The other exam: state jurisprudence and ethics tests.
Some boards require a test on their own laws and rules in addition to the national exam. What these look like and how to prepare in a weekend.
By Dr. Andrew Wichterman · September 15, 2026 · 5 min read · Updated October 4, 2026
Passing the NCE or NCMHCE satisfies the national exam requirement. A number of states add a second, smaller test on their own statutes, rules and ethical codes. Candidates who did not know about it discover it when the license application asks for a score they do not have.
What it is
A jurisprudence exam, sometimes called a law and rules exam or ethics exam, is written and administered by the state board, not by NBCC. It tests the state practice act, the board's administrative rules, and often the applicable code of ethics. It is usually shorter than the national exam, frequently open book or online, and in some states it is untimed and can be retaken freely. Some boards require it before the associate license, some before the independent license, and some as a renewal requirement.
What the questions look like
They are narrower and more literal than NCE items. How many hours of supervised experience are required for the independent license, and over what minimum period? How many of those hours must be direct client contact? What is the maximum number of supervisees a supervisor may carry? How long must records be retained after the last contact, and how long for a minor? Within what period must a change of address be reported to the board? How many continuing education hours per renewal cycle, and how many of those must be in ethics or supervision? Which titles are protected, and what may an associate-level licensee call themselves in advertising?
A second group tests the board's grounds for discipline and your duties under them: the timeline for mandated reports in your state, what counts as sexual misconduct and the period after termination it covers, the duty to report an impaired colleague, the rules on client records when a practice closes, and what the board can do, from a reprimand through probation to revocation. These are facts with numbers attached, and the numbers are in the rules document. There is no reasoning to practice, only a document to know.
How to find out if you need one
- Read the licensure requirements page on your board's site. Look for "jurisprudence," "law and rules," "state exam" or "ethics exam."
- Look at the license application form itself. If there is a line for a state exam score, you need one.
- Check the NBCC State Board Directory entry for your state, which often notes additional exams.
How to prepare
The material is finite and public. Download the practice act and the board's rules, read them once end to end, and then reread the sections on scope of practice, supervision, confidentiality and records, mandatory reporting, disciplinary grounds, advertising and titles, and continuing education. Most questions come from those. If the exam is open book, learn the structure of the document so you can find a section in under a minute.
A weekend plan
Saturday morning: download the practice act and the administrative rules as PDFs and read both end to end, which for most states is two to three hours. Do not take notes on the first pass; the point is the shape of the documents. Saturday afternoon: go back through with a highlighter for every number, every deadline, every "shall" and every "shall not." Put each one on a card: the question on the front, the number and the section citation on the back. Most states yield sixty to a hundred cards.
Sunday: run the cards until they are fast, then do a dry run of the open-book skill if the exam allows it. Pick ten questions from your cards and time yourself finding the answer in the PDF using search and the table of contents. Under a minute each is the target. If the board publishes a candidate guide or sample questions, do them last, because they will tell you what the board emphasizes. Then book the exam for the following week while the documents are fresh.
The ethics exam variant
Some boards test ethics rather than, or in addition to, law and rules. The question to settle first is which code: many boards have adopted the ACA Code of Ethics by reference, some have written their own code into the rules, and some reference the NBCC Code. The exam tests the code the board names, and the codes differ in specifics such as the waiting period before a relationship with a former client and the rules on bartering and gifts. Read the board's version, not the one you studied for the NCE, if they differ.
The ethics items will feel like easy NCE items, and the trap is answering from the national code when the state has written something stricter. Where the state rule is stricter, the state rule governs your practice and the exam. Make a short list of the places the two documents disagree, and expect to see them.
When to take it
Take it as soon as the board allows, in the same season as your national exam if possible. It is a small task that becomes an annoying delay if left for the week you file the license application.
Check the current handbook. Fees, windows and procedures change. Confirm every specific against the current NBCC candidate handbook and your state board's published rules before you act on it.
One weekend with the statute is enough. Do it early and it never becomes a problem.