How the EPPP is built: two parts, eight areas, six domains

How the EPPP is built: two parts, eight areas, six domains

The EPPP is not one list of topics. It is two exams, each cut into its own set of content areas, and ASPPB publishes the weight of every area. Here is how the exam is built, so you can plan your preparation around the blueprint and not around guesswork.

As of October 2026, the details below come from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), which writes and administers the exam.

What does the EPPP consist of?

According to ASPPB, the EPPP is one examination with two parts: EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) and EPPP (Part 2-Skills). ASPPB's EPPP page says that all 66 member jurisdictions require a passing score on Part 1 before licensure, and it tells candidates to contact the jurisdiction where they will seek licensure for its specific requirements. Your licensing board decides what you must take and when.

ASPPB describes Part 1 as an assessment of general knowledge of psychology, intervention and assessment. It describes Part 2 as an assessment of how you apply that knowledge to decision-making in typical situations of independent practice.

How many questions are there, and how much time do you get?

The ASPPB Candidate Handbook sets out the numbers for each part.

Part 1-Knowledge Part 2-Skills
Items on the form 225 170
Scored items 175 130
Pretest items 50 40
Time for the exam items 4 hours and 15 minutes 4 hours and 10 minutes

Pretest items are not scored and do not count toward your result, according to the handbook.

The handbook also lists a tutorial and a short survey around the exam items. Part 1 allows 5 minutes for the tutorial and 5 minutes for the survey. Part 2 allows 9 minutes for the tutorial and 5 minutes for the survey. Neither is part of the time for the exam items.

What are the eight content areas of Part 1?

ASPPB's EPPP exam topics page lists eight content areas for Part 1, each with its weight:

Content area Weight
Biological bases of behavior 10%
Cognitive-affective bases of behavior 13%
Social and cultural bases of behavior 11%
Growth and lifespan development 12%
Assessment and diagnosis 16%
Treatment, intervention, prevention and supervision 15%
Research methods and statistics 7%
Ethical, legal and professional issues 16%

According to ASPPB, these eight weights add up to 100%. In ASPPB's table, assessment and diagnosis and ethical, legal and professional issues each carry 16%. Together with treatment, intervention, prevention and supervision at 15%, those three areas make up 47% of Part 1 by ASPPB's figures. Research methods and statistics is the smallest, at 7% on ASPPB's page.

Some prep material quotes different percentages. Use the figures on ASPPB's own page, and check that page again before you build a plan.

What are the six domains of Part 2?

ASPPB's exam topics page lists six domains for Part 2:

Domain Weight
Scientific orientation 6%
Assessment and intervention 33%
Relational competence 16%
Professionalism 11%
Ethical practice 17%
Collaboration, consultation and supervision 17%

ASPPB's Part 2 weights also add up to 100%. On ASPPB's page, assessment and intervention is the largest single domain, at 33% of Part 2, and scientific orientation is the smallest, at 6%.

How is the exam scored?

ASPPB's EPPP page states that the recommended passing score is 500 for Part 1 and 500 for Part 2. It calls this a recommendation. Which score counts for licensure is a question for your jurisdiction, so ask your board before you assume a number.

ASPPB's pages do not give a pass rate that this article can quote, so none is given here.

Is the EPPP changing?

Yes. ASPPB has announced an integrated EPPP that assesses knowledge and skills in a single examination. ASPPB's page on future content areas says it becomes operational in the fall of 2027, with six domains that have their own weights. Its announcement of the content specifications, published on February 11, 2026, describes a single-day administration.

ASPPB's EPPP page says the current two-part format stays available until the integrated exam takes effect, and that the two parts will then no longer be available to first-time candidates. Retakes of the two-part exams remain available through March 31, 2028, according to ASPPB's future content areas page.

So the first question to settle is which version you will sit. Your testing window and your board's rules decide that, and the blueprint you study should match it.

How should you use the blueprint to prepare?

The weights tell you where the scored items sit. They do not tell you where you are weak. Use them in three steps:

  1. Write the content areas of your part in a list, with the weight beside each.
  2. After each practice test, count your misses by content area, not by date or by test.
  3. Compare your share of misses with the weights. An area that is small on the blueprint but large in your misses still deserves time, and a heavy area where you already do well needs upkeep, not a rebuild.

Study the exam as an exam. This article does not teach any of the clinical or scientific content, and the blueprint is a map of what is tested, not a substitute for your coursework and supervised training.

What should you confirm before you register?

You do not book the exam on the strength of an article. Check these with ASPPB and your own board:

  • which part or parts your jurisdiction requires, and in which order
  • the current fees for the exam and for the test center
  • the rescheduling and cancellation rules, which the handbook ties to set time windows
  • the version of the exam you are due to sit, given the 2027 change

Exam dates, fees and rules change. Confirm the current details with the official exam body before you act on them.

Sources

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