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NBCC Exam Results: Find and Read Your NCE or NCMHCE Score

To find your NBCC exam results, use your registration account to open the score report for the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) in Pearson. Both exams belong to the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).

Find your score report

  • State licensure through the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE): Sign in to CCE Credentialing Gateway, choose State Licensure, then Go to Pearson.
  • National Certified Counselor (NCC) application: Sign in to NBCC Credentialing Gateway, open your NCC application, and choose Go to Pearson.
  • Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) application for the NCMHCE: Open your certification application in NBCC Credentialing Gateway and look under Specialty Options for Go to Pearson.

In Pearson, choose View/Print Score Report. If you tested at a Pearson test center, the proctor provides an unofficial report after the exit survey. If you tested online through OnVUE, access the report through your Pearson dashboard.

No report option in Pearson? Call 866-904-4432 and ask for help obtaining a copy.

Sources: CCE counselor-exam access instructions; NBCC certification access instructions; NCMHCE certification handbook, pp. 11 and 24 (PDF); NCE state handbook, p. 20 (PDF).

By Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. Last verified November 4, 2026: official results procedures, verification fees, retake and appeal rules, support routes, and the announced July 2027 scoring change.

Which result are you waiting for?

Your own score report, an official examination result, and a report received by your licensing board are different records. They do not necessarily become available together.

NBCC result records and next steps
Record What it means and when to expect it Your next step
Your initial score report The report provided after testing is unofficial. Use the test-center copy or Pearson access described above. Save the report and read its result. A blank application screen does not itself mean you failed.
Official examination pass/fail status in a certification application NBCC’s certification handbooks allow up to 8 weeks for notification that this status has been updated in Credentialing Gateway. Timing depends on the examination version. Check the application and notification email. This is the exam result, not a promise that NCC or CCMHC certification will be awarded within eight weeks.
Official report to the state for which you tested through CCE CCE validates the administration and sends the report automatically. The state handbooks say within 30 days after the monthly testing cycle ends; other official pages give different estimates, explained below. You do not need to order a duplicate report for that board. Check transmission with CCE and receipt with the board.
A separately requested score verification This sends an eligible score to a third party, such as a board receiving a certification-route score or an additional state. NBCC lists approximately 4 weeks for a verification request, subject to outstanding requirements. Request the appropriate report and check its recipient. This processing estimate is separate from the release of a newly taken exam result.

Sources: NCE certification handbook, p. 20 (PDF); NCMHCE certification handbook, p. 24 (PDF); CCE score-verification form, instructions (PDF); NBCC score-verification instructions.

The published state-reporting estimates differ. Alongside the handbook wording above, CCE’s state-licensure page says approximately 30 business days after the monthly window closes, while NBCC’s score-report page says approximately four weeks from your test date. These use different starting points and units, so they do not establish one reliable deadline. If you have a licensing deadline, ask CCE whether your score has been sent, then ask your board whether it has received and matched the report to your application.

Not sure how you registered? Check your Authorization to Test email and application record. Being a student does not settle it: the relevant distinction is a certification application versus the state-licensure examination route.

How to read your NCE or NCMHCE score

The NCE and NCMHCE have different current score totals. Go by the result and passing threshold for your own examination. A cutoff posted by another candidate may apply to a different form.

NCE and NCMHCE score versions
Exam and version How the score is reported What to use
NCE under the current handbook, checked November 4, 2026 Of 200 questions, 160 are scored at one point each. The maximum raw score is 160; the passing threshold varies by form. Your report’s result and the passing score for your version.
NCMHCE under the current handbook, checked November 4, 2026 There are 100 scored questions at one point each. The maximum raw score is 100; the passing threshold varies by form. The result and applicable threshold for your examination, rather than a cutoff from someone else’s report.
Announced NCE and NCMHCE versions effective July 1, 2027 Scores will use a 100–500 scale, with 360 or higher passing. The reported scaled score and preliminary pass/fail status. This is the announced future system, not a way to reinterpret an earlier result.

Sources: NCE state handbook, pp. 7 and 20 (PDF); NCMHCE state handbook, p. 24 (PDF); NCE 2027 specifications, pp. 1 and 3 (PDF); NCMHCE 2027 specifications, pp. 1 and 3 (PDF).

Why current passing scores can differ. NBCC sets a passing standard and uses statistical equating to account for differences in difficulty between examination forms. Your result is not determined by how your classmates performed.

A scaled score is not a percentage. For the announced 2027 versions, dividing a score by 500 does not tell you the percentage answered correctly. Older simulation-based NCMHCE reports also have their own scoring rules; use the rules that accompanied that examination. (NBCC’s historical format comparison, pp. 1–2 (PDF))

If your report lacks a clear result or applicable passing threshold, ask the organization you registered with to interpret it: CCE for the state route, or NBCC for a certification application. Do not infer an official decision from the number alone. Official results remain subject to the examination-administration review described in the handbooks.

Sending your score to a licensing board

  1. Confirm your registration route. Did you register through CCE for a state, or through NBCC as part of an NCC or CCMHC application?

  2. Name the recipient. Is it the state for which you took the CCE examination, a different state, or another organization?

  3. Use the appropriate reporting process. For the original CCE registration state, the report is sent automatically. For a certification-route score or an additional recipient, follow the official score-verification instructions. NCC applicants can choose Score Verification Request under NCC Options. State-route candidates can use their Credentialing Gateway account or CCE’s verification form (PDF). If your certification application does not display the request you need, contact NBCC.

  4. Check outstanding requirements. Missing degree-conferral documentation, pending ethics matters, and unpaid past-due fees can delay verification. NBCC requires an official transcript showing the degree was conferred as proof of completion; a registrar’s letter is not a substitute. These are verification/application requirements, not proof that a missing transcript caused a problem viewing your initial report. If you use CCE’s form and your name has changed since testing, include the supporting documentation it requests.

  5. Confirm receipt with the board. Your own printout is not proof the official report arrived. Ask whether the board has received and matched the score to your application, and what remains for your license. Use the official state-board directory to find the right authority.

Sources: NBCC Applicants FAQ, “Examination Scores” and transcript questions; CCE verification form, instructions and Previous Name field (PDF); NBCC Test Score Release Policy (PDF).

If you need an additional CCE report: The state-licensure verification form dated February 2025 lists $65 per report for standard delivery, expected four weeks after payment is processed, or $110 per report for express delivery, expected two business days after payment is processed. These are CCE form prices, not a universal fee for every NBCC application. Check the current form when ordering. Express delivery does not promise that a board will finish processing your application in two days. The form also specifies a $30 processing deduction if a verification-request fee is refunded. (CCE form, Delivery Options and instructions (PDF))

Result missing or stuck?

Pearson says your report is ready, but Gateway shows nothing. The application record and the Pearson score report are different screens. Open Pearson through the registration route at the top of this page and choose View/Print Score Report. If that option is missing or you cannot obtain the copy, call 866-904-4432. A blank application record is not an official fail result.

You have the unofficial report, but your official examination pass/fail status has not posted in the certification application. Use the eight-week guidance above, then ask NBCC at nbcc@nbcc.org or 336-547-0607 about the examination update. If you already have an official passing result but certification remains incomplete, ask separately about the remaining application requirements.

Your original state board says it has no score. Contact CCE at cce@cce-global.org or 336-482-2856 to ask whether the report was sent. Then ask the board about receipt and matching. CCE states that it does not release scores over the telephone; the inquiry is about transmission status.

A requested score verification seems stalled. Check the recipient and confirmation on the existing request, along with any open account requirements. Contact the organization processing it before paying for another request.

The exam name, test date, or identity details look wrong. Keep the report and confirmation emails and ask Pearson and the registration organization to investigate. Share personal records through the official support process rather than a public discussion.

For a support inquiry, have your exam name, test date, registration purpose, candidate ID, recipient board, and any verification-request confirmation available.

Support sources: Pearson’s NBCC contact information; NBCC contact page; CCE score-status contact (PDF); CCE state-licensure information.

Your next step after a pass or fail

If you passed

Passing is one requirement, not the finish line. NBCC grants certification after the remaining application requirements are complete and approved. A state license still requires the board’s full process. (NBCC Applicants FAQ; NCMHCE certification handbook, p. 24 (PDF))

  • Certification route: Check which application requirements remain and request an official score verification for any board that needs it.
  • State-licensure route: Confirm that your board received the official score, then complete its remaining steps.

If you apply to another state later, ask that board whether it accepts the score and whether it has a score-age requirement. Release is also subject to NBCC’s Test Score Release Policy (PDF); there is no single acceptance rule established here for every board.

If you did not pass

Check your examination and registration route before arranging another attempt.

NBCC retake rules by registration route
Issue State-licensure route through CCE NCC or CCMHC certification route through NBCC
Waiting period At least 30 days from the test date; a state board may require longer. At least 30 days, and no more than one attempt within the same certification examination cycle.
Attempt limit Set by the state board, subject to the applicable authorization. Up to three attempts within two years of the application date. The application closes after the third failed attempt or expiration of that period without a passing result.
What to do next Reregister and pay the applicable fee. If your state requires board approval and it has expired, obtain renewed approval before arranging the retest. Follow NBCC’s retest instructions and reregister in Gateway. If the application has closed, contact certification@nbcc.org about reapplying.

Sources: NCE state handbook, pp. 10 and 21 (PDF); NCMHCE state handbook, pp. 10 and 24 (PDF); NCE certification handbook, pp. 9–10 and 20 (PDF); NCMHCE certification handbook, pp. 9–10 and 24 (PDF).

The minimum waiting period does not guarantee an appointment or authorization on that date. If you need approved examination accommodations, request them again when reregistering, as the handbooks require.

Use the report’s available content-area feedback to choose a focused review priority. It describes performance on that examination form, not a precise forecast of your next result.

If a testing problem may justify an appeal

Check the policy promptly: deadlines run from the examination, not from a later official-result update. The NBCC/CCE Examination Appeals Policy (PDF), revised August 10, 2026, distinguishes:

NBCC/CCE examination appeal deadlines
Appeal type Deadline after examination completion Required basis
Administration 7 calendar days A qualifying testing-condition problem. Prompt reporting to the proctor during or immediately after the test, including an online session, and a case report are required.
Approved accommodation 7 calendar days A qualifying problem with an approved accommodation, subject to the policy’s reporting and case-report requirements.
Content 14 calendar days Specific items or answers alleged to be incorrect and to have caused a failing result, supported by a detailed explanation and relevant professional sources.

Read §§C–D before using the official appeal form. A close failing score alone is not an appeal ground. The remedy for a successful appeal is one free retake; NBCC does not change the score through an appeal (§E.3). Keep any examination-content communication within the authorized appeal process.

Official sources and verification

We checked the official public sources on November 4, 2026. This guide was prepared with AI assistance; our editorial methodology explains source checking and its distinction from professional review.

The main references are:

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors or the Center for Credentialing & Education. Exam and credential names identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners.