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NCARB Project-Planning-Design Exam Questions
- Topic 1: Environmental Conditions & Context: This section of the exam measures skills of architectural designers and covers how to use site analysis information to determine building placement and environmental planning decisions. It emphasizes applying sustainable principles and considering the neighborhood context to guide project design.
- Topic 2: Codes & Regulations: This section of the exam measures the skills of project architects and focuses on applying zoning laws, environmental rules, and building codes during the planning stage. Candidates are tested on how to integrate multiple regulatory requirements into a project’s design effectively.
- Topic 3: Building Systems, Materials, & Assemblies: This section of the exam measures skills of architectural designers and covers the understanding of building systems such as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, along with structural and specialty systems. It also involves selecting appropriate materials and assemblies to align with program needs, budgets, and regulations.
- Topic 4: Project Integration of Program & Systems: This section of the exam measures skills of project architects and focuses on integrating decisions about environmental conditions, codes, and building systems into one cohesive project design. It highlights how to configure the building and incorporate both program requirements and contextual conditions in a unified design approach.
- Topic 5: Project Costs & Budgeting: This section of the exam measures skills of architectural designers and assesses the ability to evaluate design alternatives based on program goals, perform cost evaluations, and manage cost considerations throughout the design process.
Free NCARB Project-Planning-Design Exam Actual Questions
Note: Premium Questions for Project-Planning-Design were last updated On Jul. 09, 2026 (see below)
Which light fixture and finish configuration will increase the apparent length of an office corridor?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
The apparent length of a corridor can be influenced by lighting and finish strategies that affect perception of depth and spatial volume.
Option D: Providing indirect cove lighting and painting the ceiling a light color helps increase the apparent length of the corridor. Indirect lighting washes light softly onto the ceiling and walls, creating a continuous visual flow along the corridor. When combined with a light-colored ceiling, this reduces shadows and visual breaks, making the corridor feel longer and more expansive.
Option A and C: Dark-colored ceilings absorb light and visually compress spaces, making corridors feel shorter and more confined. Direct lighting pendants create localized illumination that can produce shadows and disrupt visual continuity, which diminishes perceived length.
Option B: While a light, highly reflective floor finish can brighten the corridor, direct lighting pendants and lack of emphasis on ceiling treatment limit the extension of perceived length. Reflective floors can increase brightness but don't significantly elongate space without complementary ceiling and wall treatments.
NCARB's ARE Project Planning & Design guidelines highlight that light color, fixture type, and ceiling finish greatly affect spatial perception. Light, evenly distributed illumination combined with light ceiling colors enhances the feeling of spaciousness and length in enclosed spaces like corridors.
ARE 5.0 Project Planning & Design Content Outline: Environmental Conditions and Context --- Lighting and Material Finishes
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition, Chapter 9: Interior Environments and Lighting
NCARB PPD Study Materials: Perception of Space and Lighting Strategies
A one-story residence in a dry climate with cold winter nights is designed with an unconditioned dirt floor crawlspace utilizing underfloor plumbing and HVAC ductwork. The owner is interested in using a concrete slab-on-grade floor instead of the pier-and-beam concrete floor over an open crawlspace as originally designed.
What are the impacts of changing the design to a slab-on-grade floor system? Check the two that apply.
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Changing from a pier-and-beam system with an open crawlspace to a slab-on-grade floor has several impacts:
Warmer floors in the evenings (A): Concrete slab-on-grade floors have high thermal mass, which can absorb heat during the day and release it slowly, resulting in warmer floors at night, particularly beneficial in cold climates.
Limited future plumbing flexibility (C): Plumbing embedded in or beneath slabs is difficult to access or modify after construction, unlike crawlspaces that provide easier access to underfloor plumbing for repairs or modifications.
More steel reinforcing (B): While slabs do require reinforcement, this is often comparable or less than the framing required for pier-and-beam floors, so this is not necessarily an impact.
Flooring finishes (D): Slab floors can accommodate many finishes; thus, limitations are generally minimal.
Better moisture control (E): Slabs require moisture barriers and careful detailing to control moisture; crawlspaces can sometimes be easier to ventilate but may allow moisture intrusion if not properly designed.
HVAC ductwork installation (F): Crawlspaces allow ducts to be located under the floor; slabs typically require ducts to be placed above or within conditioned spaces.
Thus, the most significant impacts are warmer floors and reduced plumbing flexibility.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Building Systems and Assemblies, Foundations and Floors
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Building Construction Systems
To reduce embodied energy in a 500-unit redevelopment, the architect should create a strategy to include which of the following? Check the three that apply.
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Reducing embodied energy involves strategies that minimize new material production and transportation impacts:
Re-using existing buildings (A) avoids new material consumption and demolition waste.
Using local and low-energy materials (C) reduces transportation energy and energy-intensive materials.
Simple geometric structures (F) use fewer materials and minimize complexity, lowering embodied energy.
Orientation and transitional spaces (B) mainly affect operational energy, not embodied energy.
Altering the proportion of high-rise or single-story units (D, E) affects land use and operational efficiency more than embodied energy.
NCARB emphasizes these strategies in sustainable design practices.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Environmental Conditions and Context, Sustainable Design
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Sustainable Building Materials
________________________________________
A one-story residence in a dry climate with cold winter nights is designed with an unconditioned dirt floor crawlspace utilizing underfloor plumbing and HVAC ductwork. The owner is interested in using a concrete slab-on-grade floor instead of the pier-and-beam concrete floor over an open crawlspace as originally designed.
What are the impacts of changing the design to a slab-on-grade floor system? Check the two that apply.
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Changing from a pier-and-beam system with an open crawlspace to a slab-on-grade floor has several impacts:
Warmer floors in the evenings (A): Concrete slab-on-grade floors have high thermal mass, which can absorb heat during the day and release it slowly, resulting in warmer floors at night, particularly beneficial in cold climates.
Limited future plumbing flexibility (C): Plumbing embedded in or beneath slabs is difficult to access or modify after construction, unlike crawlspaces that provide easier access to underfloor plumbing for repairs or modifications.
More steel reinforcing (B): While slabs do require reinforcement, this is often comparable or less than the framing required for pier-and-beam floors, so this is not necessarily an impact.
Flooring finishes (D): Slab floors can accommodate many finishes; thus, limitations are generally minimal.
Better moisture control (E): Slabs require moisture barriers and careful detailing to control moisture; crawlspaces can sometimes be easier to ventilate but may allow moisture intrusion if not properly designed.
HVAC ductwork installation (F): Crawlspaces allow ducts to be located under the floor; slabs typically require ducts to be placed above or within conditioned spaces.
Thus, the most significant impacts are warmer floors and reduced plumbing flexibility.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Building Systems and Assemblies, Foundations and Floors
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Building Construction Systems
An elementary school requires a renovation, selective demolition, and a major addition in order to accommodate a growing student population. An architectural firm has prepared schematic design plans incorporating the school's increased programmatic needs, including an enlarged library, cafeteria, and gymnasium; a secure courtyard; and additional space for administrative offices and classrooms. The main entrance was relocated in order to improve the traffic and pedestrian flow at the beginning and end of the school day, and additional parking was provided to comply with current zoning requirements.
The existing single-story masonry building was built in 1950. Two small additions were built later: the north addition will be kept and repurposed, but the south addition will be demolished. The building contains asbestos and lead in roof soffits, floor tiles, pipe insulation, and window paint. All existing mechanical systems need to be replaced; new systems have not been selected.
Considerations for the renovation include:
* The relocated front entrance must be easily recognizable, highly visible, and secure.
* Interior and exterior materials need to be durable and maintainable in order to withstand frequent student abuse, but also economical due to strict budget limitations.
* Good indoor air quality and increased energy efficiency are priorities for the selection of mechanical equipment.
After completion, the entire school should look uniform, without a distinctive difference between the existing building and new addition.
Building information:
* Construction Type is II-B.
The following resources are available for your reference:
* Existing Plans, including site and floor plans
* Proposed Plans, including site and floor plans
* Cost Analysis
* Zoning Ordinance Excerpts, for off-street parking requirements
* IBC Excerpts, showing relevant code sections
* ADA Standards Excerpts, showing relevant sections from the ADA Standards for Accessible Design
An elementary school library has an occupancy load of 150.
What is the minimum clear opening width required?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
According to ADA Standards and IBC egress requirements for an occupancy load of 150, the minimum clear opening width for doors must be at least 36 inches to accommodate the expected occupant flow and provide accessible egress.
30' or 32' openings are too narrow for this occupancy load.
Ensuring the minimum door width meets code is essential for safe and accessible design.
ADA Standards for Accessible Design
IBC Chapter 10 -- Means of Egress
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Codes and Regulations
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