Which states require the NCE, and when you should take it for licensure.
The patterns across states, how to read your own board's rule, and the timing decision that follows from it.
By Dr. Andrew Wichterman · September 15, 2026 · 7 min read · Updated October 26, 2026
Every U.S. jurisdiction requires one of the two NBCC exams for counselor licensure. Most use the NCE for at least one license level. Beyond that, the honest answer is that the map is a patchwork, it changes, and only your board's current rule counts. This post gives you the patterns and then a method.
The four patterns
- NCE only. The NCE satisfies the exam requirement for every counselor license the state issues. This is the most common pattern.
- NCE then NCMHCE. The NCE for the initial or associate license; the NCMHCE for the independent clinical license after supervised hours. Historically common, but several states have simplified to one exam.
- Either exam. You choose. Virginia and Texas are examples often cited; Ohio joined this group for its LPC license on January 1, 2026.
- NCMHCE only. A smaller group of states that emphasizes the clinical exam.
Some states add a jurisprudence or ethics exam of their own on top of the national exam. That is a state exam, administered by the board, and it is covered in a separate post.
Where to look it up
- Your state board's website, on the page for the specific license you are pursuing. Boards sit under a department of health, professional regulation, or similar.
- The NBCC State Board Directory at nbcc.org, which lists each state's contact, licenses and required exams.
- The board itself, by email, if anything is unclear. Save the answer.
When to take it
Boards also decide when you may sit, and this is where planning matters.
- As a student. Many programs offer the NCE in the final semester through NBCC's NCC certification route. You test while the content is fresh and arrive at graduation with the exam done. This is the best timing for most candidates who can access it.
- After graduation, before hours. Where the board requires a conferred degree, register the week your transcript posts. The content ages quickly once you leave coursework.
- After supervised hours. Where the exam is tied to the clinical license, expect a gap of two to three years from graduation. Plan a fresh sixteen-week block at that point rather than relying on old notes.
If you might move
Check both states now. If your future state requires the NCMHCE and your current one accepts either, taking the NCMHCE once may save a second exam. The Counseling Compact is also changing portability for fully licensed counselors in participating states; see the compact post for what it does and does not do.
States that accept either exam
A growing number of boards accept either the NCE or the NCMHCE for full licensure and let the candidate choose. If your board is one of them, the NCE is usually the better first choice for candidates who are strongest on recall of theories and definitions, while the NCMHCE favors candidates comfortable with case-based clinical judgment. Neither is easier in absolute terms; they reward different preparation. Check whether the choice is yours or whether your degree pathway or license tier decides it for you.
States that require both
Some boards require the NCE for an associate or provisional license and the NCMHCE for the full independent license. If you are in one of these states, plan for both from the beginning and do not let more than two or three years pass between them; content overlap is substantial, and studying for the second is much easier while the first is fresh.
Portability and the Counseling Compact
The Counseling Compact lets licensed professional counselors in member states obtain a privilege to practice in other member states without a second full application. It does not change which exam your home state requires, and it applies to fully licensed counselors, not associates. If you expect to move, hold the NCC in addition to your license; several boards use it to streamline endorsement, and it documents your exam pass independently of any one board.
How boards use your score
NBCC reports your result to the board that approved you: the passing score for the form you took, your score, and pass or fail. Boards do not set a higher number of their own; they need the pass. What varies is the sequence, whether the pass has to come before or after your supervised hours, and whether the board also requires a jurisprudence exam on its own rules. If you passed for one board and later apply to another, most will accept a score transfer from NBCC rather than a retake, but the second board decides, so ask before you assume.
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.
The rule that governs you is written on one page of your board's website. Read it in the current year, decide your timing, and build the plan backward from the date.
Sources
- NBCC, State Board Directory, each state's contact information, available licenses and required examinations