The L.A.R.E is the Landscape Architect Registration Exam and it is the test used by most states in the United States and Canada to certify landscape architects.
The LARE has five sections that are common to all candidates. Most states in the United States add an additional state-specific section, also. Three sections (Sections A, B, and D) are multiple-choice, computer-based tests that are administered by CLARB. Two sections (Sections C and E) are graphic sections where candidates solve problems related to grading and stormwater drainage on 11x17" answer sheets. Sections C and E are either administered by CLARB or by the individual state (depending on the state or province). Candidates must complete eligibility requirements and initiate a CLARB record before taking the test.
Am I Eligible to Take the Sections A, B, and D of the LARE Exam?
CLARB (Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards) requires LARE exam candidates to meet some basic professional pre-requisites before you can register for and take LARE Sections A, B, and D. CLARB lists six ways that you can qualify to take the LARE:
- Have an accredited Bachelors or Masters degree in landscape architecture from a LAAB or LAAC accredited university program. This is the most common way candidates qualify for the LARE.
- Hold a accredited degree in architecture (Bachelors or Masters) and have 1 year of diversified experience under the direct supervision of a licensed landscape architect. Your architecture degree must be accredited by NAAB to qualify.
- Have an accredited engineering degree (either a Bachelors or Masters degree) and have one year of diversified landscape architecture experience under the direct supervision of a landscape architect. Your engineering degree must be accredited by ABET to qualify.
- If you hold an unaccredited undergraduate or graduate landscape architecture degree and have one year of landscape architecture work experience under the direct supervision of a licensed landscape architect, you can qualify to take the LARE exam.
- If you have three years of work experience in landscape architecture under the supervision of a licensed landscape architecture and have an undergraduate degree in any field, you can qualify to take the LARE test.
- Or, if you have applied and been approved by a CLARB member board, you can qualify for the LARE exam.
The requirements listed above are the basic requirements set forth by CLARB to register for the LARE exam. Some states have additional pre-requisite requirements that must be met before you can apply for the test. Check with the individual state boards if you plan on applying for landscape architecture licensure in the following states: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, or Wisconsin. These states require pre-approval from their state boards before CLARB will let you register for the LARE exam.
How Do Qualify To Take the Graphic Sections C and E of the LARE Exam?
If you are seeking a landscape architect's license in the following states where CLARB administers the graphic sections, the qualification criteria listed above apply to you: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington.
If you are seeking registration in the following states, you need to be pre-approved by the individual state board (even though CLARB administers the graphic sections in these states) before you register for the test: California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
If you are working on registration on any state or province not listed above, check with your individual state's registration board.
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