Northern Mariana Islands Psychology Licensure Requirements

500

The CNMI regulation does not state a numeric cut score. NMIAC § 185-10-4940 names the EPPP as the examination the Commonwealth uses and requires applicants to 'meet the ASPPB pass point' — i.e. the CNMI defers to ASPPB's recommended pass point, which is a scaled score of 500 on EPPP Part 1 (Knowledge). No CNMI source states 500 itself, and the regulation says nothing about EPPP Part 2 (Skills).

NMIAC § 185-10-4910 requires no fewer than two years of supervised experience totaling 3,000 hours: a minimum 1,500-hour internship (which § 185-10-4930 requires to be completed 'as part of the doctoral degree program', hence counted here as preDoc), plus a remaining 1,500 hours that may come from a pre-internship, a post-doctoral experience, or a combination of the two. Because those remaining 1,500 hours can be entirely pre-doctoral under § 185-10-4910, no fixed post-doctoral figure is reported. Note an unresolved conflict in the regulation: § 185-10-4935 states that of the 3,000 hours 'a minimum of 1,500 hours ... must be obtained after the receipt of the doctoral degree', which contradicts § 185-10-4910(a)(3)(ii). Applicants should confirm with the Board. Separately, a 300-hour practicum (100 hours of it supervision) inside the doctoral programme is required by § 185-10-4920 and is counted separately from the 3,000 hours.

Not required

No jurisprudence, state-law or professional-standards examination appears anywhere in Chapter 185-10. NMIAC § 185-10-4940 identifies the EPPP as the only examination the CNMI uses for psychologist licensure (plus TOEFL for foreign endorsement applicants under § 185-10-4950(a)(5)). Caveat: § 185-10-4945 refers to an applicant who fails 'either examination required under NMIAC § 185-10-4940', but § 185-10-4940 lists only one exam — apparently a drafting artefact. CNMI law/ethics content appears only as continuing education: § 185-10-4955(a) requires four hours of professional ethics and/or CNMI laws and regulations each renewal.

1. Earn a doctoral degree with a primary emphasis in psychology from a regionally accredited institution (an APA- or CPA-accredited programme is deemed to meet the education requirement), including at least 40 semester credits of graduate coursework, the 15 required content areas, one year of residency, and an original dissertation.
2. Complete a practicum of at least two semesters and at least 300 hours of direct experience, 100 hours of which must be supervision, as part of the doctoral programme.
3. Complete a supervised internship of at least 1,500 hours within 24 months that is APA-accredited, an APPIC member programme, or meets the Board's equivalent standards.
4. Accumulate a total of 3,000 supervised hours over no fewer than two years — the remaining 1,500 hours through a pre-internship, a post-doctoral supervised experience, or a combination — and have your supervisor file a written evaluation and certification of hours with the Board.
5. Pass the EPPP at the ASPPB pass point (reexamination is allowed up to four times a year, with at least two months between the second and any later attempt).
6. File the Board's Application for License to Practice Psychology with original, certified or notarized supporting documents and the non-refundable $400 fee (money order or cashier's check payable to 'CNMI Treasurer'), or apply by endorsement under NMIAC § 185-10-4950.
7. Renew biennially, completing 30 hours of continuing education per two-year licensure period, including four hours of professional ethics and/or CNMI law and four hours of cultural competency, plus six hours of suicide assessment, treatment and management every four years.

PSYPACT member

Licensure by endorsement is available under NMIAC § 185-10-4950: the applicant must submit transcripts showing a doctoral degree with a primary emphasis in psychology from a regionally accredited institution, document that they have held a psychologist licence in another state or country for at least two years, hold an active licence the Board deems essentially equivalent, and pass the EPPP (plus TOEFL for foreign applicants; foreign credentials must be evaluated by NACES or WES at the applicant's expense). Alternatively, the Board must recognise applicants who document current credentialing as a Health Service Psychologist by the National Register, ABPP diplomate status, an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (CPQ), or diplomate status with the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology. If the Board finds another jurisdiction's requirements not essentially equivalent, the applicant must document CNMI requirements in the deficient areas and is entitled to a hearing under the Administrative Procedure Act. PSYPACT: the CNMI enacted the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact as Public Law No. 22-23 (House Bill 22-80, enacted by legislative override in October 2022), which the Board posts on its own site; the compact covers telepsychology and up to 30 days per calendar year of temporary in-person practice. Note that Chapter 185-10 itself was not amended to reference PSYPACT, so applicants should confirm current operational status with the Board.

CNMI Health Care Professions Licensing Board

(670) 664-4808

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