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United States · Licensing exam

NCE passing score: how it’s set and what your results show

There isn’t a fixed one. NBCC sets the passing score for each version of the exam by expert review of every question, then adjusts it for that version’s difficulty. Your NCE score is the number of scored questions you got right, out of 160, and your report shows it next to the NCE passing score for your version. The NCMHCE works the same way, out of 100.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What’s scored on the NCE and NCMHCE

As of October 2026, from NBCC’s state licensure handbooks:

NCENCMHCE
FormatMultiple choice11 clinical case studies with multiple-choice questions
Questions200130 to 150 (9 to 15 per case)
Scored160100
Unscored40 field-test questions1 whole case study
Answer options4 (A to D)4 (A to D)
Time to answer225 minutes225 minutes
Break15 minutes, after question 10015 minutes, after the fifth case

How is the NCE passing score set?

NBCC uses a modified Angoff method. A committee of subject matter experts reviews every question and decides how many correct answers show the knowledge needed to pass. For the NCMHCE passing score, a similar expert committee judges what a minimally qualified candidate would get.

Each version has different questions, so NBCC uses statistical equating. If your version is a little harder, the passing score moves down slightly, and if it’s easier, it moves up. Only your own answers count, never how other people did.

How many questions can you miss on the NCE?

NBCC doesn’t give a number, because the passing score changes slightly between versions, and it doesn’t publish a typical cut score or percentage. Unscored questions don’t count either way, and you can’t tell which ones they are, so treat every question as scored. There’s no penalty for guessing.

When do you get your NCE exam results?

You see an unofficial result the moment you finish, and the official one goes to your board later:

  1. At a test center, return your writing materials and the proctor hands you an unofficial score report with your photo.
  2. If you tested online, open View/Print Score Report in your Pearson account.
  3. CCE sends the official score to your state board. NBCC’s score report page says that takes about four weeks from your test date. You don’t need to order a score verification for the board you tested for.
  4. Your board tells you the next steps. Passing doesn’t guarantee a license.
  5. To appeal a failing result, follow NBCC’s appeals policy. The only remedy for an accepted appeal is a free retake, and your score isn’t changed.
Registering again after a fail →

NCE and NCMHCE exam pass rates

NBCC’s exam pages, handbooks and score report page don’t give pass rates for either exam. If you see an NCMHCE or NCE pass rate quoted somewhere, ask where it came from before you rely on it.

Scores change on July 1, 2027

From July 1, 2027, both exams switch to scaled scores from 100 to 500, and 360 is a pass on every version. NBCC says these scores aren’t a count or a percentage of questions right: 400 doesn’t mean 80%.

The formats change too. The NCE will have 170 questions with three options each, 30 of them unscored. The NCMHCE will have 10 case studies with 130 to 150 questions, 30 to 50 of them unscored. Both keep 225 minutes, and once you submit the first half and take the break, you can’t go back to it. Score reports will add feedback by domain.

Sources: NBCC · Pearson VUE and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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