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.

2022 Program and Fee Updates Fee increase


Fee Increase: The current EPA program fees are valid until 28 Feb 2022 and new pricing will come into effect from 1 March 2022.  This change is noted on the current application form.

Submission requirements: New submission requirements based on the 2021 National Standard of Competency for Architects will be published on 1 March 2022 but the BOAQ will allow a grace period of 3 months when applicants can continue to submit their application following the current guidance. Applications submitted after 11:59pm 31 May 2022 must follow the 2022 EPA requirements.

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 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 Assessments and Experienced Practitioner Assessment via Zoom
  • offering flexible payment programs where relevant
  • offering free access to interactive on-line sessions on the Experienced Practitioner Assessment to find out more about the processes.

 If you want to find out more about the Experienced Practitioner Assessment after reading the Guide for Candidates 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.  

More information: contact the AACA on [email protected].