Applicants for licensure in North Carolina must pass or have passed the National MFT Exam prior to applying for LMFTA or LMFT.  Therefore, the first application to complete is the National MFT Examination Application.  If you have already passed the National MFT Exam under the jurisdiction/approval of another state you must have your examination scores transferred directly to the NC MFT Licensure Board.  Download the Score Transfer form from this website.   The examination is administered by Professional Examination Service (PES). Do not contact PES directly. Examination application must be made through the NC MFT Licensure Board . Candidates are expected to have obtained a broad basic knowledge of marital and family therapy. The examination is designed to assess this knowledge through questions focused on the tasks that an entry-level marital and family therapist should be able to perform.

There is not a list of recommended books or other materials for use in preparation for the examination. However, the practice domains, task statements, and knowledge statements upon which the examination is based will be provided in the examination registration packet you will receive once your examination application has been approved by the NC Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Board. You may also visit www.amftrb.org for more information about the National MFT Examination.

You may submit an exam application at anytime, but you will not receive an exam packet for registering with the exam service until your exam application has been Board approved.  The exam is offered during three examination periods per year, generally Jan. - Feb., May-June, Sept. - Oct. Please refer to the calendar posted on this website for deadline dates. Passing the examination is only one component of licensure and passing the examination does not guarantee your LMFTA or LMFT application will be approved. Applicants must also meet the educational requirements (coursework, including practicums) and for LMFT, the experience requirements.

Refer to the calendar at this website for a listing of application deadlines and Board review dates or contact the Board office at ncmftlb@nc.rr.com.

Once you have been approved to take the National MFT Exam, your approval remains active.  However, if you fail the examination, you will have to request a new registration packet and there is a $10 fee for new or replacement packets after the first one provided at the time your application to take the exam is approved.  To request a new packet, download the Services Request form,check the appropriate box and submit with a check for $10, payable to the NC MFT Licensure Board.