NCMHCE requirements by state

The short answer

Select your state to see its license and board.

Required (20)

California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.

NCMHCE or NCE, your choice (23)

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Not listed on the board pages we checked (8)

Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Ask the board.

Wherever you sit it, the exam is the same: 11 cases, 225 minutes, $275 paid to NBCC in most states after your board approves you. Florida is the exception: no board approval first, and $350 for the first attempt, paid to CCE. What differs by state is whether you must take it, the board's own fees and hours, and how long approval takes.

Five states in detail: Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Virginia

These are the states people most often search for by name. Each has its board's rule, fees and hours, and anything first-hand accounts add.

NCMHCE in Florida: required, no board approval first, $350

Florida needs no board approval before the NCMHCE: you apply to CCE directly with its exam application form and your official transcript. The exam fee is $350 for the first attempt and $275 for a retake, paid to CCE. Source

Florida publishes more NCMHCE results than any other state. Across 2017 to 2024, 51.4% of the 15,864 results its board reported were passes. That counts repeat attempts, so the first-attempt rate is unknown. Year by year on the pass rate page.

NCMHCE in Illinois: both exams, or the CRCE

Both the NCE and the NCMHCE, or the CRCE; with only one of the two, you must pass the other. Source

In first-hand accounts, Illinois comes up for two things: counselors who moved there with an NCE-only license and found they needed the NCMHCE for the LCPC, and slow board approvals before the exam. Build the approval wait into your date.

NCMHCE in Massachusetts: required, hours count over 2 to 8 years

Massachusetts is one of the states people most often name as the reason they sat the NCMHCE after moving. Its hours requirement is counted over two to eight years, so check your timeline with the board early.

NCMHCE in Minnesota: required for the LPCC, separate from the LPC

Minnesota's LPCC is a separate license from its LPC, and the NCMHCE is the LPCC's exam. Check which license your supervision plan is building toward before you register.

NCMHCE in Virginia: your choice of NCMHCE or NCE

Virginia's board publishes NCMHCE pass and fail counts by university and says the data comes from NBCC. Across 2014 to 2020, 66.0% of 3,449 results were passes, higher than Florida's. Because Virginia accepts either exam, that pool is self-selected toward the NCMHCE.

Every state's exam rule

On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

"Not listed" means the board page we read does not name the NCMHCE for the clinical license. It may be named in rules or forms we did not review, so ask before you decide. Fees and supervised hours for every state are on LPC requirements by state; the NCE vs NCMHCE checker compares two states at once.

If you hold a license in another state

If you passed only the NCE and move to a state on the required list, you usually have to sit the NCMHCE for the clinical license, even with years of practice.

• Where this happens most: in first-hand accounts, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois.
• Moving to a new state: each board's endorsement rule, and whether it waives the exam, is on the LPC reciprocity page.
• Working across state lines: the Counseling Compact lets a counselor living in a member state practise in other member states on a privilege, without a new license or a new exam.

NCMHCE by state FAQ

Sources

1. Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) requirements. Accessed October 24, 2026.
2. Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) requirements. Accessed October 18, 2026.
3. Massachusetts Board of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) requirements. Accessed August 10, 2026.
4. Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) requirements. Accessed October 22, 2026.
5. Virginia Board of Counseling; Dept of Health Professions, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) requirements. Accessed August 10, 2026.
6. The remaining 46 jurisdictions: each board page is linked in the table above, with the date it was checked in LPC requirements by state.
7. Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, NCMHCE pass rates by university, annual reports 2017 to 2024. Accessed August 10, 2026.
8. Virginia Board of Counseling, NCMHCE pass/fail report by university, 2014 to 2021. Accessed August 10, 2026.
9. NBCC, Candidate Handbook for State Licensure, NCMHCE: fee, registration and retake rules. Accessed September 23, 2026.
10. Licensure Lab research into first-hand accounts posted online by people who took the NCMHCE between November 2022 and October 2026: which states came up for forced second exams and slow approvals.