IDP. By doing so they not only shortchange
their own internship experience, they also
devalue the process and ultimately weaken
the profession. By choosing to honestly report
their training experience, interns demonstrate
a commitment to themselves and to the
integrity of the process and the profession.
The responsibility to uphold the IDP extends
beyond the interns, to include supervisors
and mentors. These individuals influence
the quality and effectiveness of each intern’s
experience in the program. By guiding their
interns’ professional development, supervisors
and mentors provide an important service to
the profession.
For many seasoned architects the current
process of becoming licensed is vastly different
than what they went through. However, before
taking on the role of supervisor or mentor, it
is important for them to understand the IDP
process. They need to be familiar with the
training areas and understand how training
requirements are satisfied. Supervisors and
mentors must make time to review their
interns’ progress and help interns develop
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DIRECT CONNECTION: A PUBLICATION OF NCARB
* From Professional Practice: 101 Business Strategies and Case Studies in Architecture
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006) by Andrew Pressman, FAIA

a plan to complete the program in a timely
fashion. Ultimately, supervisors and mentors
must be accessible to their interns and
committed to the IDP process.
ARE and your moral compass
Before taking any division of the ARE, candidates are required to accept a
confidentiality statement, which prohibits any disclosure of exam content before,
during, or after the exam.
A training program based on an honor system
of self-evaluation can only be as worthwhile
as each participant chooses to make it.
Interns, supervisors, and mentors have an
opportunity to show their dedication to the
future of the profession of architecture and
the integrity of the registration process by
taking IDP seriously. Interns who inaccurately
report their training or supervisors who blindly
sign training reports undermine the program
and the quality of the internship experience,
which can ultimately endanger the public’s
confidence in the profession.
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ARCHITECT REGISTRATION EXAMINATION
The Architect Registration Examination ®
(ARE ® ) is designed to protect the health,
safety, and welfare of the public by providing
a psychometrically justifiable and legally
defensible process that measures the
level of competency necessary to practice
independently. To become licensed,
candidates must pass multiple divisions that
test their ability to perform many of the tasks
an architect encounters in practice.
Policy Regarding Cheating and Disclosure
Adopted by Board of Directors April 2005
That staff and counsel be authorized to investigate alleged cheating and
attempts to disclose the substance of ARE questions and to take appropriate
action. Such action may include holding scores and suspension of future ARE
testing privileges pending resolution of the matter and, with the approval of the
president, commencing legal action against any person threatening the integrity
of the ARE; and
That such actions may include referral of the matter to the Committee
on Professional Conduct for its recommendation to the Board. Such
recommendations may include the cancellation of ARE scores and the
suspension of future ARE testing for up to three years from NCARB’s discovery
of the incident, or such longer period as may be warranted in exceptional
circumstances; and in appropriate circumstances seeking recovery of costs and
civil damages in a court of law; and
That the Member Board making such individual eligible for the ARE be informed
of NCARB’s action and that such action be retained in records maintained by
NCARB with respect to such individual.
Passing a professional exam—like the Bar,
the National Medical Licensing Exam, and
the ARE—can be a daunting task. However,
upholding the integrity of these exams
is essential to the process of becoming
a licensed attorney, doctor, or architect.
Candidates who sit for the ARE agree to the
rules by which it is administered. These rules,
clearly spelled out in the ARE Guidelines,
include: test center regulations, grounds for
dismissal, the Confidentiality Agreement,
and the NCARB Board of Directors’ Policy on
Disclosure and Cheating. The consequences
of violating the rules are expressly spelled
in the Confidentiality Agreement, which
candidates must accept prior to the delivery
of every ARE division.
The vast majority of people who take the ARE
respect and abide by the rules. Unfortunately,
there are some candidates who choose to
disregard the Confidentiality Agreement by
sharing content and/or questions from their
exam with other test takers. Since 2005, seven
2008 Volume 11 Issue 2

people have had testing privileges suspended
and scores cancelled for dissemination of
exam content. In recent months, several
additional candidates have been investigated.
At least two cases have been referred to
NCARB’s Committee on Professional Conduct.
The review of other cases is ongoing and may
result in further sanctions.
The integrity of the ARE is challenged on a daily
basis by the dissemination of exam content.
Potential violations of the Confidentiality
Agreement are most evident in internet chat
rooms. Thousands of people participate in
internet discussions relating to the ARE.
When used appropriately, the internet is an
excellent tool for gathering study resources
and bonding with fellow candidates about test
center experiences. It is also, however, a place
where rules that are written in black and white
become dangerously grey.
One area of particular concern is the assembly
of a “master list” that outlines material covered
in the exam. Study guides are a valuable
resource for exam candidates. However,
lists that disclose specific exam content
are unacceptable. Inappropriate disclosure
of exam content is not limited to divulging
information from one’s personal experience.
Many internet posts are a compilation of
ARE information originally provided by other
candidates. If this information includes exam
content, then the reposting of this information
is potentially a violation of the Confidentiality
Agreement—whether it occurs “before, during,
or after the exam.”
There is also the ongoing question about
“paraphrasing.” How much is too much
information? The answer is clear. Any specific
information that identifies the nature of
a question is not allowed. This includes
disclosing or inferring specific vocabulary and
exam content. Candidates should limit their
post-exam discussions to general terms about
the experience itself and avoid all references
to exam content.
Additionally, people should not ask someone
“to be more specific” about their exam
experience—and candidates must not
elaborate when they are asked. These types
of questions should raise concern among
test-takers who are serious about the ethical
implications of being a professional.
After years of education and training, the
number of candidates willing to risk their
career in architecture for associates they meet
in internet chat rooms is alarming. To protect
themselves, people who post on the internet
should consider the character of those they
correspond with and carefully think about the
potential consequences of their interactions.
Candidates who value the online chat rooms
must demonstrate their professional integrity
and police their own. It should not be necessary
for NCARB to “police” the internet for possible
dissemination of exam content.
Any action that compromises the ARE ultimately
undermines the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
The ARE is a vital component of the process
by which NCARB’s Member Boards qualify
architects to practice in their jurisdictions. Any
action that compromises the ARE ultimately
undermines the health, safety, and welfare of
the public.
As a profession, there is an expectation of
honest and ethical practice. This expectation
extends to those pursuing a license. Whether
enrolled in IDP, supervising or mentoring
an intern, or a candidate for the ARE, each
individual must define their own moral
compass and adhere to the highest levels of
ethical and professional behavior. DC
IDP and your
Moral Compass
When interns submit their
Employment Verification Forms
they must sign a statement
certifying that all information
is correct:
“I hereby authorize NCARB to
make inquiries of the person
listed below with respect to
my background and character.
I invite full and complete
response to all inquiries. I
release said person from any
and all claims, including claims
for libel and slander, which may
arise out of the communication
of any information to NCARB.
I hereby certify that all
information I furnish herein or
attached hereto is correct.”
IDP Infractions
and
Consequences
When interns submit reports
that misrepresent their
employment duration, training
units, and/or training settings,
they commit an IDP infraction.
Supervisor infractions include
refusing to certify training
reports without cause and
certifying reports that contain
false information.
At a minimum, the
consequence of submitting an
inaccurate report could result
in the loss of training units.
Depending on the severity
of the infraction, the case
may be referred to NCARB’s
Committee on Professional
Conduct.
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DIRECT CONNECTION: A PUBLICATION OF NCARB