REGULATING PSYCHOLOGISTS IN NOVA SCOTIA SINCE 1980
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As of November 24, 2025, the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology (NSBEP) has transitioned to the Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychology (NSRP) under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA).
Under this new framework, the former “Register of Candidates” is formally designated as the Conditional Register. In accordance with the Psychology Regulations and NSRP Bylaws, individuals registered in this category are authorized to use two specific protected titles: Candidate Psychologist and Psychologist (Candidate Register). Any references on the NSRP website or NSRP documents to “Candidate Registrants” or the “Candidate Register” should be interpreted in accordance with these 2025 statutory designations.
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 NSRP Supervisor would be acceptable. In this instance, you must have another psychologist for collegial support and consultation about workplace matters, in addition to your NSRP 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 option:
To voluntarily lapse their Conditional Licence.
Candidates taking a leave from practice may voluntarily lapse their Conditional Licence rather than renewing. Candidates remain on the Conditional Register even with a lapsed licence — the register entry is preserved and supervised hours already accrued are not lost. A voluntary lapse may be initiated at any point during the year. To initiate, the candidate submits written request to NSRP as soon as the decision is made (or by June 30 if the leave coincides with the annual renewal deadline), along with any outstanding supervision report covering hours accrued since their last submission. During a lapse, the candidate must cease all practice of psychology and all use of any title protected under the RHPA, including “Candidate Psychologist” or “Psychologist (Candidate Register)”. The EPPP completion deadline is paused for the duration of the lapse; any remaining time resumes upon reinstatement. Previously accumulated supervised hours are preserved, subject to the currency-of-practice requirement under Bylaw 21.1.3. To reinstate, the candidate pays the applicable reinstatement fee and any documentation requested by the Registrar.
It is important for candidates to note that unexplained gaps in supervision may constitute a failure to comply with the conditions of their conditional licence. Under section 45(2)(c) of the Regulated Health Professions Act, a conditional licence ceases automatically if a registrant fails to comply with a condition of that licence. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that regular supervision takes place and to notify NSRP immediately of any difficulties in maintaining supervision.
More information about these two exams can be found below on this same page.
Once you have been granted registration. However the NSRP 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 NSRP uploads your information, you will receive an automated email from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology NSRPs (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 NSRPs, 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 NSRPs (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. NSRP 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, your conditional licence may be cancelled. 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 lapsing their Conditional Licence until they pass the EPPP. Once the Candidate is past their EPPP deadline, the Registrar will write the Candidate noting the next steps required to voluntarily lapse their licence. The Candidate will be provided with three weeks to complete the required steps. The NSRP requires the following documentation be submitted within three weeks:
1) A written request to voluntarily lapse their Conditional Licence (an email is sufficient)
2) A Withdrawal Evaluation Form completed by their NSRP Supervisor. The form is accessible from the Supervision section of the NSRP 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 NSRP (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 NSRP of their score as the regulatory boards are informed by ASPPB of the Candidate’s score. In 1-2 weeks, NSRP will provide a formal letter to the Candidate confirming the Candidate’s score.
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, NSRP does not require you to have your reports co-signed by your Supervisor.
Yes. In order to update NSRP, please either login to the Registrant Portal and select the option to “update your information” or contact the NSRP Office. Candidate Registrants need to ensure that their supervision reports state the name of their current employer(s).
The NSRP also requires that registrants provide a valid email address to NSRP so that they an receive important information in a timely fashion.
Once all of the other requirements of the NSRP 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 NSRP. 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.
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 NSRP 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 NSRP 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.
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