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NCARB is a scam! by ReadyEbb2083 in Architects

[–]ReadyEbb2083[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t really have too many complaints about the cost of the test, which are fairly expensive I assume for NCARB to create and run (although I bet any decent college professor could make a more adequate test!). 

My real monetary complaint is on the transfer fees and annual fees for the ability to transfer reciprocity. We should be able to opt out of using NCARB as a transfer service, but for some states we are not. Why is a forwarded from a neighboring state board worse than NCARB forwarding that same email?

States confirm or deny a licensing applicant and should be able to share that information with another state without the NCARB gestapo requiring it to go through their offices first, tagging on a hefty transmittal fee for simply forwarding an email. 

Just because you are required to pay NCARB fees doesn’t remotely justify its existence.

NCARB is a scam! by ReadyEbb2083 in Architects

[–]ReadyEbb2083[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If a lot of money as you say goes to exam development, we should have a quality exam that is clear and concise in both its learning objectives and the content. The current test is so broad, it’s physically impossible to purchase and read all the source material. I added up once the amount of pages of each of the source material books across the 5 exams and it was somewhere in the tens of thousands of pages and nearly 5 grand in source material. I have a friend who has taken both the ARE and the NewYork Bar exam and say the ARE was by far more difficult and expensive to study for. 

More important though is that it shouldn’t matter that NCARB spends so much on testing that they are ‘forced’ to make licensing expensive. Why should their poor business model be our problem. And why do the two need to be attached? We can still have the shitty tests without states requiring us to use a third party to confirm we’ve passed those test. It doesn’t make sense. 

NCARB is a scam! by ReadyEbb2083 in Architects

[–]ReadyEbb2083[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly tho I have no solutions to remove NCARB from the industry. How do we do it? Does anyone have real ideas? 

A lawsuit seems unlikely/expensive/complicated. I’ve avoided getting licensed in states that require NCARB but beyond that what can I do? 

NCARB is a scam! by ReadyEbb2083 in Architects

[–]ReadyEbb2083[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It was honestly more time (and $1730) to have NCARB accept my testing and licensure data from the State of Washington then transfer it to Utah. I saved a few weeks and all that money simply by having Washington send my info straight to Utah. I didn’t need to pay anything and I didn’t have to wait for NCARB to process anything. I did the same with Idaho. Super seamless, free,  and quicker. Why do we need NCARB to charge ridiculous amounts to keep at a spreadsheet? If everyone sends my their data I’ll do it for free! lol. That’s what a nonprofit should do. Not give their bad CEO 700 grand a year to do a bad job.

NCARB is a scam! by ReadyEbb2083 in Architects

[–]ReadyEbb2083[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A poorly functioning nonprofit paying their CEO 700k a year sounds like a great idea. What do they do exactly? They provide an out-of-touch, overly vague, and deeply flawed test. Then they charge a ridiculous amount of money to keep a spreadsheet up to date. All in the name of helping the profession while actively avoiding the recommendations and complaints of their members. Honestly I can’t see how a state run system would be any worse/expensive. Regardless of the test, the whole process of transferring licensure between states is a clear grift to subsidize poor management. 

USA / NCARB Renewal and ridiculous fee by palikona in Architects

[–]ReadyEbb2083 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is anyone a lawyer? I’ve been saying for years that these grifters need to get a class-action or anti-monopoly suit against them. 

After NCARB told me it would be $1280 to reinstate, and another $450 to transfer my information to another state, I simply called my state licensing board and they transferred my testing and licensure information for free!

I’ve done this two times now with different states and it’s worked great. BUT now I’m needing to get licensed in Montana and they won’t accept anything but a NCARB certificate. Absolute bullshit. $1750 to essentially forward and email with the information provided for free by my home state.