Testing accommodations on the NCE: who qualifies, what to submit, and when to start.
Extended time, a separate room, breaks for a medical condition, and provisions for English as a second language are all available. The paperwork takes longer than you think.
By Dr. Andrew Wichterman · September 20, 2026 · 4 min read · Updated October 26, 2026
Accommodations are underused because candidates assume they will not qualify, or start the request too late to matter. Both are fixable.
How it works
This is the process as NBCC and its affiliate CCE describe it. Requests are reviewed individually and are subject to approval.
- Request it at registration. Say so when you submit your registration (for national certification, when you submit your application).
- Send your documentation. State licensure candidates email accommodations@cce-global.org. Candidates applying for NBCC certification give their documentation to NBCC's accommodations coordinator after submitting the application.
- Documentation comes from a qualified professional, at your expense. The policy asks for an individualized assessment by a qualified professional, meaning someone licensed or credentialed who has the expertise to evaluate your condition. Written confirmation that you received an accommodation before, based on the same diagnosis, can also support a request. You pay for the documentation, and NBCC or CCE may ask for more.
- Each request is reviewed individually. Decisions are made case by case. If you are testing for state licensure you will be told whether your state licensing agency must also approve the request, so check your own board's steps.
- Get approval before you schedule. Wait for the decision letter before you book an appointment. Once an appointment is scheduled, accommodations cannot be added to that registration, and you would have to cancel the appointment first. Your test authorization window keeps running while the request is decided.
- Request them again every time you reregister. Accommodations must be requested for each exam registration, including a retake.
- Online testing has limited accommodations. Only specific, limited accommodations are available when you test online (OnVUE) instead of at a test center. Your decision letter lists what is available for the way you choose to test.
- If a request is denied. You may appeal in writing to accommodations@cce-global.org within 20 calendar days of the decision. Appeal decisions are final.
Who can request accommodations
NBCC provides accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act for documented disabilities: learning disabilities, ADHD, psychiatric conditions, medical conditions that require breaks or equipment, and physical or sensory impairments. Separately, candidates whose primary language is not English can request extended time through an ESL provision. Having received accommodations in graduate school helps your case but is not required, and having never received them does not disqualify you.
What accommodations exist
The common ones are extended time, usually time and a half or double time; additional or extended breaks, often with the clock stopped, for medical conditions such as diabetes, Crohn's disease or pregnancy; a separate or reduced-distraction room; and permission to bring medication, food, water or a medical device into the testing room. Visual accommodations include screen magnification, a larger display and a reader. Candidates who are deaf or hard of hearing can request a sign language interpreter for check-in and instructions. A scribe or alternative input is available where a physical impairment limits use of the mouse and keyboard.
Ask for what the documentation supports, not for a list. A request for extended time, a separate room and extra breaks for a condition whose only documented impact is reading speed will usually be approved for the time and returned for the rest. The evaluator's recommendation should connect each accommodation to a specific functional limitation; the reviewer is looking for that connection, and its absence is the most common reason a request is sent back.
What to submit
A completed accommodations request form, and documentation from a qualified professional that names the diagnosis, describes its functional impact on test-taking, and recommends specific accommodations. A one-line note saying "needs extra time" is routinely returned. Evaluations should be reasonably current; for learning disabilities and ADHD, expect a request for testing within the last several years. Your graduate program's disability services office may have exactly the letter you need on file.
What to ask your evaluator for
Most clinicians have not written an exam accommodations letter and will write a better one if you tell them what it needs. Ask for: the diagnosis with the date it was made and the instruments used; a description of how the condition limits performance on a timed, multiple-choice, computer-based exam specifically, not in general; your history of accommodations in school or on other exams, if any; and a recommendation for each accommodation, each tied to a limitation. A letter on letterhead, signed, with the provider's license number.
If your most recent evaluation is old, ask whether an update is needed before paying for a full re-evaluation. For stable physical and medical conditions, a current letter from the treating physician is typically enough. For learning disabilities and ADHD, reviewers generally want the evaluation to reflect adult functioning, and a childhood assessment alone may not be accepted. Your graduate program's disability services office handled this for the Praxis, the GRE and your own program; they know what a complete file looks like.
When to start
Before you register for a date. Requests are reviewed before scheduling, and the review can take weeks. If you register first and request later, you may lose your preferred window. Approved accommodations are set up at the testing center in advance; they cannot be added on the day. Keep the approval letter and bring it with you.
If the request is returned or denied
A returned request is not a denial; it is a list of what was missing, and most are approved on resubmission with better documentation. Read the reason, go back to the evaluator with the specific gap, and resubmit. A denial can usually be appealed with additional documentation, and the appeal is worth making when the accommodation materially affects your ability to show what you know.
Do not schedule the exam while the request is pending, and do not sit it without an approved accommodation on the theory that you will manage. If you do and then fail, the retake waiting period and the fee apply, and a later request does not change the earlier score. The paperwork is slower than it should be. Starting it the week you decide to take the exam is the fix.
Using the accommodation
Extended time changes your pacing plan. With time and a half, the per-item budget rises from about 67 seconds to 100, enough to read every stem twice and still finish. Practice under your accommodated time, not standard time, so the rhythm is familiar. If you have a separate room, the break and check-in rules still apply.
Check the current handbook. Exam logistics, fees and policies change. Confirm specifics against the NBCC candidate handbook and your state board's current rules. Aligned to the current NCE blueprint, valid for exams through June 30, 2027.
Asking is not an admission of weakness. It is the same access you would advocate for a client.
Sources
- NBCC, Accommodations for Candidates with Disabilities, how and where to request
- NBCC-CCE, Special Examination Accommodations Policy (February 1, 2024), documentation, review, timing, appeals
- NBCC, Candidate Handbook for State Licensure: NCE, revised September 24, 2024, requesting again at reregistration and online-testing limits