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The page for all your CPLEE-related questions
The CPLEE (California Psychology Law and Ethics Examination) is required for all psychologists seeking licensure in California. The CPLEE is developed by the California Board of Psychology through the Office of Professional Examination Service (OPES) of the Department of Consumer Affairs. The CPLEE is computer administered at PSI examination centers. For more information about the CPLEE see the California Board of Psychology CPLEE Candidate Examination Bulletin.
The CPLEE consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, with 75 scored items and 25 pilot items. The pilot items will not count toward your final score. Examinees have 2.5 hours to complete the CPLEE. There is only one form of the CPLEE in circulation at any point in time. The form changes four times a year on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. The content on each exam does not change from form to form; some of the questions even overlap.
The CPLEE encompasses California laws and regulations, and APA’s ethical requirements. Effective January 1, 2022, the CPLEE content areas are:
1. Informed Consent, Confidentiality and Privilege (20%)
2. Psychotherapeutic Relationships (13%)
3. Personal Competence (16%)
4. Assessments, Evaluation, and Intervention (20%)
5. Records (11%)
6. Administrative (5%)
7. Professional Issues (6%)
8. Teaching, Training, Supervision, and Research (9%)
The CPLEE is scored out of 75 points. The passing score cutoff varies slightly from form to form. Typically, it ranges from 56/75 to 59/75. Once you complete your exam, you will receive a printed score report. You will only receive a numerical score if you fail. If you pass, you will receive a letter indicating you have passed, followed by a ‘Request for Initial Licensure’ form in the mail.
To register for the CPLEE, you need to first be approved by the Board of Psychology; then PSI will send you an email confirming your eligibility to schedule your testing appointment. You can then schedule your exam date online at www.psiexams.com or over the phone at 877-392-6422.
The CPLEE is administered at the PSI examination centers. For locations, please go to the section labeled ‘Examination Site Locations’ starting on page 3 of the California Board of Psychology CPLEE Candidate Examination Bulletin.
Each form of the CPLEE is in circulation for a 3-month timeframe. The four timeframes are: January 1 - March 31, April 1 - June 30, July 1 - September 30, and October 1 - December 31. You can only take each form of the CPLEE once, which means that you can take the CPLEE up to four times per year. If the timing works out, we recommend you schedule your test at the end of a timeframe rather than at the beginning. That way, in case you do not pass, you will not have to wait a full three months to retake the CPLEE (i.e., schedule for March 31 rather than April 1).
Examination eligibility expires for first time applicants within one year after a candidate is notified of eligibility. Exam eligibility expires for those who are re-testing within one year after a candidate has failed the CPLEE.
Arrive at least 30 minutes before your testing appointment with a valid government-issued ID. Make sure your first and last names on your ID match the name you registered with. If you miss your scheduled appointment, arrive after the exam start time, or do not have proper identification with you when you arrive, you will lose your exam fee.
You will have your thumb print taken during check-in. If you leave the room for a break (e.g., to go to the restroom) your thumb print will be matched when you return. You are not allowed to take a break for longer than five minutes.
You will take the CPLEE on a computer, but you won’t be required to have computer knowledge to do so. For up to 15 minutes before the exam starts, you will complete a tutorial that explains how to select answers and move from question to question. This time is not included in your exam time.
We strongly encourage you not to leave questions unanswered while taking the CPLEE. You are not penalized for incorrect answers, so pick an answer for every question. If you leave questions blank and don’t have time to review them once you’ve finished the CPLEE, then you have a 0% chance of getting them right! It is always better to make an educated guess before moving on to the next question, instead of leaving the question unanswered.
If you are almost out of time and realize you won’t be able to finish the CPLEE (e.g., you have five minutes left and 15 questions remaining), we recommend you immediately select an answer for each remaining question. This improves your chances of correctly answering these questions from 0% (if left unanswered) to 25%.
If you need a special testing arrangement due to a disability, you must submit a form to the Board of Psychology (BOP) for accommodations:
http://www.psychology.ca.gov/forms_pubs/adaform.pdf.
If English is your second language you may qualify for additional time. To receive this accommodation, you must submit a request for additional time:
http://www.psychology.ca.gov/applicants/exam_accom_esl.shtml.
If your accommodation request is approved by the BOP, your time to take the exam will increase to time and half (3 hours and 45 minutes). You should not schedule your exam until you have received approval.
The examination fee for the CPLEE is $235.20, effective July 1, 2022. You can cancel or reschedule your testing appointment without forfeiting your fee, if you cancel at least two days before your scheduled exam date. You must submit your cancellation to PSI either online at www.psiexams.com or over the phone at 877-392-6422.
There is no practice CPLEE available. The California Board of Psychology CPLEE Candidate Examination Bulletin includes nine study guide questions on pages 24 – 25.
You can take the CPLEE up to four times per year. If you fail the CPLEE, you can retake the exam once a new form becomes available and you have been approved by the Board of Psychology to retake the test. Each form of the CPLEE is in circulation for a 3-month timeframe. The four timeframes are: January 1 - March 31, April 1 - June 30, July 1 - September 30, and October 1 - December 31. Your exam eligibility will expire within one year after you have failed the CPLEE.
PsychPrep has a CPLEE pass rate of 90%. Since it is not possible to guarantee that participants will pass the CPLEE, we do not offer a pass guarantee. However, if you do fail, we will set you up with fresh access to PsychPrep’s tests (upon request) while your subscription is active. Additionally, if your subscription has expired within the last 30 days, or is set to expire within the next month, we will give you an additional two weeks of access at no charge (upon request).
We are sorry to hear you did not pass the CPLEE. Program participants that have switched to PsychPrep after failing the CPLEE with other test prep companies consistently tell us that PsychPrep's CPLEE package nearly mirrors the test, and provides the depth, challenge, and test-taking skills necessary to pass. Try our CPLEE sample questions and hear what others are saying.
The typical timeframe for CPLEE test prep is four weeks. If possible, we recommend you study 10-15 hours per week spread throughout the week rather than cramming your weekly study time into one or two days. PsychPrep’s provides a four-week CPLEE study schedule that can easily be modified for a shorter or longer study timeframe.
PSYCHPREP has intentionally designed a specific order for taking questions in our CPLEE online testing program that ensures mastery of earlier test questions and contributes to higher scores on subsequent tests. You should not take all the tests in Study Mode first, then all the tests in Retake Mode, and then all the tests in Test Mode. Instead, we encourage you to follow the recommended sequence for completing the tests presented in the structured sample study schedule located on your account at lms.psychprep.com. All tests should be taken without referring to any notes, readings, or other resources (i.e., “closed book”).
First time target scores
CPLEE Workshop Questions – The target is 50+/75.
CPLEE Test 1 – The target is 75+/100.
CPLEE Test 2 – The target is 80+/100.
CPLEE Bonus Questions – The target is 16+/20.
Second time target scores
When taking each test for the second time, the target is to miss fewer than half as many questions, as were missed the first time.
Third time target scores
When taking a test for the third time, the target is 100%, indicative of mastery.
Our tests are not set to be taken an unlimited number of times. We have purposefully designed our tests to be taken three times each to ensure you are truly mastering the content versus memorizing the questions. If targets are not met, additional access can be requested.
While content knowledge is essential for the CPLEE, it's not enough! Psychprep provides you with core test-taking steps for each test question and teaches you the critical thinking skills you need to pass the CPLEE with confidence.
PsychPrep deliberately does not provide a breakdown of test scores by content area because, perhaps surprisingly, we have found it counterproductive. This is because candidates have a different breakdown of strengths and weaknesses from practice test to practice test (regardless of which CPLEE prep materials they use), and even from CPLEE to CPLEE. We recommend you not target specific content areas based on how you do on practice tests. What best predicts readiness and CPLEE success is meeting overall practice test score targets.
PsychPrep’s CPLEE questions are typically about as challenging as question on the CPLEE. Our tests cover many of the concepts you will likely see on the CPLEE, but the questions will not be identical. You will also see questions about content you have never studied, regardless of which CPLEE preparation program you use. This is why we emphasize the importance of developing test-taking skills in addition to content mastery.
PsychPrep does not have flashcards and we generally do not recommend them because they encourage rote memorization, while the CPLEE tests your ability to think critically about core concepts. We have found that time spent creating and/or studying a large volume of flashcards diminishes efficiency. Nevertheless, we recommend you master the material in our CPLEE PowerPoint handout, which includes ‘must-know’ concepts, timeframes, requirements, etc.
Your PsychPrep subscription does not begin upon purchase. Rather, it starts once you log into your online account at lms.psychprep.com and click on any of the online content. Your subscription expires three months after you click on any content, regardless of how much time you have spent on your online account. If you know you will not be able to access your account for an extended period, please email the office at info@psychprep.com and we can freeze your subscription.
The CPLEE program is set to automatically renew once the subscription expires. Automatic renewal can be canceled at any time. To do so, log into your account at lms.psychprep.com, find your name in the top right corner, click ‘my account’, click the ‘subscription’ tab, then click the red ‘cancel auto-renew’ button.
Important Note: Renewal of your PsychPrep package must occur within 30 days of subscription expiration to be eligible for the discounted renewal rate.
PsychPrep’s online access is authorized for the registered user only; access is non-transferable. If you have passed (regardless of time since purchase) your subscription with PsychPrep will be terminated.
PsychPrep’s subscription is purposefully designed for you to take each test and quiz three times—once in study mode, once in retake mode, and once in test mode—to ensure you are truly mastering the content versus memorizing the questions. Our tests are not set to be taken an unlimited number of times. If targets are not met, additional access can be requested by emailing us at info@psychprep.com.
You can access everything included in your subscription at lms.psychprep.com. Please use the email address and password you created upon purchase to sign into your account. For a shortcut, click ‘Test Login’ at the top corner of the menu bar.
We recommend you start with PsychPrep’s ‘EPPP Strategies Seminar Handouts and Videos’ located in the ‘EPPP -- Get Started Here!’ section and review the study schedule for your package. Both are located on the homepage of your learning portal.
Once you log into your online account at lms.psychprep.com, find the section labeled ‘CPLEE Program Downloads’ on your LMS homepage. Click the second tab ‘CPLEE Workshop Audio (mp3s),’ to find an overview of the CPLEE Workshop Audio and 32 audio tracks. Then click ‘Download All’ in the top right corner. We strongly recommend you do the initial download on your computer using the Google Chrome web browser. The audio recording can only be downloaded once, however, once downloaded, the audio can be transferred and listened to from your device of choice. The audio can also be listened to online, while your subscription is active.
If you experience any trouble with your download, please email us at info@psychprep.com or call 800-779-2480.
Your PsychPrep subscription does not begin upon purchase. Rather, it starts once you log into your online account at lms.psychprep.com and click on any of the online content. Your subscription will expire three months from then.
PsychPrep’s CPLEE program can be renewed for $75 per month once the initial subscription has expired. The program is set to automatically renew. This feature can be turned off. To do so, log into your account at lms.psychprep.com, find your name in the top right corner, click ‘my account’, click the ‘subscription’ tab, then click the red ‘cancel auto-renew’ button.
If you need to take an extended break from studying, please email us at info@psychprep.com or give us a call at 800-779-2480. We understand that things may come up; we are happy to freeze your subscription if necessary. Once you resume studying, you will have as much time remaining on your subscription as you did before your account was frozen.
Your monthly renewal can be frozen as well. If you need to take an extended break from studying during your renewal period, just let us know.
We strongly recommend you start your study process with PsychPrep’s ‘Optimizing your CPLEE Preparation,’ located in the ‘Getting Started with PsychPrep’s CPLEE Program’ section.
PSYCHPREP has intentionally designed a specific order for taking the tests that ensures mastery of earlier test questions and contributes to higher scores on subsequent tests. You will be able to take each of the tests three times: once in Study Mode or Workshop Mode, once in Retake Mode, and once in Test Mode. Time permitting, it is strongly recommended that for all tests you first complete the test in Study Mode or Workshop Mode, then Retake Mode (about one week later), then Test Mode (about one week after Retake Mode). The testing schedule is set up to intersperse tests in Study Mode, Retake Mode, and Test Mode. Do not complete all tests in Study Mode first, then all tests in Retake Mode, etc.
We recommend you take about 4 hours to complete each test in Study Mode (thoroughly reviewing the answers and rationales as you take the test), about 2-3 hours to complete each test in Retake Mode (thoroughly reviewing the answers and rationales as you take the test), and 2 hours to complete each test in Test Mode (reviewing all the answers and rationales after completing the entire test).
After you have completed each test, it is a good idea to study all items on that test again. Read each question without looking at the rationale. Try to use your own words to explain why the correct response is correct, and the incorrect responses are incorrect. Then read over the rationale before moving on to the next question. Review the test repeatedly until you can successfully explain each rationale (without looking at it). Then set the test aside and don’t look at it again until you are ready to retake it.
Meeting target scores is the strongest predictor of CPLEE success. Target scores serve as guideposts, that let you know when you are on track and when additional action or change is necessary. Keep in mind, a target score is only an accurate indicator when a test is taken without referring to any notes, readings, or other resources (i.e., “closed book”).
PsychPrep provides first time, second time, and third time target scores for the CPLEE Workshop Questions, Test 1, Test 2, and the bonus questions. While there are no first-time targets for the CPLEE pretest, the second-time and third-time target scores apply.
First time target scores
CPLEE Workshop Questions – The target is 50+/75.
CPLEE Test 1 – The target is 75+/100.
CPLEE Test 2 – The target is 80+/100.
CPLEE Bonus Questions – The target is 16+/20.
Second time target scores
When taking each test for the second time, the target is to miss fewer than half as many questions, as were missed the first time.
Third time target scores
When taking a test for the third time, the target is 100%, indicative of mastery.
Generally, a score that is just a few points below target is not cause for concern— make sure to master all your missed items and try to determine what minor adjustments may be needed.
First time scores significantly below target suggest challenges with test-taking.
Second time scores significantly below target suggest that steps were likely skipped when the test was taken for the first time. Ask yourself, “Did I reflect on my test-taking approach on each question?” “Did I identify what specifically contributed to getting each question correct or incorrect?” “Did I get to a place where I could articulate why the correct response was right and each incorrect response was wrong for all questions?” “Did I take the time to master the content covered in each question?”
Third time scores significantly below target are almost always linked to missing the target on second time scores and not correcting the underlying issues.
If you have any questions about your progress, please email us at info@psychprep.com.
First-time target scores are the best indicator of CPLEE readiness. Scoring 50+/75 on the workshop questions, 75+/100 on Test 1, and 80+/100 on Test 2 are strong predictors of CPLEE success. Keep in mind, a target score is only an accurate indicator when a test is taken without referring to any notes, readings, or other resources (e.g., without looking up words or concepts).
When first-time score benchmarks have been met and all missed items have been mastered, you can test confidently. If you have any concerns about your readiness to test, please email us at info@psychprep.com.
To set up a consultation please email our office at info@psychprep.com to get more information on rates and availability. Since the CPLEE tests your ability to think critically about core concepts, the focus of the consultation will be on improving test-taking skills that you can continue to use throughout your studies (e.g., how to decipher the questions, what to do when two answers seem correct, etc.).
We are sorry to hear you did not pass the CPLEE. Please email info@psychprep.com to let us know. Dr. Sharon Jablon will review your PsychPrep testing profile and will provide you with feedback and recommendations to help you pass on your next attempt.