EPPP by state: passing scores and Part 2

The EPPP is the same exam everywhere, but your licensing board decides the rest: how it states the passing score, whether you also need Part 2, and which other exams you must pass. ASPPB, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, which owns the EPPP, answers the first question for every board at once: its Candidate Handbook says that, at present, all licensing authorities accept its recommended passing score of 500 for independent practice on Part 1. This guide then goes board by board through eight of the most-searched jurisdictions, California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, the District of Columbia and Nevada, using each board's own page, policy or rules.

The short answer

• Passing score. ASPPB recommends 500 for independent practice and 450 for supervised practice, and every board accepts 500 for independent practice on Part 1. Of the eight, New York states its standard as a converted score of at least 75, Nevada states 500, and Georgia accepts ASPPB's standard; the others' pages give no number.
• Part 2. The District of Columbia requires it for applications from January 1, 2022, Georgia's rules describe a two-part exam, Nevada requires it of some applicants, and Virginia of licensed psychological practitioners seeking autonomous practice. New York has not adopted it. The California, Texas and Pennsylvania pages name the EPPP and no Part 2.
• State exams. Five of the eight add an exam of their own on law or ethics: California's CPLEE, the Texas Jurisprudence Examination, Pennsylvania's Psychology Law Examination, Georgia's Jurisprudence Examination with an oral exam, and Nevada's Jurisprudence and Ethics Exam.
• The change ahead. From the integrated EPPP's launch in fall 2027, first-time candidates take it instead of Part 1 and Part 2, and both parts are retired on April 1, 2028.

What ASPPB says for every board

ASPPB sets the exam; the boards set the requirements. In ASPPB's words, "Each of our 66 jurisdictional boards determines its own requirements for licensure and approves applications to practice in its jurisdiction."

On the passing score, ASPPB recommends "500 for independent practice and 450 for supervised practice," and the Handbook records where the boards stand: "At the present time, all licensing authorities accept the ASPPB recommended passing score for independent practice on the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge), but there is some variation among licensing authorities regarding the passing score for supervised practice." The decision is still the board's: "each board sets the standard for passing in its respective state, province or territory and reports the result to the candidates." Our guide to the EPPP's format and scoring explains the scale behind the 500.

On Part 2, ASPPB says only that it is "required for candidates in some jurisdictions," and it sets the order: "If the jurisdiction where you intend to practice requires EPPP (Part 2–Skills), you must first pass EPPP (Part 1–Knowledge)." It recommends taking Part 2 "only after you have completed all the supervised experience required by your jurisdiction." The page names no jurisdictions, so the answers below come from the boards themselves.

Board by board

California

The California Board of Psychology's FAQ lists two exams: "Pass both the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE)." They come in that order. "Step 1: Take and pass the EPPP," then the CPLEE, for which you apply "After passing the EPPP."

The CPLEE is California's own exam: "Each CPLEE will consist of 75 scored and 25 non-scored questions for a total of 100 questions, all multiple-choice, in laws and ethics. Candidates have 2.5 hours to complete the examination." Its questions "are developed using the current versions of the California Board of Psychology's Laws and Regulations and the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct," so the American Psychological Association's Ethics Code you study for the EPPP serves the CPLEE too. The FAQ names no Part 2 and gives no number for the EPPP's passing score.

New York

New York states its passing standard its own way: "You must pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) developed by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) with a converted score of at least 75 as determined by the State Board for Psychology." The page does not say how that converted score relates to ASPPB's scale of 200 to 800.

On Part 2, it is explicit: "New York State will only require EPPP (Part 1 – Knowledge) as a basis for licensure. EPPP (Part 2-Skills) has not been adopted in New York State." The page names no state exam of its own.

Texas

Psychologists in Texas are licensed through the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, and its Jurisprudence Examination is the state's own exam: "The Jurisprudence Examination is required of all candidates for licensure and covers the Psychologists' Licensing Act, Council rules, and other applicable laws." It is open book and "must be taken no more than 6 months prior to submitting an application for licensure to the Council."

The council's checklist for licensed psychologists adds two rules about the EPPP. On approval, eligible applicants receive a non-renewable provisional license valid for two years, and "During that time, applicants need to pass the EPPP and complete the required supervised experience." Repeated failure has a consequence: "failure to pass the EPPP within three attempts will require the submission of a Study Plan pursuant to Council rule 22 Texas Administrative Code §882.6." The pages give no number for the EPPP's passing score and name no Part 2.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's rule is one sentence in its Code: "Applicants shall obtain a passing score on the Examination for Professional Practice In Psychology and the Pennsylvania Psychology Law Examination to qualify for licensure." The section gives no number for either exam and names no Part 2.

Virginia

Virginia requires Part 1 of every applicant for its psychologist licenses: "For initial licensure, all applicants are required to sit and pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology Part 1-Knowledge (EPPP Part 1-Knowledge)." There is a clock: "The EPPP Part 1-Knowledge exam must be passed within 2 years from the date of the approval to sit for the examination."

Part 2 enters for one license. Virginia's regulation says that "A candidate for autonomous practice as a licensed psychological practitioner shall achieve a passing score on the clinical portion of the national examination within two years immediately preceding the application for autonomous practice," and the board's examination page covers the EPPP Part 2-Skills for psychological practitioners. The same regulation leaves the number to the board: "The board shall establish passing scores on all steps of the examination."

Georgia

Georgia's rules describe the national exam as two parts: "The first examination is a two-part national licensing exam developed and owned by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) designed to measure knowledge and skills of psychology relevant to practice." On the score, "The Board will accept the standard passing score set by ASPPB for each administration of the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP)." Part 2 has its own timing: "Part 2 may be taken after all requirements for the doctoral degree including the internship have been completed."

Two Georgia exams follow: "a timed, multiple choice, closed book Jurisprudence Examination covering current law, rules and regulations, and general provisions," and "the oral exam given by the Georgia Board of Examiners or their representatives." Repeated failure costs coursework: "After three unsuccessful attempts to pass either part of the two-part national examination, the applicant will be required to earn, in person, a minimum of 3 semester hours of Board approved graduate level coursework in psychology." Psychologists moving to Georgia face the same two parts: "Applicants licensed in another state or jurisdiction on or after November 1, 2020, are required to have passed both the EPPP Part I (Knowledge) and the EPPP Part II (Skills)."

District of Columbia

The DC Board of Psychology added Part 2 by policy. It "has determined that all applicants by examination or re-examination who submit their application on or after January 1, 2022 and are applying for psychology licensure in the District of Columbia are required to also take and pass the EPPP Part 2 ("EPPP-2")." For applicants by endorsement, the date of the degree decides: "an applicant via endorsement who obtained their degree prior to January 1, 2022, will qualify for a DC license based on passing of EPPP Part 1, although they may not have taken EPPP Part 2." The policy also says that "The Board is currently engaged in an extensive effort to update its regulations, which, when completed, will reflect the position taken in this policy guidance." It gives no number for the passing score.

Nevada

Nevada's board FAQ is the most direct of the eight. Part 1 is "Required for licensure," and "Applicants who previously passed the EPPP for licensure in another jurisdiction are not required to retake it for Nevada." Part 2 depends on your background: it "is required for applicants who: Did not graduate from an APA-accredited doctoral program, and Are not currently licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction, or have been licensed for less than five years." The score is stated outright: "The required passing score for both EPPP Part 1 and Part 2 is 500."

Nevada adds its own exam on law and ethics, "Required for all applicants for licensure," with a passing score of 75%. "The exam is an online, open-book examination with a proctoring component."

The eight at a glance

Where the table says a part or an exam is not named, the board's page or rule used here does not mention one; that does not mean the board has ruled it out. Ask the board.

What changes with the integrated EPPP

The rules above are written for today's two exams, and those exams are ending. Once the integrated EPPP is operational, in the fourth quarter of 2027, "the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) and EPPP (Part 2-Skills) will no longer be available to first-time test takers." Candidates who fail either part before then "may retake the respective exam until March 31, 2028," and "Effective April 1, 2028, the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) and EPPP (Part 2-Skills) will be retired and will no longer be available."

So a board's Part 2 rule matters to first-time candidates only until the launch, and to repeaters until March 31, 2028. None of the pages above says how the board will apply its rules to the integrated exam; ask yours. Our guide to the 2027 change covers the dates, and our guide to retaking the EPPP the window for repeaters.

Massachusetts, Colorado and the other boards

Massachusetts and Colorado are searched often too, but their boards' websites could not be checked for this guide, so they are not listed. The same goes for the boards not covered here: the rule that applies is your board's, and ASPPB's Handbook points to its directory of licensing boards for "Specific licensure requirements." Before you register, confirm three things with your board: the score it accepts, whether it wants Part 2, and which of its own exams come before the license. For Ontario, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador, see our guide to the EPPP in Canada.

A question to try

The course's questions look like this one: a situation, a lead-in that names the task, four options and one best answer, with the reasoning and its source. It comes from Consultation and Supervision, the domain a free account opens in full.

Where to start

• Plan the weeks. Our guide to studying for the EPPP turns the blueprint into a plan, and the plan on the EPPP page comes by email, week by week to your exam date.
• Find your starting point. A free account starts with a short diagnostic, 18 questions in about 25 minutes, and builds your study order from the exam's weights and from what you already know.
• Know the exam. The format guide covers the 215 questions and the scoring, and the eligibility guide how your board approves you to register.
• Practice at length. Full access opens all 85 lessons and their 2,902 questions, and the timed 215-question mock.