Key terms on this page (5)
- Exam owner
- The national body that writes and scores the exam: NBCC (counselors), AMFTRB (MFTs), ASWB (social workers), ASPPB (psychologists).
- Approval to test
- Permission, from your state board or the exam owner on its behalf, to register for the exam for licensure purposes.
- Jurisprudence exam
- A state exam on that state’s laws and rules. Some are open book; California’s Law and Ethics Exam is not.
- Content outline
- The exam owner’s published list of what the exam covers and how heavily. Your study plan starts here.
- Retake wait
- The time you must wait after failing before you can test again. California, for example, sets 90 days for Law and Ethics and 120 for its own MFT clinical exam; national exams set their own waits.
The exam for each license
- Counselors
- NCE or NCMHCE
Owned by NBCC. The NCE is multiple choice on the counseling knowledge base; the NCMHCE is case studies. States pick one, either or both. NBCC’s updated NCMHCE takes effect 1 July 2027, and the NCE is due an update in 2027 too.
- MFTs
- AMFTRB exam
The national MFT exam in nearly every state, offered in a testing window each month. California uses its own clinical exam instead.
- Social workers
- ASWB Clinical
For the clinical license in almost every state. The Masters exam is for the non-clinical license many states issue first. New blueprints since 3 August 2026.
- Psychologists
- EPPP
Owned by ASPPB. Part 1 (knowledge) everywhere; the skills-based Part 2 is optional for states, and few use it.
- State exams
- Varies by state
Law and ethics or jurisprudence exams in many states, an oral exam in a few. Some must be passed before you earn hours.
Find your exam, and when you can sit it
Choose your license and your state. This draws on the same 50-state data as our requirements pages and the map.
Your license
Many states let you take the NCE at or near graduation (NBCC lets students in participating programs apply and test before they graduate). The NCMHCE more often comes during or after supervised hours. Your board approves you to sit for licensure purposes. Pick a state to see its exams. Nothing is saved or sent.
The pattern underneath: a knowledge exam can come early, sometimes before graduation, while a clinical exam usually comes once you have supervised experience behind you. Early is usually better if your state allows it. You will never remember your coursework better than in your final term, and in states that require the exam before an associate license, a slow exam means a slow start to your hours.
What the exams actually test
These are not exams of recall. Most questions are short clinical scenarios asking what you would do first, next or instead, and the newest versions lean further that way: ASWB’s 2026 exams carry a larger share of questions that rely on applying professional knowledge, and the NCMHCE is built from case studies end to end.
A study plan that fits around a job
Most people take these exams while working full time as a student or associate. Four phases work for almost any exam; set the weeks you have and the plan stretches to fit.
Week 1
Find your gaps
Read the exam owner’s content outline. Take one full practice exam cold, untimed if you must, and sort the misses by domain.
Weeks 2–6
Learn the weak domains
Spend most of your time on the two or three domains you missed most. Short daily sessions beat weekend marathons. Explain each wrong answer in a sentence.
Weeks 7–9
Practice under exam conditions
Full-length, timed practice exams, one a week at least, with a review session after each. Use the exam owner’s official practice test in this phase.
Week 10
Taper
Light review only. Confirm your ID, the test center or remote setup, and the time. Sleep matters more than one more chapter.
- Accommodations. If you need extra time or another adjustment, request it through the exam owner or your board before you schedule. Approval takes time.
- Retake waits. Know yours before test day, so a fail is a delay you planned for, not a shock.
- Score validity. Some states only accept a score for a set number of years. Massachusetts, for example, wants the ASWB Clinical passed within two years of applying.
Three people, three exam timelines
Invented composites, not real people.
Jordan
27, counseling student, Texas
NCE in final termTexas wants the exam passed before the LPC Associate license, so Jordan sat the NCE in the last semester, through the program, and applied as an associate the week of graduation.
Rosa
33, AMFT, California
Two exams, years apartRosa took the Law and Ethics Exam in her first year of registration and passed on the second try. Three years later, hours done and application approved, she sat the state’s clinical exam.
Sam
41, LMSW
Clinical after hoursSam passed the ASWB Masters exam after the MSW to get the non-clinical license, then sat the Clinical exam once the supervised clinical hours were nearly complete.
Myths worth dropping
Myth
“You need an expensive prep course to pass.”
Actually
Start with the exam owner’s outline and official practice test. Buy structure only if a practice exam shows you need it.
Myth
“One fail ends the road.”
Actually
Every exam can be retaken after a wait. Plan for the wait; it is a delay, not a verdict.
Myth
“The national exam is the only one.”
Actually
Many states add a law and ethics or jurisprudence exam, and some want it passed before your hours count.
Next · Step 21
The license application
Hours done and exams passed, there is one more stack of paper between you and the license. What goes in the application, and the delays that hold people up for months.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between the NCE and the NCMHCE?
Both are counselor exams owned by NBCC. The NCE is a multiple-choice exam on the broad knowledge base of counseling. The NCMHCE is built around clinical case studies and tests applied judgment in mental health counseling. States choose one, either, or both, sometimes the NCE for an entry license and the NCMHCE for the clinical one.
Can I take my licensing exam before I graduate?
Sometimes. NBCC lets students in participating programs apply and test before they graduate, and a few states, such as Nevada for the NCMHCE, allow it before the degree. Others, such as Texas and South Carolina for counselors, require passing the exam before they issue your associate license. Psychology is moving the same way: Georgia allows EPPP Part 1 after coursework, California’s law now allows the EPPP after academic coursework, and Illinois will allow it at graduation from 2027.
When do California associates take the Law and Ethics Exam?
California registered associates (AMFT, APCC, ASW) take the California Law and Ethics Exam during registration, and must have taken it to renew. Associate MFTs and counselors take it within the first year. Passing it is required before the clinical exam. A 2026 bill proposed changing the renewal rule, so check the Board of Behavioral Sciences for the current version.
What are the pass rates for therapy licensing exams?
Exam owners publish different amounts. ASWB began publishing pass-rate data for the social work exams in 2022, including breakdowns by demographic group. We only report figures an exam owner publishes, so check each owner’s site for the current numbers.
Did the ASWB exam change in 2026?
Yes. From 3 August 2026 the ASWB exams follow new blueprints: three content areas instead of four, fewer questions overall, and more three-option questions. The four-hour limit, fees and registration process stayed the same.
Sources
Checked 28 October 2026. Exams and eligibility rules change; confirm with your board and the exam owner before you register.
- Becoming Licensed 50-state data (2026) — Exams, associate titles and exam timing for counselors, MFTs, clinical social workers and psychologists in every state, each sourced to the state board; checked 25 September 2026.
- NBCC, Student information — Students in participating programs can begin the application and take the exam before graduating.
- NBCC, NCE and NCMHCE — The two counselor exams and their use for state licensure.
- NBCC, The NCE — An upcoming 2027 version of the NCE and its exam specifications.
- CCE/NBCC, NCMHCE exam specifications (2027) — Updated NCMHCE specifications effective 1 July 2027.
- AMFTRB — The national examination in marital and family therapy.
- Michigan LARA, Marriage and family therapy examination — The AMFTRB exam is electronically administered during the third full week of each month.
- ASWB, The new Social Work Licensing Exams begin today — New exams from 3 August 2026: three content areas, fewer questions, more three-option items, a higher share of questions applying professional knowledge; the four-hour limit and fees unchanged.
- ASWB — Exam categories, pass-rate data and candidate information.
- ASPPB, The EPPP: legacy and future — The Part 2 mandate paused; a single-session EPPP in development.
- California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Statutes and Regulations (2026) — Law and Ethics Exam timing for associates, retake waits (16 CCR §1805.05: 90 days for Law and Ethics, 120 for the board’s clinical exam, national exams set by their owners), and clinical exam eligibility.