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Eligibility and Scheduling
Eligibility
Prior to taking the CSE, candidates must:
- Possess and provide verification of eight years of post-secondary education and/or work experience as evaluated by the Board; including at least one year of work experience under the direct supervision of an architect licensed in a U.S. jurisdiction, or at least two years of experience under the direct supervision of an architect registered in a Canadian province;
- Complete the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards' Intern Development Program (IDP) (if applicable); and
- Successfully complete all divisions of the ARE.
A CSE application is mailed to the candidate by the Board once these requirements have been met. The application is not available on the Website and is only provided to eligible candidates directly by the Board.
When the completed application and $100 payment have been returned and processed by the Board, the candidate’s eligibility information will be sent to the Board’s examination vendor, Psychological Services, LLC (PSI) - www.psiexams.com. PSI will then mail the candidate a CSE Handbook, which also serves as the candidate’s official Notice of Eligibility. The CSE Handbook provides information found on this site, as well as PSI-specific information and procedures (i.e., scheduling an examination by telephone or online, reporting to the examination site, acceptable forms of identification, etc.).
Scheduling
Candidates can schedule an examination at a location of their choice (see below) during normal working hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and operating hours on Saturday, except holidays. However, candidates cannot schedule their CSE with PSI until they are deemed eligible by the Board and in receipt of the CSE Handbook (Notice of Eligibility).
The CSE is administered at 13 PSI examination sites in California and 10 additional sites out of state.
California sites include: Anaheim, Atascadero, Bakersfield, Carson, El Monte, Fresno, Hayward, Redding, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Santa Rosa.
Out of state sites include: Albuquerque, NM; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Cranberry Township, PA; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Portland, OR; Southfield (Detroit area), MI; and West Des Moines, IA.
Candidates must provide one of the following valid and current forms of government issued identification in order to test:
- Driver's License with photograph (any state)
- State issued identification card (any state)
- U.S. military issued identification card
- U.S. issued passport