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African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
15
The Nigerian Institute of Architects’
Professional Practice Examination:
Conceptions, Misconceptions and the Way
Forward. Sunday, A. Bobadoye; J, Afolami Adewale; Ogunmakinde Olabode2 &
Emmanuel, E. Aribisala 3
Abstract
This study examined the link between the Nigeria Institute of Architects and the Architects
Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) with respect to the Professional Practice
Examinations (PPE). It sought to establish why so many graduates are yet to write the PPE and
to identify the perceptions about the examination and the professional association. One hundred
graduates of architecture were interviewed in South West Nigeria. Findings revealed varying
reasons for not seating the exam, ranging from difficulty in filling the log books to the notion
that, the examination does not test competence. it was moreover that to evident that there are
many misconceptions about the NIA professional practice examination. It is recommended that
the registration for the examination be appropriately and regularly reviewed so as to make the
process less cumbersome. Patronage from potential certified architects should further be
encouraged.
Architecture encompasses the processes involved in the design and construction of
buildings (National Building Code, 2006). The age long demand on buildings includes but is not
limited to; exclusion of enemies, to circumvent gravity, and to avoid discomforts caused by an
excess of heat or cold or by the intrusion of rain, wind, or vermin (Encarta Dictionaries, 2008).
Architecture is a unique profession which requires a great deal of creativity and competency. The
Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) Professional Practice Examination (PPE) was put in place
to test and ensure the competency of graduates of Architecture. Although NIA is a non-
governmental organization, it performs some statutory functions on behalf of Architects
Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) and cooperates with governmental and non-
governmental agencies and institutions with the objective of ensuring and sustaining the quality
of the built environment. The NIA/ARCON conducts periodic accreditation exercises at the
schools offering architecture to ensure that set standards are met and that students are adequately
prepared for professional practice.
2Department of Architecture, Federal University of Technology, Akure
3 Federal Capital Development Authority, Abuja
African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
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In Nigeria, an Architect is required to pass the PPE which is compulsory for all
candidates seeking registration into full membership of the NIA. Architects in Nigeria are
specifically required by law to get certified by ARCON before they can practice the profession.
A minimum of two years compulsory pupilage under a registered architect serves as a major
prerequisite for writing the PPE in addition to a Masters Degree (or success in the finals II exams
for holders of Bsc Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates) from an accredited institution. It
is also expected that a prospective architect should be registered as an associate member of the
NIA. Candidates with masters’ degrees from non accredited institutions are required to sit for the
finals II examination as a make up for the deficiency in the non accreditation of the school
attended. In the same vein holders of HND and bachelors of architecture graduates with
accredited institutions who are actively involved in the practice of architecture could progress
professionally by sitting for the finals I and II examinations, before attempting the PPE. This
paper reviews the conception of the NIA PPE, the requirements to enter for the examinations, the
misconceptions about the examination and the way forward. The paper seeks to shed light on the
issue of full membership registration with NIA, ARCON and hopes to serve as a reference article
for those who are yet to write the PPE and the NIA as a whole.
Problem Statement
A general problem of backlog of unregistered graduates of architecture has been the bane
of membership strength of the NIA and ARCON. Observations have shown that many graduates
of architecture are yet to get registered with ARCON and NIA. This is evident in the number of
registered architects in Nigeria which is less than 5000 since inception of the Nigerian Institute
of Architects in 1960, (Register of Architects, 2009). Meanwhile schools of architecture produce
hundreds of students annually. The reality therefore is that there are many graduates whose
potentials are waiting to be tapped. It is apparent that the small population of registered architects
in Nigeria is a disadvantage, which other rival professional groups are exploiting to the fullest in
their quest for increased relevance in the building industry. Many unregistered graduates strongly
believe that NIA and ARCON are to be blamed for what they call the cumbersome process of
attaining professional registration. But while many of the unregistered graduates are quick to
point accusing fingers at NIA and ARCON, it is doubtful whether most of those in the category
fully understand what is required of them in terms of qualification, accreditation status of the
school they attended and the quality of post graduation experience.
The Essence of Professional Registration
The ARCON decree 10 of 1969 aims to check quackery. In other words to protect the
public in the choice of firms thereby safeguard lives and properties against the menace of quacks.
The use of any unregistered firms or persons is seen as a contravention of the ARCON decree.
Thus graduates of architecture need the professional registration for growth, development and
job satisfaction. A registered architect has rights and privileges attached to the registration. He
can register a consulting firm as a principal. He can vote and be voted for on the floor of the
house and he can speak on behalf of the institute. Furthermore, he is an affiliate of the African
Union of Architects, and the International Union of Architects and is free to attend all
programmes organised by these international bodies. A registered architect therefore is an
ambassador of the country. The aim of this paper was to analyse the essence of the NIA PPE, the
African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
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misconceptions about the examination and suggest the way forward with a view to enhance the
membership drive within NIA and ARCON.
Objectives
The objectives of the study were to:
a. establish the link between the NIA and ARCON with respect to the Professional Practice
Examination (PPE)
b. examine why so many graduates are yet to write the PPE;
c. identify the perceptions about the examination and the professional association
Scope of the Study
One hundred graduates of architecture were interviewed in South West Nigeria. The
respondents included those in private practice (40), government establishments (30) and
academics (30) in Lagos, Oyo and Ondo States of Nigeria. Although there are different
examinations conducted by the NIA for candidates to become fully registered into the institute,
the type and stage of examination depends on the level of qualification the candidate obtained
and accreditation status of the institution where the candidate obtained the qualification. This
research work was limited to only professional practice competence examination. For the
purpose of this work, the perception of the practicing architects in the south-western part of the
nation was used as a case study. This is the final stage of NIA examination and it is mostly for
candidates who have masters’ degrees from institutions with NIA accreditation and have also
done the two years pupilage under a registered architect whose financial status is in good stand
with NIA. The write–up details the Professional Practice Examination of architecture in Nigeria
as outlined by the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and the Architects Registration Council
of Nigeria (ARCON). The perception is limited to the architects in the southwestern region. The
southwest region boasts of 914 registered architects (ARCON Register of Architects, 2009).
The role of NIA and ARCON with Respect to Architectural Education and Practice
The idea of a professional body of architects was conceived by three Nigerian architects
while still pursuing their training in England. The Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) was
inaugurated on 1st April, 1960 in the committee room of the house of representatives, Lagos with
the objective of promoting the practice of the profession of architecture in Nigeria. By the year
2006, the institute’s membership was over 4,500 (as recorded at the general assembly in
November 2006) with 32 state chapters. The membership of NIA cuts across students, graduates,
associates, full members, honorary membership to fellows of the institute. The institute functions
through a main organ; the executive council, which comprises honorary officers, elected at bi-
annual general meetings as well as co-opted and appointed members. The council is chaired by a
national president. The Institute champions the course of the profession in the country, protects
the interest of its members and ultimately creates and maintains high integrity for the profession
within and outside the country. The NIA has been statutorily delegated to conduct the
professional practice competence examination; and to supervise the instruction and examinations
of persons undergoing training at approved schools.
African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
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Description and Role of ARCON
The Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is a statutory body established by
the federal government of Nigeria. Its existence was given legal backing by the promulgation of
ARCON decree 10 of 1969 amended in 1984 and later in 1990. ARCON is a parastatal of the
federal ministry of works and housing. The mandate of ARCON according to section 2 of the
decree includes the following:
a) Determining what standards of knowledge and skill are to be attained by persons seeking to
become members of the architectural profession and raising those standards from time to
time as circumstances may permit;
b) Establishment and maintenance of a register of persons entitled to practice the profession and
the publication from time to time of lists of those persons;
c) The regulation of education and practice of architecture in Nigeria.
Nigerian Institute of Architects Professional Practice Examination; Basic Conception
The Nigerian Institute of Architects Professional Practice Examination (NIAPPE) is a
qualifying or licensing examination which is aimed at testing the competence of the various
prospective members of the institute. The professional practice examination was conceived as a
way of certifying the competence of the would be registered architects. The PPE certifies that
any candidate who has successfully passed the examination can handle any magnitude of work.
The PPE is used to test the level of involvement of the candidate in architectural works and the
knowledge they have acquired in the building industry before they can be presented to the public
as architects. It is organized by NIA on behalf of ARCON to ascertain the level of
professionalism in candidates before admitting them as members.
Conditions for Entry
The examination is open to candidates who have met the following conditions:
1. Associate members of the institute who have had a minimum of two years supervised post-
qualification practice by a date six months before the date of the examination.
2. Graduate architects from NIA-recognized institutions overseas with a minimum of two years
supervised post-qualification practice (six months of which must have been spent in Nigeria).
3. Candidates who have passed the NIA finals II examination with a minimum of two years
cognate work experience thereafter by a date six months before the date of the examination.
4. Candidates in all cases must be currently resident in Nigeria and also currently fully involved
in the practice of architecture under the supervision of a financial full member of the NIA
with a minimum of three years membership.
5. Applicants in all cases must be financial associate members of NIA. Candidate must indicate
the associate membership number on the examination forms.
Academic Qualifications
The following are the general academic qualifications that a candidate must posses before
being considered eligible to write the professional practice examination;
African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
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xCandidates must possess a minimum of five (5) credits in WASC examination or its
equivalent. Three (3) of the credits must be in mathematics, English and physics and any
other two subjects.
xCandidates with a Bsc, HND, or graduates from unaccredited institutions must first pass
stages I and II of the NIA final examinations before they can sit for the professional
practice examination; while candidates with a B.Arch, MSC, MED, M.Tech degree and
their equivalents from an accredited institution do not need to go through finals I and II.
(see table 1)
xAll candidates, whether from institutions within or outside Nigeria must authorize the
NIA secretariat to obtain transcripts from their institutions and ensure that it reaches the
NIA secretariat not later than August 31st of the year the candidate is expected to sit for
the examination. In addition, overseas graduates must furnish the NIA with details of the
accrediting authority of their country of study (for instance the RIBA in the United
Kingdom) so as to enable the secretariat access the professional status of the degrees
presented.
Table 1: Examination required to qualify for full membership
Class of Certificate in
Architecture
Examination required to achieve professional registration
Accredited Institution Non accredited Institution
Master Degree NIAPPE NIA Finals II or Special
B. Tech., B.Sc., H.N.D. NIA Finals I, NIA Finals II, -
Findings and Analysis
This study was based on literature and field survey. It was undertaken to analyze the NIA
professional practice examination and to seek for a possible way forward. 100 questionnaires
were distributed and the following results were obtained.
Architectural Practices
Table 2: Analysis of the Architectural practices of respondents
S/N Architectural Practice Percentage
1. Private Architectural Practice 40
2. Public Service 30
3. Academicians 30
Source: Authors’ Research Computation, 2010.
NIA Membership
The study shows that only 20% of the respondents have obtained full membership of the
NIA and ARCON, 30% are associates members and 50% are not members but are graduates of
architecture from various NIA/ARCON accredited and non accredited institutions.
African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
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Table 3: Analysis of the level of NIA membership of the respondents
SN NIA Membership Percentage
1. Non member 50
2. Associate member 30
3. Full member 20
Source: Authors’ Research Computation, 2010.
Professional Practice Examination
The figure below shows the percentage of candidates (respondents) who have sat and
those who are yet to sit for the NIA professional practice examination. This shows that most of
the respondents are yet to sit for the examination due to one reason or another.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
%
No Yes
Status
NIA Professiona l Pra ctice Exa minati on
Figure 1: NIA Professional Practice Examination. Source: Authors’ Research Computation,
2010.
Reasons for not taking the NIA professional practice examination
The study sought to find out why most graduates of architecture are yet to take the
professional practice examination. The responses are presented in the table below. Although the
reasons given vary from difficulty in filling the log books to the notion that, the examination
does not test competence and therefore, they are not interested in writing the examination. There
is no doubt that there are many misconceptions about the NIA professional practice examination.
African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
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Difficulty in filling log books could be attributed to the absence of proper mentoring or
deficiencies in the pulpilage experience. Most of the reasons given by the respondents are to a
large extent misconceptions about the role of the NIA. Experience has shown that many would
be applicants of the PPE have a pre-conceived notion that the PPE is too difficult to pass.
Table 4: Analysis of the reasons for not sitting for NIA PPE
S/N Reasons Percentage
1. Difficulty in filling the Log Book 31.25
2. Older Architects not encouraging would-be Architects 6.25
3. Stringent rules of NIA 18.75
4. The notion that NIA exhibits bias 12.50
5. Rigorous process in writing the examination 6.25
6. Problem of qualification 6.25
7. The notion that the PPE is very difficult to pass 12.50
8. The exams do not test competence 6.25
100
Source: Authors’ Research Computation, 2010.
Level of Difficulty of the NIA Professional Practice Examination
Few of the respondents (20%) said that the examination is very simple and that the
content is not different from what has been taught while they were in school. Thirty percent
(30%) and fifty percent (50%) said from what they heard that, the examination is difficult and
very difficult respectively. This they opine is due to non availability of past questions and the
stringent rules of NIA towards the examination.
Table 5: Analysis of the level of difficulty of the NIA PPE
S/N Level Percentage
1. Very Difficult 50
2. Difficult 30
3. Easy 20
Source: Authors’ Research Computation, 2010.
Misconception and the place of NIA, ARCON in charting a new order
According to the Encarta dictionary (2008), a misconception can be defined as a mistaken
idea or view resulting from a misunderstanding of something. The misconceptions surrounding
the NIAPPE and the negative perception of the attitudinal posture of NIA are some of the
reasons why registered architects are in short supply in Nigeria. It is one of the reasons why the
number of registered architects in Nigeria is less than 5000 since inception of the Nigerian
Institute of Architects in 1960. This has no doubt played a major role in the slow development of
African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
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the institute. Many candidates believe that NIA / ARCON deliberately fail applicants; hence their
minds should be disabused. The wrong assumptions or ideas of most candidates who are
preparing or are yet to sit for the NIA professional practice examination should be addressed
with regular seminars organised by NIA and ARCON.
The Way Forward
The way forward with respect to the Nigerian Institute of Architects’ professional practice
examination includes but not limited to:
zThere should be proper orientation from supervising architects to their wards on how the
log books should be properly filled.
zCentres for the examination should be made available in all the six geo-political zones for
easy access.
zThe Institute should be more dynamic in the organisation of seminars exam related
seminars.
zThere should be a better organisation of the examination in such a way that necessary
information will get to the candidates on time.
zThe experienced registered Architects should consciously mentor the younger Architects.
zNIA should dialogue with NUC on the issue of student lecturer ratio and settle the
differences.
zAlternatives to being a member should be discouraged at all levels (many architecture
graduates have gone to become members of rival professional institutes).
zThe guidelines governing the writing of the Professional Practice Examination should be
reviewed and made available for purchase.
zThe possibility of registering for the examination through the internet will be interesting.
zThe possibility of taking some theoretical components of the examination as e-test
(computer based examination) should be explored.
zPast questions should be made available by the Institute so as to help in the preparations
for the examination
zProfessionals of 10 years experience or more could have registered tutoring centres
zCandidates who wish to take the examination should make good preparations before
writing the examination.
Conclusion
This paper considered the conception of the NIA professional practice examination, the
requirements to register for the examinations, the misconceptions about the examination and the
way forward. A popular adage says “He, who fails to plan, plans to fail”. Therefore, all
misconceptions about the NIA professional practice examination boil down to inability to make
good preparations for the examination and the fear of writing an examination. The examination
tests one’s competency in the field of architecture and the experience they have gathered over the
2 years compulsory pupilage. Therefore, the Professional Practice Examination is nothing to
fear. There are stringent rules that have to be reviewed by the Institute to ensure proper
organisation of the examination in the nearest future. It is hoped that the processes involved in
African Higher Education Review (AHER), Vol. 7(2), June 2013. ISSN: 2141-1905
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the registration for the examination would be appropriately reviewed from time to time so as to
make them less cumbersome and further encourage more patronage from the potential certified
architects. This paper does not in any way support mediocrity, as such architecture graduates
aspiring to be members of the institute must rise up to meet the required standards. Finally,
would-be registered architects should embrace the idea of making proper preparations and
adequate plans before writing the examination and they should erase the notion that the
examination is difficult.
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References
Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (2006). The Register of Architectural Firms entitled
to practice in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (2009). The Register of Architects Entitled to Practice
in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Federal Ministry of Information (1969). The Architects Decree 10 of 1969, Federal Ministry of
Information Printing Division, Lagos
Microsoft Corporation (2008). Microsoft Encarta Dictionary
National Building Code (2006). Federal Republic of Nigeria. Lexis Nexis Butterworths,South
Africa.
The Nigerian Institute of Architects Constitution, (1983)
www.niarchitects.org
