The Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (ACCA) has postponed the APE National Examination Paper due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

The exams were scheduled to take place on 21 April, but have been rescheduled following “the guidance of the Commonwealth and State Health Departments given the evolving situation of COVID-19 in Australia”.

In a statement yesterday, the ACCA said; “The decision to postpone the NEP was made by the AACA after considering advice from AACA consultants, current Government advice on restrictions on gatherings of people – currently of 500 persons but likely to be tightened further – and projections of the spread of the virus over the next 6 weeks.”

The new date for the APE National Examination Paper is 18 August.

The exam, which is broken into three parts, ensures those applying to be admitted to a Register of Architects in any state or territory in Australia has “an adequate knowledge and understanding” and a “capacity to exercise professional skill”.

It has been adopted by all states and territories as the national examination in architectural practice used to determine eligibility for registration as an architect and is conducted biannually.  

Those registered for the APE National Examination Paper have been contacted and will be automatically enrolled for the new date.

As of 2018, the tests are administered digitally, although candidates still need to attend the test physically to adhere to examination conditions.

Updates are available from the AACA and the architects registration boards in each state and territory.

Architecture and design events across the globe that were scheduled for 2020 have either been postponed or cancelled in the wake of coronavirus.

Melbourne Design Week events have been cancelled as the National Gallery of Victoria and other major museums and galleries across Australia have been closed. The Australian government has also banned all non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.

Italy has quarantined the entire country following a major outbreak in the north leading to the postponement of the industry’s two key events, Milan’s Salone del Mobile and the Venice Architecture Biennale.