EPPP Exam 2026: Format, Cost, Registration, and Test Day Guide
The EPPP exam (Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, Part 1-Knowledge) is a 225-question, 4-hour-15-minute computer test across eight content areas. It costs $691.88 per sitting, is taken at a Pearson VUE center, and a scaled score of 500 is the recommended pass for independent practice. You register through Clarus only after your licensing board approves you.
Everything below comes from ASPPB's EPPP Candidate Handbook (September 2026) and ASPPB's own exam pages. Board rules vary by jurisdiction, so treat this as the candidate-side overview and confirm details with your board.
What is the EPPP, and who takes it?
The EPPP is the licensing exam developed by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) and used by psychology licensing boards across the US and Canada. It is taken by doctoral-level psychologists seeking licensure (PhD and PsyD graduates, and in some jurisdictions candidates still completing degree or supervised-experience requirements). It tests the broad knowledge a newly licensed psychologist is expected to have, not specialty depth.
You cannot sign up for the EPPP on your own. Your state, provincial, or territorial licensing board reviews your credentials and decides if and when you are eligible. Some boards let candidates sit Part 1 before every supervised hour is complete; others require more first. Check your board's rules before planning a test date.
EPPP exam format and content areas
Part 1-Knowledge has 225 multiple-choice items. Only 175 are scored; the other 50 are unscored pretest items mixed in invisibly. Each item has three or four options and one single best answer. Your score is the number of scored items you get right, so there is no penalty for guessing: answer every question.
Content is split across eight areas defined by ASPPB's 2017 job task analysis and published on its EPPP exam topics page, with 71 knowledge statements (KN1–KN71) underneath them.
| Content area | Weight | Approx. scored items* | Free sample questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | 10% | ~18 | Biological bases practice |
| Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior | 13% | ~23 | Cognitive-affective practice |
| Social and Cultural Bases of Behavior | 11% | ~19 | Social and cultural practice |
| Growth and Lifespan Development | 12% | ~21 | Lifespan development practice |
| Assessment and Diagnosis | 16% | ~28 | Assessment and diagnosis practice |
| Treatment, Intervention, Prevention and Supervision | 15% | ~26 | Treatment and intervention practice |
| Research Methods and Statistics | 7% | ~12 | Research and statistics practice |
| Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues | 16% | ~28 | Ethics practice |
*Our arithmetic: weight × 175 scored items, rounded. ASPPB publishes the percentages, not item counts per area.
Weight is not the same as difficulty. In ASPPB's 2025 report on licensing exam scores by doctoral program, first-time takers from accredited programs averaged their lowest percent correct in Research Methods and Statistics (about 65%) and Growth and Lifespan Development (about 66%), despite those areas carrying modest weights. The EPPP pass rate guide covers those numbers in detail.
How much does the EPPP cost?
The EPPP Part 1 costs $691.88 per sitting: a $600 ASPPB exam fee plus a $91.88 Pearson VUE test center sitting fee, both paid in Clarus by American Express, Visa, MasterCard, or Discover. Every fee is non-refundable, and a retake means paying again.
| Fee | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EPPP Part 1-Knowledge exam fee | $600.00 | Per sitting |
| Pearson VUE test center sitting fee | $91.88 | Per sitting |
| Total per Part 1 attempt | $691.88 | Non-refundable |
| EPPP Part 2-Skills (if your board requires it) | $450.00 + $91.88 | $541.88 per sitting |
| Reschedule more than 31 days before your appointment | No charge | Must stay inside your testing window |
| Reschedule or cancel 31 days to 24 hours before | $87.50 + tax | Collected by Pearson VUE |
| Within 24 hours or no-show | All fees forfeited | Exam and sitting fees lost |
| ASPPB online sample exam (SEPPPO) | $30 | 100 items, 2-hour limit |
| ASPPB test-center sample exam (SEPPP) | $82.50 | 100 items, per attempt |
| Licensing board application fee | Varies | Set by each board, paid separately |
EPPP eligibility and registration, step by step
Registration moved to a new portal, Clarus, which replaced Certemy effective September 29, 2026. The order matters, because you cannot pay or schedule until your board has acted.
- Apply to your licensing board. Apply for licensure in the state, province, or territory where you want to practice. The board reviews your degree, coursework, and supervised experience against its laws and decides whether you can sit for the EPPP.
- Request accommodations now if you need them. Check the "Exam Accommodations" box during registration and send documentation to your board. After the board approves, ASPPB and Pearson VUE can take 10–15 business days to finish. You cannot schedule until this is complete, and accommodations cannot be added after you schedule.
- Activate your Clarus account. Once approved, the board enters you into Clarus and you get an automated email to set a password. Verify your details; your first and last name must match your two IDs exactly.
- Attest and pay. Confirm you have read the Candidate Handbook, the Candidate Acknowledgement Statement, the Pearson VUE ID policy, and the rescheduling policy, then pay the $691.88.
- Schedule with Pearson VUE. Book online through Clarus (fastest) or call 800-513-6910. You will need your ASPPB candidate ID. EPPP slots are limited, so book early for the date and location you want.
After you pay, you must test within 12 months, or by your board's window end date if that comes sooner. ASPPB's own advice is not to pay or schedule until you are ready to sit. US candidates must test at a US center and Canadian candidates at a Canadian center; a French version exists only where legally required.
Not sure you're ready to book? Try the free 10-question EPPP quick start →EPPP test day: what to expect
The appointment runs a little longer than the 4 hours 15 minutes of exam time. Here is the sequence and the rules worth knowing in advance.
| Segment | Time allowed |
|---|---|
| Accept the Candidate Acknowledgement Statement | 5 minutes (miss it and the exam is canceled) |
| Tutorial | 5 minutes |
| Exam items (225 questions) | 4 hours 15 minutes |
| Post-exam survey | 5 minutes |
- Arrive 30 minutes early with two IDs: one government-issued photo ID, plus a second with your name and signature or photo. Names must match your Authorization to Test.
- Use the tutorial. It shows how to highlight, strike through, comment, flag, and move back and forth. Test center staff do not know the EPPP's navigation tools, so learn them here.
- Ask for a whiteboard. Whiteboards are supplied on request, not automatically. You cannot bring your own paper or pens.
- Ask for earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones at the center if noise bothers you. No pre-approval is needed, but you cannot bring your own.
- Plan your breaks. There are no scheduled breaks. You can step out, but the clock keeps running, you get a palm scan each time, and you cannot leave the building.
- Pace yourself. 255 minutes for 225 items is about 68 seconds per question. Flag and move on; flagged items still count if answered.
- Report technical problems immediately to staff. ASPPB cannot fix problems that were not reported at the center.
EPPP scoring and results
Raw scores are converted to a scaled score from 200 to 800 and equated across forms, so a harder form needs fewer correct answers and an easier one needs more. ASPPB recommends 500 for independent practice and 450 for supervised practice; all licensing authorities currently accept 500 for independent practice on Part 1. As a rough guide, 500 corresponds to about 70% of scored items, but that varies by form.
You see an unofficial score at the test center as soon as you finish. The score then goes into Clarus for you and your board, and the board makes the pass/fail decision. Scores below 500 come with free performance feedback by content area. For the full explanation of scaling and equating, read our EPPP passing score guide.
Retaking the EPPP
If you do not pass, your board must approve a retake and assign a new Authorization to Test in Clarus, and you pay the full fee again. Boards set their own waiting periods and attempt limits. ASPPB caps attempts at four of either part in any 12-month period and recommends about 90 days between attempts. Use the domain feedback to aim your next round of study at your weakest areas.
Part 2-Skills and the 2027 integrated EPPP
EPPP Part 2-Skills is required only by jurisdictions that have adopted it, and only after you pass Part 1. ASPPB paused its earlier plan to require both parts for all licensure from January 1, 2026. Bigger change is coming: a new integrated EPPP with six domains becomes operational in fall 2027. First-time candidates will no longer be able to start Part 1 or Part 2 then, retakes of the old parts run through March 31, 2028, and from April 1, 2028 the integrated exam is the only one. See our guide to Part 2 and the 2027 integrated EPPP for timing decisions.
How to prepare for the EPPP exam
Most candidates study for several months while working, so a plan beats volume. A practical sequence:
- Take a baseline. Start with the free EPPP practice exam to see one question from each content area with explanations.
- Build a calendar weighted by the blueprint. Give the 15–16% areas the most time, and add extra for Research Methods and Lifespan Development, where averages run lowest. Our EPPP study plan lays out week-by-week options.
- Choose materials deliberately. Compare question banks, courses, and ASPPB's own sample exams in best EPPP study materials.
- Review high-yield facts. Keep the EPPP cheat sheet for short daily reviews.
- Rehearse the real thing. Sit at least one full timed practice exam before your date, and aim to score comfortably above about 70% before you book.
FlashGenius offers 600+ independently written EPPP Part 1 questions mapped to all eight content areas and 71 knowledge statements, with explanations for the correct answer and each distractor, plus a timed 225-question, 255-minute simulation in the premium plan (see current pricing). It does not cover Part 2-Skills.
EPPP exam FAQ
How long is the EPPP exam?
EPPP Part 1-Knowledge gives you 4 hours and 15 minutes for the 225 exam items. Add 5 minutes to accept the Candidate Acknowledgement Statement, a 5-minute tutorial, and a 5-minute survey at the end. There are no scheduled breaks, and the clock keeps running during any break you take.
How many questions are on the EPPP?
Part 1 has 225 multiple-choice questions. 175 are scored and 50 are unscored pretest items that you cannot identify, so treat every question as if it counts. Part 2-Skills, required only in some jurisdictions, has 170 items, of which 130 are scored.
How much does the EPPP cost in 2026?
EPPP Part 1 costs $691.88 per sitting: a $600 exam fee plus a $91.88 Pearson VUE test center fee. All fees are non-refundable. Your licensing board charges its own application fee on top, and rescheduling less than 31 days out costs $87.50 plus tax.
How do I register for the EPPP?
Apply for licensure to your state or provincial board first. Once the board approves you, it enters you into Clarus, ASPPB's registration system. You set a password, verify your details, attest to the handbook and policies, pay, and then schedule at a Pearson VUE center online or by phone. You must test within 12 months of paying, or sooner if your board's window ends first.
Can you take the EPPP before finishing your doctorate or supervised hours?
It depends on your licensing board. Each board sets its own eligibility rules, and some allow candidates to sit Part 1 earlier than others. For the integrated EPPP in 2028, ASPPB recommends that candidates have completed doctoral coursework acceptable to the board and all or most required supervised experience. Confirm current rules with your board.
What score do you need to pass the EPPP?
ASPPB recommends a scaled score of 500 for independent practice and 450 for supervised practice, on a 200 to 800 scale. All licensing authorities currently accept 500 for independent practice on Part 1. That is roughly 70 percent of scored items, though the exact number varies by exam form.
How many times can you take the EPPP?
Your licensing board sets its own waiting periods and attempt limits. ASPPB also caps attempts at no more than four of either part in any 12-month period and recommends about 90 days between attempts. Each retake needs board approval and a new full fee.
The bottom line
The EPPP exam is a 225-question, 4-hour-15-minute test that costs $691.88 per sitting and is scored on a 200–800 scale with 500 as the recommended pass. Get board approval, request any accommodations before scheduling, register and pay in Clarus, and book Pearson VUE early. Then study by the blueprint and rehearse under timed conditions.
Start the free 10-question EPPP quick start →Sources: ASPPB EPPP Candidate Handbook (September 2026); ASPPB EPPP page; ASPPB EPPP exam topics; ASPPB future EPPP content areas (2027); ASPPB updates on accessibility, eligibility, and cost for 2028 (May 8, 2026); ASPPB 2025 Psychology Licensing Exam Scores by Doctoral Program.
FlashGenius is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ASPPB. EPPP is a registered trademark of ASPPB. Fees, policies, and eligibility rules change; verify current details with ASPPB and your licensing board.