FAQs for Candidate Registrants

Candidates are not permitted to operate their own private practice during the period of candidacy. Even if you work in the private practice of another psychologist or in another organization, it is still important to ensure you have access to a registered psychologist for collegial support, consultation and supervision relating to workplace matters.  If a psychologist is not available onsite then another manager/supervisor who can provide evaluative feedback to your Board Supervisor would be acceptable.  In this instance, you must have another psychologist for collegial support and consultation about workplace matters, in addition to your NSBEP Supervisor.

Sometimes long term gaps in supervision become unavoidable as the result of disruptions to employment. This may be the result of a number of different factors such as maternity leave, paternity leave, sick leave and unemployment. In such cases where the candidate is unlikely to be working for a period that exceeds two months, the candidate has the following options:

A. To request Inactive Registration

Any registrant who does not expect to be practicing for a minimum of 2 months to a maximum of 2 years due to a parental leave, medical leave, taking care of a family member, or other reasons deemed acceptable to the Board may apply for Inactive Registration

This registration does not allow one to practice psychology but allows the registrant to self-identify as a Registered Psychologist or Psychologist (Candidate Register) during the period of Inactive Registration.
Since no practice would be allowed during the period when the registrant has requested Inactive Registration, no supervision is required or credited during this period for those on the Register of Candidates.

The fee for Inactive Registration is $100 per calendar year. In keeping with Board Policy, registration fees would not be refunded if a transition from Full to Inactive Registration is made during the calendar year.

Any registrant who would like to apply for Inactive Registration must submit to NSBEP a written request for a leave of absence including a statement that they will not be practicing psychology during the period of Inactive Registration. An email to the office would suffice. Candidates must also ensure that a Supervision Report is submitted to the Board covering the months of supervision that took place leading up to the requested period of Inactive Registration.
Liability insurance to cover past practice issues would need to be maintained. Registrants should discuss with their insurer a low-cost option during their leave (e.g., tail / gap coverage). Some companies have a period of time where they provide such coverage for little or no charge.

B. To request a Leave of Absence from the Register and thus cease all practice of Psychology and cease to use the designation “Psychologist, Candidate Register”.

If a candidate chooses the second option, he/she can apply for reinstatement at any time within the next two years without requirement of a new application and without loss of credit for accumulated work experience obtained before he/she withdrew. Candidates who withdraw from Register must submit: a written request for withdrawal; a completed Evaluation Form for Withdrawal from the Candidate Register; and a supervision report covering any months of supervision received since their last report was submitted to the Board. Please click here if you intend to withdraw.

• The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)
• Oral Examination

More information about these two exams can be found below on this same page.

Once you have been granted registration.  However the NSBEP needs to upload information indicating that you have met the prerequisites for testing. Typically this will take place within 2 business days after you have been sent your candidacy materials. Once the Board uploads your information, you will receive an automated email from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) notifying you that you can go online to register.

To obtain more information and register for the EPPP, click here.  This will take you to the website of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, who owns the EPPP.  There is a menu on the left hand side of the page, where there are a number of subtopics relating to the EPPP are accessible, in addition to the link where one registers for the EPPP.

The cost of the exam is $600.00 (US dollars) and there is a computer based test (CBT) appointment fee of $87.50 (US Dollars).

The deadline for all registrants to successfully complete the EPPP is two years from the date of being placed on the candidate register*, regardless of whether they possess a master’s or doctoral degree, and, regardless of whether they acquire a doctoral degree during their period of candidacy.

*The 2 year deadline to write the EPPP is put on hold if a candidate withdraws for period of 2 years or less. That is, any time remaining to write the EPPP at the time of withdrawal will be utilizable upon the candidate’s reinstatement (provided the candidate is not withdrawn for more than 2 years)

The EPPP is used to test base knowledge that a candidate should possess, which comes from the candidate’s academic training. The regulatory body does not prepare candidates for this exam but ensures that entry level applicants complete this process for the purposes of public protection. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) owns the EPPP exam. You should visit the ASPPB website as it contains a variety of information and resources in relation to the EPPP. This includes a detailed handbook for candidates about the content and process of taking the exam, the various practice exams available from ASPPB, an FAQ section, a helpful publication entitled “EPPP Myths versus Reality”, among other valuable resources. Click here to visit the ASPPB website.

In Nova Scotia the passing score is 500 (scaled score) or 70%.

ASPPB, who owns the exam. restricts the number of times that the EPPP can be taken to 4 attempts in a 12 month period.   NSBEP requires the EPPP to be successfully completed within 2 years of candidate registration.

The Conditions of Candidacy, signed by all candidates, notes the following:

If you do not successfully complete the exam by the required deadline, you will be given the option to voluntarily withdraw from the Candidate Register or you will be removed from the Candidate Register. Candidates should ensure sufficient time to re-write, in case of a failure. A failure does not constitute grounds for an extension. Extensions will only be considered in response to extreme circumstances. Requests for an extension must be made three months prior to the deadline date unless the request is in response to a catastrophic event that can be shown to have occurred within the final three-month period. All extension requests must be submitted in writing indicating the amount of extra time needed.

In practice, the above means that if a Candidate has not successfully passed the EPPP by the deadline stated in their Conditions of Candidacy Contract, the next steps would be a withdrawal of their name from the Register of Candidates until they pass the EPPP. Once the Candidate is past their EPPP deadline, the Registrar will write the Candidate noting the next steps required for temporarily withdrawal from the Register of Candidates. The Candidate will be provided with three weeks to take the steps required for their temporary withdrawal from the Register. The Board requires the following documentation be submitted within three weeks:

1) A written request to withdraw from the Register (an email is sufficient)

2) A Withdrawal Evaluation Form completed by their NSBEP Supervisor. The form is accessible from the Supervision section of the NSBEP website. Click here to access the form and section on withdrawal.

3) A Supervision Report containing any months of supervision since the last report was submitted to NSBEP (if the candidate is in the middle of the six month period of supervision and has partially completed the six-month period of supervision when reports are normally due, e.g., completed 3 of 6 months, the report should simply be sent with the content for the number of months of supervision that have been completed to date, e.g., 3 months.)

Candidates learn their score at the testing center after taking the exam.  Candidates are not required to inform the Board of their score as the regulatory boards are informed by ASPPB of the Candidate’s score.  In 1-2 weeks, NSBEP will provide a formal letter to the Candidate confirming the Candidate’s score.

• For registrants with a doctoral degree, typically a minimum of 2 hours per month of supervision for a period of 1 year (for a minimum of 1500 hours of practice) is required
• For registrants with a master’s degree, typically a minimum of 2 hours per month for a period of 4 years (for a minimum of 6000 hours of practice) is required.

The first 6 Supervision Reports are to be submitted MONTHLY using the Monthly Reporting Form for the first six months, and they are due at the end of each month. For clarity, given that an individual’s actual registration date might take place on any given day within a particular month, the first month is considered to be 30 days after the date when the registrant was placed on the Candidate Register. Thereafter, reports are to be submitted every six-month interval using the Six Month Reporting Form.  

While one of the methods of evaluation includes a periodic direct review of the candidate’s work such as a review of written reports and raw data, NSBEP does not require you to have your reports co-signed by your Supervisor.

Yes. In order to update NSBEP, please either login to the Registrant Portal and select the option to “update your information” or contact the Board Office. Candidate Registrants need to ensure that their supervision reports state the name of their current employer(s).

The Board also requires that registrants provide a valid email address to NSBEP so that they an receive important information in a timely fashion.

Once all of the other requirements of the Board have been completed (e.g. minimum period of supervised practice, EPPP). After all requirements (including the minimum period of supervision) are satisfied, then certain documentation must be filed with NSBEP. Click here for more information about scheduling the Oral Exam.

The cost of the Oral Exam is $500.00

Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Interac Transfer, or Cheque.  You can pay any fees online by clicking here.  Paying the fee online will provide you with a receipt by email as soon as you complete the process.  Alternatively, you may call or fax your credit card information into the office or send payment by mail.

Click here for more information.

Please see the following Policy on Accommodations and form that must be completed in order to request an accommodation. 

When submitting your Application for Registration, you should declare only the populations you expect you will be working with in the near future. You should not declare an area of practice or an age group for which you will not be working with, or receiving supervision for, during your candidacy.

If you are declaring more than one practice area during your candidacy period, the amount of hours spent in each area
must be at least equal to 20% of your full-time hours (e.g., 7.5 out of 37.5 hours total worked each week). Note that NSBEP must approve of your areas of practice and age groups at the start of your candidacy. If you would like to add an area of practice or age group during your candidacy period, this will require NSBEP approval, and may require that you submit a learning plan. See the Supervision Handbook for details.

It can be challenging for candidates to find enough working hours during their candidacy period in order to adequately cover an additional practice area and/or population, as they have other obligations such as examinations and ongoing supervision. Ethically, psychologists are also expected to exercise self-care, reflection, and other activities to ensure their ability to provide an appropriate quality of service to clients. In most cases it is best for candidates to focus on their primary practice area and population(s) during their candidacy period, then pursue an expansion of practice following placement on the Register of Psychologists. However, in keeping with professional standards, the registrant would need to ensure that their knowledge of the area into which they wish to expand is current.