Landscape Architecture Registration Examination

About the L.A.R.E.

The Landscape Architect Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.) is designed to determine whether applicants for landscape architectural licensure possess sufficient knowledge, skills and abilities to provide landscape architectural services without endangering the health, safety and welfare of the public.

Successful completion of the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.) is required for licensure as a landscape architect with the OALA.

The L.A.R.E. is exactly the same in every jurisdiction (two Canadian provinces, 49 states, and the territory of Puerto Rico). The same exam is administered on the same days and under the same conditions and all exams are uniformly graded by CLARB. The L.A.R.E. consists of five sections: three multiple-choice and two graphic response. Each section receives a pass or fail score independently from the other sections. All five sections must be passed in order to be granted licensure.

The L.A.R.E. is administered across the United States and Canada on dates established by CLARB. The multiple-choice sections of the exam are administered by CLARB using a national system of computer testing centers.

The graphic sections of the exam are administered either by the state and provincial licensure boards or by CLARB at a CLARB Test Center.

It is important for L.A.R.E. applicants to contact the licensure board in the state or province in which they wish to take the test and become initially licensed to determine the requirements, application deadlines and specific information about the test schedule and locations.