1.5 Registration, Scheduling, and Retesting Rules

Registration and the Authorization to Test

Administrative readiness is part of NCMHCE readiness. The registration body depends on your pathway, but in every pathway you may schedule with Pearson VUE only after receiving the Authorization to Test (ATT) email.

After authorization you schedule online or by phone with Pearson VUE at (866) 904-4432, providing your Candidate ID. You then receive a Confirmation of Examination Registration email with the registration ID, date, time, and (for in-person) location. Online payments use a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express); paper state-licensure registration requires a money order payable to NBCC.

Windows, Rescheduling, and Forfeiture

The test authorization window is a hard constraint. Examination fees are not refundable or transferable, and are forfeited if you do not test within the approved authorization window — after which a separate registration and fee are required to reregister. Fees are also forfeited if you miss an appointment without rescheduling at least 24 hours out, or arrive more than 15 minutes late.

Rescheduling is permitted up to 24 hours before the appointment by contacting Pearson VUE, but a $50 rescheduling fee applies (candidates with approved accommodations reschedule through a separate line). For certification candidates, a reregistration request made fewer than 30 days before the examination cycle opens incurs a $150 reregistration fee for the next cycle.

Administrative checklist

• Confirm your pathway before submitting payment.
• Save the Authorization to Test email and the Pearson VUE confirmation.
• Schedule only through Pearson VUE after authorization.
• Reschedule at least 24 hours out to avoid total forfeiture (the $50 fee still applies).
• Track the authorization window — testing late means losing the fee.
• Request accommodations through the official process before selecting a date.

Retesting Rules Diverge by Pathway

Retesting rules are where the pathways differ most, so plan them precisely.

State licensure: a candidate who fails may retake after a 30-day window (longer if the state licensing agency directs it). Each retake requires a separate registration and fee. There is no NBCC-imposed lifetime attempt cap on the licensure path itself — the state board governs any additional limits.

NCC / CCMHC certification: a failing candidate must wait a minimum of 30 days, cannot test more than once within the same certification examination cycle, and is allowed a maximum of three attempts over a two-year period within a single NCC or CCMHC application. After a third failed attempt, or once the two-year period elapses, the application automatically closes. A candidate who cannot pass within those limits may instead pursue the exam through the state counselor licensure process.

Exam-ready calendar

A strong calendar carries study milestones, practice-case checkpoints, the authorization deadline, and a retest contingency. The retest plan is risk management, not pessimism. If you pass, you never use it; if you do not, the 30-day minimum wait and your pathway's attempt limits already define the next study cycle. For fees, cite the official page for your own pathway rather than copying a single amount, because state-licensure and certification fee structures differ.

Monthly Cycles and the Certification Reregistration Trap

The NCMHCE is delivered in monthly test administration cycles, and this structure interacts with the certification rules in ways that catch candidates off guard. For NCC and CCMHC candidates, you cannot test more than once within the same certification examination cycle — failing early in a cycle does not let you immediately re-sit that same month; you reregister for the next available cycle through your Credentialing Gateway account, subject to the 30-day minimum wait.

Reregistration timing carries a fee cliff. A certification candidate who requests a change can avoid a penalty by contacting NBCC more than 30 days before the examination cycle opens; a request made fewer than 30 days before the cycle opens triggers a $150 reregistration fee to take the exam in the next cycle. Plan your retake decision early in the window, not at the last minute.

Build the contingency before you need it

Decide in advance what you will do if you do not pass: which next cycle you would target, whether the 30-day wait clears your study plan, and how the attempt limit (for certification) or board directive (for licensure) constrains you. Having that plan removes panic from the score-release day and lets you reregister cleanly inside the rules instead of forfeiting a fee to a missed window.