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Examination Information

Examination Deadlines and Administration

Examination candidates for licensure with the Board should keep important exam related deadlines in mind. Complying with examination deadlines prevents applicants from having to reapply for licensure and keeps the applicant’s qualifying experience “locked in.”

Once the Board approves a candidate, the candidate MUST TAKE the examination within one year of the stated eligibility date on the back of the examination candidate handbook. Candidates must take an examination at least once a year until successfully passing both examinations.

A candidate who fails an examination must retake the examination no later than one year from the date of failure. In order to retest, the candidate must submit an application for re-examination with the appropriate fee and wait the required minimum six month waiting period before the Board can establish eligibility to sit for re-examination.

A candidate who successfully passes the LCSW or MFT Standard Written Examination must submit an examination application and the required fee in order to become eligible for the LCSW or MFT Clinical Vignette Examination. The candidate will have one year from the date of passing the Standard Written Examination to take the Clinical Vignette Examination.

Psychological Services (PSI) administers the Board's licensure examinations. PSI has testing centers located throughout the state and offers testing 5-6 days a week. Please refer to the candidate handbooks for more information on the exact locations of test site centers. Candidates should not attempt to schedule an examination date with PSI until they receive their notification of eligibility.

Studying for the Examination

The examination plans in the examination candidate handbooks are official study guides for the material contained in the examination. All candidate handbooks can be downloaded from the Forms and Publications section of the website. Trust in your clinical education and experience when responding to the examination items.

A Word About Examination Prep Courses

Some entities offer examination preparation courses. These preparation courses do not guarantee a passing score and are no substitute for education and experience. The Board does not recommend or endorse any examination preparation courses.

Examination items are confidential. Sharing examination items with any person or entity is highly illegal and can result in denial of licensure.

For more information, please consult the candidate handbooks or the Examination Information Brochure.

Updated: February 25, 2008