Credential Review

The Application form is the primary information base upon which eligibility for candidacy is determined. In effect, you are establishing the necessary academic, training, supervised experience, and professional standing required by the specialty board.  The Executive Officer (EO) and Central Office (CO) staff shall verify the license to practice psychology, the doctoral degree and program; the specialty board may also review your application for specialty-specific requirements. You must request that a copy of your doctoral transcript be sent to CO directly from the educational institution. The request should be initiated as soon as possible in order to not have any delay in processing your application. Any documentation (letters of recommendation, endorsements, certification of appropriate institute or continuing education) must be submitted as a PDF with the application.

The CO shall review the submitted application for completeness. The EO shall review the application for the determination of meeting the ABPP common, generic criteria of doctoral degree and program, licensure, and professional standing. Upon meeting the generic criteria the application materials are sent to the Specialty Board for determination in meeting the specific criteria for eligibility as a candidate.  

Following review, applicants are notified of the results via email. Applicants meeting generic and specialty requirements become candidates, eligible to move on to the specialty examination process.

It is after being admitted to Candidacy, that one becomes eligible to sit for the written examination, if any, and submit Practice Samples for review.  The Oral Examination is the final aspect of the process. To better understand the application and candidacy determination, it is best to review the manual of the specialty board found under Candidate Information, Specialty Board Manuals.  Click HERE to be redirected to that page.