Alternative Pathways to Registration

National Program of Assessment for Locally Experienced Practitioners

The Board is pleased to announce that applications for the National Program of Assessment for Locally Experienced Practitioners (LEP) are now open to applicants in Queensland.

This Program provides an alternative pathway to registration to graduates of Australian accredited architecture programs with relevant experience at Executive level in complex architectural projects undertaken in Australia. Successful completion of this program allows applicants to bypass the Architectural Practice Examination (APE) and apply directly for registration an architect with the Board of Architects of Queensland, after a successful interview with a Panel of assessors.

The LEP is run in conjunction with AACA. The Guide for Applicants can be found here. If you are intending to apply for this pathway you will need to download the application form with the current fee from here.

Experienced Practitioner Assessment (overseas experienced)

The Experienced Practitioner Assessment (overseas) provides an alternate ‘fast-track’ pathway to registration in Australia for overseas qualified architect practitioners with experience at the executive level in complex projects who are not eligible for registration under existing mutual recognition agreements.

Successful completion of this program allows applicants to bypass the Architectural Practice Examination and apply directly for registration as an architect with their state or territory architect registration board. Assessment of applications is conducted via an administrative review for eligibility verification, followed by a panel-based Competency Assessment Interview.

See the Guide for applicants for all eligibility and submission information. There is also a link to the Application Form and other important documents in the Guide for applicants.

You can read the AACA Briefing Slides for Experienced Overseas Practitioners here. See here for FAQs. For this assessment you are required to apply to AACA directly.

Free interactive sessions on AACA programs

Want to know more about the AACA’s Oversees Qualifications Assessment or Experienced Practitioner Assessment?

In these unsettling times due to COVID-19 the AACA is looking at a range of strategies to support applicants by:

conducting interviews in the Overseas Qualifications Assessment Stage 2 and Experienced Practitioner Assessment via Zoom
offering flexible payment programs where relevant
offering free access to interactive on-line sessions on the Overseas Qualifications Assessment Stage 2 and Experienced Practitioner Assessment to find out more about the processes. These sessions will be run by the AACA professional staff directly responsible for the programs.

If you want to find out more about Overseas Qualifications Assessment Stage 2 or Experienced Practitioner Assessment after reading the Guide for Candidates please click here.

If you want to attend the free interactive session on the Overseas Qualifications Assessment Stage 2 on Monday 11 May from 11.00am – 11.45am (AEST) please click here.

If you want to attend the free interactive session on the Experienced Practitioner Assessment on Friday 15 May from 11.00am – 11.45am (AEST) please click here.

National Program of Assessment (NPrA)

The National Program of Assessment (NPrA) provides an alternative entry to the Architectural Practice Examination for practitioners who have relevant experience under the supervision of an architect but have not completed an accredited architectural qualification.

The National Program of Assessment is a design exercise that tests candidates’ competency in design based on their acquired knowledge and experience. Candidates must design a complex building in response to a hypothetical design brief. See here for information about the program, including assessors and past applicants talking about the program.

Timetable for the 2021 program is here. Applications close on 1 March 2021. More information: contact the AACA on npra@aaca.org.au.