ARE 5.0 Practice Exams – How To Use Them Wisely.

There’s a ton of ARE 5.0 practice exams out there. But a solid test question is hard to write. With the help of psychometricians, NCARB relies on an army of volunteers to write, review, revise, and test Architect Registration Exam questions before they’re unleashed on candidates. The fact that candidates still have issues with NCARB’s exam questions is evidence of the writing challenge. I’d argue that no third-party ARE 5.0 practice exam questions have been as thoroughly vetted, and forget about accurate levels of cognitive complexity. So proceed with caution. Research supporting an increase in exam scores after taking multiple practice tests is measured using actual past exam questions. NCARB does not release deprecated exam forms, but providing one set of practice exams for each division, now updated in 2026, is definitely helpful.

When we talk about the value of an ARE 5.0 practice exam, passing or failing does not indicate your exam readiness, nor is it about getting the right answer. The value is gaining insight into potential ARE 5.0 exam topics and assessing how well you understand them. And to determine whether you fully grasp a concept, you'll more than likely have to do some additional homework.

ARE Practice Test Questions

Let’s examine just one of the many practice questions that have vexed ARE candidates lately. Here’s a screen capture from a practice test in a promotional video (by a well-known company). Remember, this is not to bash the writer. Again, it’s not easy. Take a shot at answering this question?

(Scroll for the answer)

Below is their answer, (A), along with a few mortar joint examples.

Rationale

In the video, here’s how they justify the answer:

Eliminate answer choices C and B right off the bat:

(C) accept the change, because there is no practical way to modify troweled joints.

Rationale: The architect shouldn’t accept inferior work.

(B) accept the change, because there is little difference in the two joints.

Rationale: There’s clearly a difference [in weather resistance] between the two joints.

(We’ll get to the “two joints” in a minute.)

That leaves us with answer choices D, or A.

(D) reject the work and have the mason trowel additional mortar over every horizontal joint.

Rationale: While there is some “practicality” to this solution, it’s not enough to justify accepting inferior work.

According to the video, (A) is the correct answer.

(A) reject the wall and have it rebuilt.

Rationale: Even though it doesn’t seem “practical,” this is the only/most correct answer [because the wall will fail prematurely, the architect should not accept inferior work or the increased liability, the mason’s work doesn’t match the construction documents or meet the owner’s expectations]. 

The Practice Test Problem

If you picked the right answer, congratulations. If not (or if you just couldn’t choose), don't get tangled up trying to justify one answer choice over another. The answer choices are irrelevant because the question itself is flawed.

Using accurate terminology in ARE 5.0 practice exam questions is important. In this case, it’s vital. So, this isn’t just an exercise in semantics and pettiness. Choosing the “correct” answer hinges on knowing the difference between “troweled” and “weather-struck,” and how well they protect an “exposed exterior masonry wall” from the damage of the freeze-thaw process.

“a mason has used troweled joints…instead of the weather-struck joints that were specified.”

Remember their rationale for why answer choice B is wrong?

“There’s clearly a difference between the two joints.”

The problem is that “troweled” and “weather-struck” are not two different kinds of joints.

“Troweled” is a method of making various types of joints, by using a trowel, one of which is a “weather-struck” joint. Look at the image atop this blog post. The mason is using a trowel to make a weather-struck joint.

They’re comparing apples to oranges.

The Explanation

There’s a lot going on here, so let’s break it down. Generally, there are two types of mortar joints; troweled, and tooled.

In a troweled joint, the mortar is shaped by cutting off the excess with the edge of a trowel. Note that the joints the rationale calls “trowel struck,” “flush,” and "weather-struck” are formed using a trowel.

In a tooled joint, a special tool is used to compress and shape the mortar in the joint, which makes the joint more weather resistant.

Now, let’s take a closer look at their rationale. Notice the “trowel struck” and the “weather struck” joints. They show these two joints to illustrate that one joint sheds water better than the other, which is true.

The thing is, the construction industry uses different terminology to describe joints, how they’re formed, and their weather resistance. For example, what their rationale image calls “trowel struck” (below left) is typically called, “struck.” On the right are just a few examples from a Google search.

Their use of the term “trowel struck” muddies the waters. But that’s not the most troubling part. Again, the question states:

“a mason has used troweled joints…instead of the weather-struck joints that were specified.”

But, a “weather-struck joint” is a type of "troweled joint!"

This is a long way of saying, because the terminology isn’t quite right, it’s impossible to match a correct answer choice to the question.

So, is this ARE practice test question useless? If you are using it to predict your performance on NCARB's ARE 5.0, yes. If you consider this practice test question to be a “thing to know” and then research it, the answer is no. By investigating the topic, I got a quick refresher on joint types, their effectiveness, and much more. And that’s the point. Think of third-party ARE 5.0 practice exams as a guide for topics you should understand. Then study those topics.

Your practice test score is not a measure of your readiness to test. If you insist on taking ARE 5.0 practice exams, other than NCARBs, keep in mind that those questions don’t get nearly the same scrutiny as actual test questions on the Architect Registration Exam 5.0. This example is no different. Remember, it only takes one word to derail what might otherwise be a solid ARE practice exam question. As I said, they’re hard to write.