Increase employee retention & level up your staff

Not sure which plan to pick?
Increase employee loyalty and retention
Invest in helping your team get licensed, and they’ll stay at your firm 34% longer1 - saving your firm $25k2 per employee in replacement costs.
Licensure is a time in an architect’s career that we never forget. It’s devastating when you fail, joyful when you pass. After 6 years of school and 3 years of interning:- be the firm that helped your team get their license,- and they’ll never forget.


Investing in Licensure should translate into higher billings for your firm.
Licensed architects make fewer mistakes, represent your firm better, are more valuable to your firm and your clients, and you likely bill more for their time.
Investing $2,000 in one architect to get licensed, should generate a 10x return on investment of $20,0003 in additional billings in the first year after they become licensed, and grow from there.
There’s a reason your team is asking to study with for Black Spectacles.
2x Faster Licensure
Black Spectacles members report completing licensure in half the time of the NCARB average.

40% Higher Pass Rate
Our pass rate surpasses the national average by more than 40%.

NCARB-Approved ARE Courses
Officially launched and approved under NCARB’s Test Prep Provider Program in 2019.

There is a science to learning. There is an optimal way to study.
Our study materials were built with a committee of licensed architects from across the country who help ensure that you’re studying the right material, along with Learning Scientists who ensure that material is easy to follow and well-organized into a learning experience that is optimized for you to remember that material, so you can pass the ARE on the first try.
Everything that your team need to pass the exams in record time
Your ARE Expert Subscription includes everything that you need to pass the exams including:
- New video lectures so engaging your non-architect roommate will want to watch
- Practice exams that are as close to the real thing as you can get
- Customizable flashcards
- Quizzes to make sure you understand the lectures
- Virtual workshops that reinforce the hardest topics.
If your team needs to be licensed in California they also need to pass the California Supplemental Exam (CSE). Your Expert+CSE Subscription includes everything your team needs to pass all 6 ARE Divisions plus the CSE!

The easy button for passing the ARE:
The BKS Guided Study Process
Imagine if your team just told us when their exam was, and we built them a daily study plan with all of the study materials organized and optimized, so all they needed to do was login, and complete their daily studying. That’s the Guided Study Process! We built it so your team can be sure to arrive on exam day fully prepared and confident to pass.
Easy to administer group access and reporting
Big firms, small firms and everyone in-between- we’ve built a group management platform that makes it easy to add and remove members, who can manage their own account access. You’ll also get reporting that proves they are using this great benefit you’re providing for them.


The Love It Guarantee
The Love It Guarantee is our 90-day money-back promise — if you’re not satisfied with your membership, we’ll refund you in full.
How Thousands of Architects Have Passed with Black Spectacles











































