NBCC Exam Retake Policy: NCE and NCMHCE

Under NBCC's exam retake policy, if you didn't pass the NCE or NCMHCE, you must wait at least 30 days before you test again. How many tries you get, what you pay, and when you can actually sit depend on the application you registered under and any applicable state-board requirements.

Sources: NCC Eligibility Policy §D.3 (PDF), CCMHC Eligibility Policy §E.3 (PDF), and the four NBCC candidate handbooks listed under Sources.

NCE is the National Counselor Examination; NCMHCE is the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination.

Which row is yours? Check the application you registered under. If your examination registration was for state licensure, use the state licensure row. If you took the exam as part of an application for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) or Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) credential, you're on a certification route. The exam name alone won't tell you — both exams are used for both purposes.

By the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. Last verified November 4, 2026, against NBCC's current eligibility policies, candidate handbooks, retake instructions, and Examination Appeals Policy.

Your retake and appeal dates

Count from the day you tested. Here's what that looks like for an exam taken on November 4, 2026:

Appeals must be received by NBCC/CCE by the applicable deadline (Examination Appeals Policy §D.1 (PDF)).

On a certification route, the 30-day mark is a minimum, not a booking date. You can't test twice in one certification exam cycle. For NCC applicants, NBCC says reviewing a reregistration can take up to 8 weeks.

Can you reregister before the 30 days are up?

On the state licensure route, yes. Both state licensure handbooks say you can reregister at any time. What you can't do is sit for the exam until 30 days have passed since your test date. The NCMHCE state licensure handbook (PDF) (p. 10) adds that the actual retest date depends on the monthly testing schedule and availability, and that a state board can require a longer wait (p. 24).

On the NCC route, reregister when your instructions say to. After a failed attempt, NBCC emails reregistration instructions. You don't have to reregister right away, but you must do it before your application closes. Once you reregister, your application goes into a review queue that NBCC says can take up to 8 weeks before you're authorized again (NBCC retake instructions (PDF)). For CCMHC, follow the reregistration instructions on your application.

Is it 30 days or 90? It's 30 under the current handbooks and eligibility policies. An undated CCE article still mentions 90 days. The current documents control, unless your state board sets a longer wait for you.

What happens after three failed attempts?

On the NCC and CCMHC routes, your first sitting counts. The limit is three attempts total — the first one plus two retakes — not three retakes. All three have to happen within 2 years of the date you originally submitted the application, not the date you first tested.

When you fail the third time, or when 2 years pass (whichever comes first), the application closes automatically. To keep going, you need a new application:

• NCC: NBCC's student FAQ says to email certification@nbcc.org to reapply.
• CCMHC: the CCMHC Eligibility Policy (PDF) (§E.3) requires a new CCMHC application.

That's a limit on one application, not a lifetime ban. The cited eligibility policies don't specify an additional waiting period after closure, but they also don't promise a new application will be accepted right away — ask before you pay anything.

On the state licensure route, the NCC three-attempt cap doesn't apply. Your state board sets how many attempts you get and whether you need fresh approval.

How much does an NBCC exam retake cost?

• NCC route: NBCC's retake instructions list a $150 reregistration fee.
• CCMHC route: a separate reregistration fee is required for an ordinary retake. We didn't find a published amount separate from the NCC figure, so use the amount shown in your reregistration instructions.
• State licensure route: an ordinary retake requires a new registration and the applicable examination fee. The amount depends on your registration, so check it in the Credentialing Gateway before you pay.

The handbooks state that examination registration fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. A $50 Pearson VUE rescheduling fee (listed in the state licensure handbooks and the NCMHCE certification handbook) is a separate charge for moving an appointment — it isn't the retake fee.

Before you book again: five steps

1. Identify your application. Write down the exam (NCE or NCMHCE) and the route (NCC, CCMHC, or state licensure). If it's licensure, name your state board — you can find it in NBCC's State Board Directory. Done when: you know which row of the table above is yours.

2. Check what's still valid. Look at your application status, how many attempts you've used, and the dates on your authorization and board approval. If a certification application has closed, follow the reapplication path above. If your state approval has expired, the NCMHCE state licensure handbook (PDF) (p. 24) says you need a new approval letter from your board before you can retest. Done when: you know you can still use your application, or you know what to renew.

3. Reregister and re-request any accommodations.

   • NCC: log in to the Credentialing Gateway, open your NCC application, and select Reregistration.
   • CCMHC: follow the reregistration instructions on your CCMHC application.
   • State licensure: start from CCE's state licensure page, which links to the Credentialing Gateway.
   • Accommodations don't carry over automatically. You must request them again for every registration (PDF). For the NCMHCE on the state route, the handbook says most states take that request through the state licensing agency.

   Done when: you've submitted the reregistration, paid, and requested any needed accommodations.

4. Wait for your new authorization, then book. You can only schedule with Pearson VUE after you get a new Authorization to Test email. If you asked for accommodations, wait for written approval, then book by phone at 800-466-0450, option 3. Pick a date that is at least 30 days after your last test, inside your authorization window, and inside any board approval window. Done when: your appointment, approval dates, and accommodations all line up.

5. Save your confirmation and plan your review. Keep the confirmation email with your approval and authorization dates. Then use your score report to pick the areas that need the most work. A practice-test percentage, or missing by a few points, doesn't tell you how the next attempt will go.

Other questions before you rebook

What if I missed my appointment or my window expired?

That's a different situation from a failed test, with different consequences:

These are the standard rules. If an emergency or a testing-provider cancellation caused the missed appointment, contact NBCC or CCE promptly; rescheduling or other relief is subject to its review.

If you need more time, ask before your window ends. State licensure: extensionrequest@cce-global.org. Certification: certification@nbcc.org. The certification handbooks say to ask at least 7 days before your window's last day. If less time remains, contact NBCC immediately: the extension policy (PDF) requires requests before expiration and supporting information, and extensions are subject to approval.

The certification handbooks don't clearly state whether a no-show uses one of your three attempts. Ask NBCC how it affects your application rather than assuming it doesn't count.

Can I switch from the NCMHCE to the NCE, or change routes?

Possibly, but neither switch is automatic.

• Changing exams: both the NCE and NCMHCE work for NCC, while CCMHC uses only the NCMHCE. For licensure, your state board decides which exam it accepts. We didn't find any NBCC rule that lets you skip the 30-day wait by switching to the other exam.
• Changing routes: the certification handbooks say you can retake through the state licensure route instead, and a passing score earned that way can satisfy your NCC application's exam requirement — with additional fees. That doesn't reopen a closed application or override your board's rules.

Confirm with your board or NBCC that the exam and route you want are approved before you pay.

What if a testing problem affected my result?

You can appeal, but an appeal never changes your score. The only remedy for a successful appeal is one free retake, and you still have to wait 30 days to take it (NBCC/CCE Examination Appeals Policy (PDF), revised August 10, 2026, §E.3).

NBCC won't accept appeals based on missing by a point or two, test anxiety, illness or personal circumstances, late arrival, normal test-center noise, your own answer-entry mistakes (except those caused by circumstances outside your control), disagreement with the passing score, prior attempts, your experience or grades, or practice-test results. Appeals go through the official appeal form. The appeal form page summarizes deadlines as one week; the formal policy gives content appeals 14 days, and the policy controls.

Keep exam content confidential throughout. Describe the problem through the official process only — not on social media, and not to us.

Will my retake be the same test?

NBCC compiles a different form of the NCE for each administration and adjusts each form's passing score for its difficulty. The NCMHCE handbooks describe the same equating process. The handbooks prohibit reconstructing exam questions or answers from memory, or describing or sharing exam content with anyone. Violations can void scores and make you ineligible for future NBCC exams. Study topics you struggled with, not remembered questions.

Does a retake on or after July 1, 2027 change anything?

NBCC has published new specifications for both exams, effective July 1, 2027 (NCE 2027 (PDF), NCMHCE 2027 (PDF)). They change the content outline and scoring (a scaled score from 100 to 500, with 360 passing), and the 2027 NCE moves to 170 three-option questions. They don't announce a new retake policy, and we didn't find a separate rule for people who fail the current version and retest after the switch.

If your retake will fall on or after July 1, 2027 — under the current 30-day minimum, that includes retakes after a failed attempt on June 1, 2027 or later — study to the 2027 outline and confirm the version with NBCC or CCE before booking.

Can my state set its own deadline?

Yes. State rules sit on top of NBCC's. California's Board of Behavioral Sciences, for example, says LPCC applicants can retake the NCMHCE after the 30-day wait but must retake within one year of a failed attempt. Miss that and the licensing file closes; you'd pay a new fee, reapply, meet the requirements in place at that time, and possibly lose previously approved experience hours (California BBS LPCC exam page). Check your own board's rules in the State Board Directory.

Sources

All checked November 4, 2026.

National certification (NCC and CCMHC)

• NBCC, NCC Certification Eligibility Policy (PDF), revised April 30, 2026 — §D.3, Examination Retest Policy, p. 4.
• NBCC, CCMHC Certification Eligibility Policy (PDF), revised October 24, 2024 — §E.3, p. 3.
• NBCC, NCE Candidate Handbook for National Certified Counselor Certification (PDF), revised September 24, 2024 — pp. 7, 9–16, 19–21.
• NBCC, NCMHCE Candidate Handbook for National Certified Counselor Certification (PDF), revised October 16, 2025 — pp. 9–14, 17, 23–25.
• NBCC, Retaking the Examination (PDF) (retake instructions; undated).
• NBCC, Student FAQ — "What if I failed the exam?"
• NBCC, National Certification Testing Authorization Periods and Extension Requests Policy (PDF), effective January 1, 2024 — §§C–D.
• NBCC/CCE, Special Examination Accommodations Policy (PDF), approved February 1, 2024 — §§A, D.

State licensure

• NBCC, NCE Candidate Handbook for State Licensure (PDF), revised September 24, 2024 — pp. 7, 9–16, 19–21.
• NBCC, NCMHCE Candidate Handbook for State Licensure (PDF), revised November 20, 2025 — pp. 9–14, 17, 23–25.
• CCE, State Licensure — "Retakes."
• California Board of Behavioral Sciences, LPCC Clinical Examination — "NCMHCE Clinical RE-EXAM."

Appeals and upcoming changes

• NBCC/CCE, Examination Appeals Policy (PDF), revised August 10, 2026 — §§B.5, C, D.1, E.3.
• CCE, Examination Appeals form.
• NBCC, NCE (PDF) and NCMHCE (PDF) Examination Specifications, effective July 1, 2027 — §§5–6.

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) or the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE). Exam and credential names identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners. Your current handbook, your Authorization to Test email, and your state board are the final word on your own registration.