EPPP changes 2027: the integrated EPPP timeline

The EPPP is becoming one exam. ASPPB, the association of the psychology licensing boards that require it, is replacing the two-part EPPP, the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) and the EPPP (Part 2-Skills), with a single integrated EPPP. A beta test runs in March and April 2027, the integrated EPPP becomes operational in the fourth quarter of 2027, and from April 1, 2028 it is the only EPPP there is. ASPPB put it in one sentence on October 29, 2026: "The EPPP Beta Test opens in early 2027; the integrated EPPP will follow in the fall, and the current two-part exam will retire." This guide sets out the dates, which exam you will take from where you stand today, what the beta test offers, and what changes in the exam itself, all from ASPPB's own documents.

The short answer

• The current exams stay open until the launch. Until the integrated EPPP is implemented, Part 1 and Part 2 "will continue to be available to all approved candidates."
• The beta test runs in March and April 2027. It is for first-time candidates whose licensing board or college takes part, it costs US$100 plus the US$91.88 Pearson VUE sitting fee, and a pass counts as a pass on Part 1.
• The integrated EPPP launches in fall 2027. ASPPB schedules it "to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2027", and from then Part 1 and Part 2 "will no longer be available to first-time test takers."
• Retakes of the old exams end on March 31, 2028. If you took Part 1 or Part 2 and did not pass before the launch, you may retake that exam until then.
• From April 1, 2028, the integrated EPPP is the only EPPP, and its exam fee rises from US$600 to US$650, plus the sitting fee.
• One exam, five hours. The integrated EPPP has 215 questions, 175 of them scored, in five hours of testing plus an optional 30-minute break, across six domains.
• Your board still decides. Each of ASPPB's 66 member jurisdictions approves its own candidates, and whether you need Part 2 today depends on where you will be licensed.

Why ASPPB is changing the EPPP

ASPPB's news post of September 17, 2026 sets out the EPPP's history: "The EPPP was initially developed in the 1960s to assess the foundational knowledge necessary for the independent practice of psychology. Since 1965, jurisdictions in the United States and Canada have adopted it to license psychology professionals."

The exam candidates know today dates from 2020, when "the scope of the EPPP was expanded in 2020 to include the assessment of both knowledge and skills in a two-part examination". ASPPB's EPPP page puts the split plainly: "All 66 member jurisdictions require you to achieve a passing score on the EPPP (Part 1–Knowledge) prior to licensure. Some jurisdictions also require you to achieve a passing score on the EPPP (Part 2–Skills)."

The next change was decided in 2024: "After two years of extensive consultation and feedback from numerous stakeholders regarding the implementation of this two-part competency-based exam, in 2024 the ASPPB Board of Directors decided the EPPP would further shift to become an integrated competency assessment that assesses both knowledge and skills in a single examination." A job task analysis followed in 2025, "Based on input from almost 3,000 licensed/registered psychologists in the United States and Canada", and ASPPB announced the resulting blueprint on February 11, 2026. Its board had approved the rollout of that blueprint in December 2025.

ASPPB's FAQ explains why the new exam asks you to apply what you know, not only to recall it. "Training and supervision are critical for developing practical skills, but they can vary across programs, settings, and jurisdictions." The integrated EPPP therefore "includes application-based questions to standardize assessment of how candidates apply their knowledge, clinical reasoning, ethical decision-making, and professional judgment, regardless of their training background."

Two things it is not meant to do. It does not replace the people who supervised you: "The integrated EPPP is not intended to replace competency evaluations conducted by practicum, internship, or postdoctoral supervisors." And it is not the whole of licensure: "ASPPB does not suggest that the EPPP should be the only measure of competence for licensure."

The timeline, date by date

Three details sit behind the table. ASPPB gives the launch as a season and a quarter, "Fall 2027" and "the fourth quarter of 2027", and has not published a day. The current exams do not change in the meantime: "The EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) and the EPPP (Part 2-Skills) that are administered in 2026 and 2027 will use their respective blueprints as published." And every fee in the table is the exam fee alone; Pearson VUE charges its sitting fee on top, "currently $91.88 USD".

Which exam you will take

Where you stand today decides it. ASPPB's FAQs cover four situations.

You will pass the exams your jurisdiction requires before the launch. Until the integrated EPPP takes effect, Part 1 and Part 2 "will continue to be available to all approved candidates", on their current blueprints. Nothing in ASPPB's FAQs asks a candidate to take the integrated EPPP as well. If you are nearly ready and your board approves you, the current exams are open now.

You take the EPPP for the first time after the launch. You take the integrated EPPP. From the fourth quarter of 2027, Part 1 and Part 2 "will no longer be available to first-time test takers."

You took Part 1 or Part 2 before the launch and did not pass. You keep the exam you started: "Candidates who have previously taken and not passed either the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) or the EPPP (Part 2-Skills) before the launch of the integrated EPPP will be eligible to retake the respective examination through March 31, 2028." After that date there is nothing left to retake: "Beginning April 1, 2028, the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) and EPPP (Part 2-Skills) will no longer be administered as separate examinations." Our guide to retaking the EPPP covers the rest of the rules.

You start after April 1, 2028. You take the integrated EPPP; in the words of ASPPB's news post of May 8, 2026, "Effective on April 1, 2028, the integrated EPPP will be the only exam – the EPPP – accessible to all candidates."

One case the FAQs do not settle in so many words: you have passed Part 1, your jurisdiction also requires Part 2, and you have not taken it. Part 2 closes to first-time test takers at the launch, and ASPPB recommends taking it "only after you have completed all the supervised experience required by your jurisdiction", which for some candidates will fall after the fourth quarter of 2027. If that is you, ask your board which exam it will want from you, or write to ASPPB at exams@asppb.org, the address its October news post gives for questions the FAQs do not cover.

The beta test, March and April 2027

The beta is the integrated EPPP taken before its launch. ASPPB's beta FAQ gives it two purposes: it "helps the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards® (ASPPB) evaluate the exam's functionality and candidate experience before the integrated EPPP becomes available in Fall 2027", and it "provides the performance data needed to establish the exam's passing score using accepted testing and psychometric practices."

Who may take it. "To participate in the EPPP Beta Test, candidates must be first-time EPPP test takers and be approved through the licensure track of an ASPPB Member Jurisdiction." Not every jurisdiction takes part: "Only licensing boards or colleges that have elected to take part in the EPPP Beta opportunity will have access to the EPPP Beta Test and be able to approve candidates for the EPPP Beta Test." It is open to "both master's and doctoral-level candidates who meet the eligibility requirements established by their participating licensing board or college." ASPPB's board recommends that candidates "Have completed the coursework required for a doctoral degree program that is acceptable to their licensing board or college" and "Have completed all, or the majority, of their required supervised experience, as determined by their licensing board or college."

What it costs. "The total cost to take the EPPP Beta Test is $191.88 USD": a fee of US$100 and the US$91.88 sitting fee. Part 1 costs US$600 plus the same sitting fee, US$691.88 in all, so the beta costs US$500 less.

What a pass counts for, and what a fail costs. ASPPB lists four terms:

• "Candidates who pass the EPPP Beta Test will have their result recognized as a passing result for the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge)."
• "Candidates who do not pass the EPPP Beta Test will not have the result counted as a failed attempt on the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge)."
• "Candidates may take the EPPP Beta Test only once."
• Those who do not pass "will be eligible to take the EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) at a discounted examination fee of $100 USD (plus the applicable Pearson VUE sitting fee)."

Two dates frame that last term. Beta results are due in late June 2027, and Part 1 closes to first-time test takers when the integrated EPPP launches in the fourth quarter of 2027. ASPPB has not said whether the discount holds after the launch.

How you register. Your board, if it takes part, approves you for the beta. Approved candidates then "will receive an email with instructions for activating/accessing their account in Clarus, ASPPB's online EPPP Candidate Registration System", and book a testing appointment within the testing period: "The EPPP Beta Testing Period will be March-April 2027."

When you get a result. Not on the day. "EPPP Beta Test results are expected to be available in late June 2027. Unlike the current EPPP, results will not be available immediately following the examination." ASPPB waits until enough candidates have taken the beta, analyzes the items and the exam as a whole, and sets the passing score; only then does it release results to candidates and their boards.

In which language. "The EPPP Beta Test will be administered in English only and will not be available in French."

Whether the beta suits you is a trade. It costs US$500 less than Part 1, a fail is not counted against you on Part 1, and you take the new exam before its launch. Against that, you have one attempt, you wait until late June for the result, and only candidates in participating jurisdictions can take it. If you have taken either part of the EPPP before, check with your board before planning on the beta, since it is for first-time test takers.

What changes in the exam itself

Part 2, where a jurisdiction requires it, is a second exam of its own today: "Each form of the Skills portion of the EPPP contains 170 items, of which 130 are scored and 40 are pretest items", answered in 4 hours and 10 minutes, and "Some items include audio/video portions." The integrated EPPP puts knowledge and skills into one exam of 215 questions, in what ASPPB calls "a single-day administration".

The six domains. The integrated EPPP is "organized into six competency domains that reflect the knowledge and skills required for entry-level independent practice in psychology":

• Scientific Orientation to Practice, 15%
• Assessment, 20%
• Intervention, 20%
• Consultation and Supervision, 10%
• Interpersonal Relationships, 15%
• Ethical and Professional Practice, 20%

The item types. ASPPB lists four: "Traditional multiple-choice questions with three or four response options", "Extended multiple-choice questions", "Scenario-based case studies accompanied by a series of related questions", and "Questions based on multimedia content, such as audio or video materials." Its stated aim is "to evaluate both foundational knowledge and the practical application of psychological principles in real-world contexts."

Scored and unscored questions. As on the current exams, some questions are pretest items under trial for future forms. "Candidates will not know which questions are scored or unscored, and responses to pretest items do not affect a candidate's result."

Passing. The current exams report a scaled score, and ASPPB's EPPP page says "The recommended passing score for EPPP (Part 1–Knowledge) is 500." The integrated EPPP "will have a pass/fail standard based on a total score", and its passing score comes from the beta's data, so ASPPB has published no number yet.

What stays the same

• Your board comes first. "Before you can take either the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)® (Part 1–Knowledge) or EPPP (Part 2–Skills), you must apply for a psychology license in the state, province, or territory where you intend to practice." ASPPB's FAQs keep that order for the beta and the integrated EPPP: the licensing board or college decides who may take them.
• Pearson VUE test centers. The integrated EPPP "will be a computer-based exam administered in Pearson testing centers", and the sitting fee is charged separately, as it is today.
• Clarus. Candidates register, pay and book through Clarus, ASPPB's candidate registration system.
• French where the law requires it. "Currently, French is the only language offered in addition to English." Candidates in jurisdictions that require a French-language exam "will have access to the integrated EPPP in French beginning in Fall 2027."
• Accommodations through your board. Candidates with documented disabilities may request accommodations, and the request goes "to the licensing board or college through which the candidate is seeking licensure."

What ASPPB has not published yet

• The integrated passing score. It is set after the beta: "Once these analyses are complete and the passing score is finalized, ASPPB will release official EPPP Beta Test results to candidates and their participating licensing boards or colleges."
• The launch day. Fall 2027, the fourth quarter, with no date yet.
• The integrated EPPP's own handbook. "ASPPB will also publish an integrated EPPP Candidate Handbook in 2026." The handbook on ASPPB's site today, of September 2026, covers Part 1 and Part 2.
• The beta's jurisdictions. ASPPB's documents name no list of the boards and colleges taking part; yours can tell you.
• The integrated sample exam's price. ASPPB said that "In Fall 2026, ASPPB will make a sample examination available to candidates approved as licensure applicants in an ASPPB member jurisdiction and authorized to take the EPPP Beta." Each sample exam "contains 100 questions and allows 150 minutes for completion", bought through Clarus; the FAQs give no price for it.

What to do now

1. Ask your board three things: whether it takes part in the beta, which exam it expects from you given when you will be ready, and whether it requires Part 2 in the meantime.
2. Pick your exam by date. If you will be ready before the fourth quarter of 2027 and your board agrees, the current exams are open now. If you will take the EPPP for the first time after the launch, or in the beta, prepare for the integrated EPPP.
3. Prepare from the integrated blueprint. "ASPPB recommends that candidates use the integrated EPPP blueprint, sample examination, and Candidate Handbook as primary resources when preparing for both the EPPP Beta Test and the integrated EPPP." The blueprint is public now; ASPPB's FAQ says "The blueprint is available on the ASPPB website under Future EPPP Content Areas."
4. Watch ASPPB's news for the integrated handbook, the launch date and the passing score.

For more on each part of the change: EPPP exam format and scoring covers the new exam's questions and passing standard, the EPPP domains explained walks through the blueprint, EPPP exam cost lists every fee from now to 2028, and EPPP eligibility and registration covers your board's part and Clarus.

QualExam's EPPP course is built on the integrated EPPP's blueprint, domain by domain, with lessons, practice questions and flashcards for every domain. The study plan on this page turns your own exam date into a week-by-week schedule, and our guide to studying for the EPPP shows how it divides the weeks.