2023 Architectural Practice Examination

Part 1: Submission of Logbook and Statement of Practical Experience

Eligibility: Professional Education

Candidates may be eligible for the Architectural Practice Examination Part 1 through successful completion of one of the following pathways:

• an Australian accredited qualification in Architecture
• the AACA’s Overseas Qualifications Assessment
• the AACA’s National Program of Assessment 

Eligibility: Practical Experience

All Candidates must complete a minimum of 3,300 hours (approximately 2 years) usually under the supervision of an architect.

Candidates who have completed an accredited qualification; or with a qualification approved through AACA’s Overseas Qualifications Assessment process, must complete a minimum of 12 months experience subsequent to successfully completing this qualification in architecture.

Candidates who are successful in completing the AACA National Program of Assessment may apply for the next session of the APE providing they meet the requirements of a minimum of 3,300 hours of experience that ranges over all 15 mandatory Performance Criteria; and 12 months of logged experience in Australia.

Overseas Qualifications Assessment candidates required to complete top-up study may log the 12 months experience required post completion of professional education  from the date of completion of top-up study. 

Some or all experience of candidates may be gained as an employee of an architectural firm, or as an employee in a building design firm, or as an employee in a firm in an allied field in the construction industry, or in government agencies; or gained in a self-employed capacity.

However, experience gained by candidates when working independently or working as an employee of a non-architectural firm must be gained at Executive (decision making) level.

Logbook

Candidates must log their experience in the AACA APE Logbook.

The purpose of the Logbook is to record in a condensed format, the Candidate’s fulfilment of the Practical Experience required for the Architectural Practice Examination. This experience is logged against 15 specific performance criteria in the National Standard of Competency (link to the APE section of the Standard).

Experience in the practice of architecture must have been obtained during the previous ten years and in the categories identified in the Logbook. Candidates with fewer than 3,300 hours of practical experience meeting the Performance Criteria will not be admitted to the examination. Check the Logbook section of the Guide for Candidates for detailed guidance on the required performance criteria and associated levels of experience, noting that experience gained by candidates when working independently or working as an employee of a non-architectural firm must be gained at Executive (decision making) Level.

See the Guide for Candidates and How to fill in the APE Logbook for detailed guidance on logging professional experience as a requirement in Part 1 of the APE. 

Statement of Practical Experience

The objectives of the Statement are to provide:

• evidence of satisfaction of the practical experience requirements; and
• Assessors with information on the Candidate’s practical experience, which will be referenced in the APE Part 3

The Statement should be well considered, precisely expressed and cross-referenced to the Performance Criteria included in the Logbook.

Candidates should select the project, or projects, that best illustrate the application of the Performance Criteria. This provides a basis for Assessors to explore the nature and level of experience in the Part 3 of the Examination by Interview.

The Statement should begin with a summary CV (maximum one page – exclusive of the Statement word limit) to given an overall view of the Candidate’s professional experience.

If all experience is logged under the supervision of an architect the Statement of Practical Experience is a maximum of 2,000 words. Where some or all logged experience is not under the supervision of an architect the maximum is 3,000 words.

See the Guide for Candidates for detailed guidance on preparing the Statement of Practical Experience.

Applications

Applications including the Logbook and Statement of Practical Experience are submitted directly to the State or Territory architect registration board in which the applicant wishes to practice. 

Admission to the Architectural Practice Examination is conditional upon satisfaction of logging 3,300 hours of experience over the required 15 Performance Criteria at the required levels and submission of a Statement of Practical Experience. The decision on admission to the examination is made by the respective architect registration board.