Starting in 2032, the architect qualification exam will shift to a comprehensive competency assessment that combines written and practical tests. In line with next year's change to focus eligibility on accredited degrees and practical training, the exam system was also revised to strengthen its links with education and practice.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 26th it prepared a "reform plan for the architect qualification system" with phased implementation.
The reform follows the completion at the end of this year of the transition in eligibility stemming from the 2011 revision of the Architect Act. From next year, those who complete a five-year architecture program or a graduate school of architecture accredited by the Korea Architectural Accrediting Board and receive at least three years of practical training at an architect's office, among others, may take the architect qualification exam.
The core of the reform is a change in the exam format. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) will reduce the weight of the existing practical test and newly introduce a written test. The written test will consist of multiple-choice questions assessing practical knowledge such as building codes, structure and equipment, and safety, and essay questions checking specialized knowledge and understanding of practice, with questions drawn from a question bank.
The practical test will be reduced from the current five tasks to two. The exam subjects and scope will be restructured based on the items of practical training. Evaluations on related laws and regulations, construction supervision and safety, green architecture, and building management will be added, and assessments of specialized technologies such as structure and equipment will be strengthened to verify architects' comprehensive coordination skills and their ability to respond to technological change.
After the reform, the exam will consist of three subjects: architectural planning, architectural technology and management, and architectural design. Architectural planning and architectural technology and management will be administered as written tests with multiple-choice and essay questions, while architectural design will be a practical test evaluating site layout, floor plans, and sections. For foreign architects, the exemption subject will change from the current site planning to architectural design. However, a separate standard will be prepared so that only those recognized as having qualifications equivalent to domestic architects may sit for the exam.
The new qualification exam will be implemented starting in 2032, taking into account candidates' preparation time. The temporarily expanded exam system for preliminary exam passers will revert to the original standard with the abolition of the special track. Beginning in March 2027, the exam will be held once a year in early March. The "five times within five years" subject exemption applied to subject passers will be maintained only through 2031, and from 2032 it will revert to "three times within three years."
The practical training system will also be revised starting with those who file their first report in 2028. Four training items will be added and 45 detailed tasks will be specified. The minimum number of training days will be reduced from the current 465 to 420, but management and verification will be strengthened by recording training content by day and hour and requiring reports every three months. A minimum mandatory training period of five days per subject will also be introduced.
Tasks that are difficult to experience at the affiliated architect's office may be substituted with online or offline education, five days per item and up to 40 days. Even if all practical training is not completed, candidates may take the exam after completing the three-year training period, but the certificate will be issued only after completing the minimum training days and mandatory items and obtaining an accredited degree.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to pre-announce legislation within the year to amend the enforcement decree and enforcement rule of the Architect Act. It will then prepare a question bank and mock exams, a practical training management system, and substitute education programs.
Kim Ei-tak, first vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "With this reform, we expect architects to respond proactively to future changes in the architecture field, take pride in their profession as licensed experts who design safe and dignified spaces, and help establish a culture in which they are respected by society."