- Total regular cost is $825 ($125 application + $250 practice-sample review + $450 oral exam).
- Early-career applicants within 10 years of the doctorate pay $65 to apply, for a $765 total.
- The oral exam runs about three hours and includes an in-vivo consultation exercise before three board-certified psychologists.
- There are 16 official competency domains: 8 foundational, 4 essential functional, 4 optional functional.
Quick Facts Snapshot
This page is a compressed reference for candidates who already understand the basics and want a fast recall tool in the final weeks before the oral exam. It is not a substitute for the full Behavioral & Cognitive Psychology Study Guide 2026, but it works well as a companion sheet during review sessions or a last pass the night before a scheduled examination.
Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology is awarded under the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), through the American Board of Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology (ABBCP). ABPP is the credential suffix practitioners use; ABBCP is the specialty board that reviews applications, evaluates practice samples, and administers the oral exam.
Fee Mechanics at a Glance
Fee structure matters more than most candidates expect, because it affects budgeting and timing decisions around the practice sample and oral exam windows. Here is the regular/senior fee breakdown:
| Fee Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application (regular/senior) | $125 |
| Practice-sample review | $250 |
| Oral examination | $450 |
| Total (regular/senior) | $825 |
| Application (early-career discount) | $65 |
| Total with early-career discount | $765 |
| Application (Prelicensure Early Entry) | $25 |
The early-career application discount applies within ten calendar years of the doctorate. For a full breakdown of how these numbers stack against preparation and travel costs, see the Behavioral & Cognitive Psychology Certification Cost 2026 guide. If you're weighing whether the investment pays off relative to your career goals, the ROI Analysis article covers that question directly.
Key Takeaway
Budget for $825 total unless you qualify for the early-career or Prelicensure Early Entry discount - build travel and prep costs into your planning separately, since none of that is included in the $825 figure.
Practice Sample Checklist
Before the oral exam is scheduled, ABBCP reviews credentials and a practice sample. Treat this checklist as your submission gatekeeper:
- CV - current, accurately reflecting specialty training and supervised practice hours.
- Professional statement - up to five double-spaced pages, addressing six required prompts.
- Case conceptualization - up to ten pages excluding references, demonstrating behavioral/cognitive formulation and intervention planning.
- Session recording - one session; video preferred, audio accepted only when video is unavailable.
- Deidentification - remove client-identifying information from all case material.
- Consent documentation - submit a sample consent form and attestation, not the client's signed original.
- File security - encrypt or password-protect any file containing protected health information.
Senior Option Variant
Candidates with at least 15 years of specialty practice after licensure and sustained, influential professional contributions may apply under the senior option. This changes portfolio requirements but does not remove the oral examination.
- Still requires the roughly three-hour oral exam
- Portfolio expectations differ from the standard practice sample
- Aimed at practitioners with an established specialty record, not a shortcut for newer clinicians
Oral Exam Structure
The oral examination lasts approximately three hours and includes an in-vivo consultation exercise - a live, interactive component rather than a purely written or multiple-choice test. This format distinguishes it sharply from typical multiple-choice licensing exams and is a major reason candidates ask how hard the exam actually is.
- Examination committee: three board-certified psychologists
- At least two of the three must be certified specifically in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology
- Format: virtual or in person, depending on scheduling
- Includes discussion of your submitted practice sample and case conceptualization
- Includes an in-vivo consultation exercise assessing real-time clinical reasoning
The 16 Domains, Condensed
ABBCP organizes competencies into 16 domain entries: eight foundational, four essential functional, and four optional functional areas. Supervision, Teaching, Management-Administration, and Advocacy are optional depending on your practice setting - the other twelve apply broadly.
Foundational Domains (8)
- Domain 1: Ethical and Legal Standards and Policy Foundations
- Domain 2: Individual and Cultural Diversity
- Domain 3: Relationships
- Domain 4: Professionalism
- Domain 5: Reflective Practice/Self-Assessment/Self-Care
- Domain 6: Scientific Knowledge and Methods
- Domain 7: Interdisciplinary Systems
- Domain 8: Evidence-Based Practice
Essential Functional Domains (4)
- Domain 9: Assessment
- Domain 10: Intervention
- Domain 11: Consultation
- Domain 12: Research/Evaluation
Optional Functional Domains (4)
- Domain 13: Supervision
- Domain 14: Teaching
- Domain 15: Management-Administration
- Domain 16: Advocacy
Optional per candidate practice - relevant only if these activities are part of your actual clinical role.
Note that Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Therapy, Behavioral-Cognitive Therapy, and Cognitive Therapy are emphasis options within the specialty - they are not weighted exam domains, so don't confuse them with the 16 domains above. A full domain-by-domain breakdown lives in the Exam Domains 2026 Complete Guide.
Eligibility Snapshot
Before applying, confirm you meet the baseline eligibility criteria:
- Qualifying doctorate in psychology and completed internship
- Independent doctoral-level psychologist licensure
- Documented behavioral/cognitive coursework and supervised practice
- One year of formal specialty postdoctoral training, OR two years of relevant specialty professional experience
The current linked specialty manual dates to April 2022 and should be read alongside the current general eligibility requirements - don't rely on the manual alone for eligibility rules, since general requirements are updated separately. For the complete list of prerequisites and documentation steps, see Behavioral & Cognitive Psychology Requirements 2026.
Maintenance of Certification
Certification is not a one-time event. Active certification requires annual attestation and applicable annual fees. Specialists certified on or after January 1, 2015 complete maintenance of certification (MOC) every ten years, through a professional-development grid and a narrative submission. There is no separate fee tied to MOC participation itself, though annual attestation fees still apply.
- Annual attestation: required every year to keep certification active
- MOC cycle: every 10 years, for specialists certified 2015 or later
- MOC components: professional-development grid + narrative
- MOC fee: none separate from standard annual fees
One-Week Cram Alignment
If you already completed a full study cycle and just need a final structured pass, align your last week to the domain groupings rather than generic review blocks. This is the only place we'll use a weekly structure in this cheat sheet, and it's tied directly to the 16 domains above.
Foundational Domains Review
- Re-read notes on Domains 1-8: ethics, diversity, relationships, professionalism, reflective practice, scientific methods, interdisciplinary systems, evidence-based practice
- Rehearse how each foundational domain surfaces during an in-vivo consultation exercise
Essential Functional Domains
- Focus on Assessment, Intervention, Consultation, Research/Evaluation (Domains 9-12)
- Practice articulating a case conceptualization aloud, matching the ten-page written format
Optional Functional Domains That Apply to You
- Review only the optional domains relevant to your practice: Supervision, Teaching, Management-Administration, or Advocacy
- Skip domains that don't reflect your actual clinical role - the exam committee expects fit, not universal coverage
Mock Oral and Logistics Check
- Run a full mock oral examination simulating the roughly three-hour format
- Confirm virtual/in-person logistics, recording equipment, and consent documentation are ready
For deeper domain-specific prep strategies beyond this compressed week, revisit the full study guide, and if you want to stress-test your readiness under timed conditions, practice questions on our practice test platform can help surface gaps before exam day.
Key Takeaway
Spend your final week on domain-aligned review, not generic flashcard cycling - the oral format rewards clinical reasoning fluency across specific domains, not rote recall.
FAQs
The regular/senior total is $825, covering a $125 application, $250 practice-sample review, and $450 oral examination. Early-career applicants within ten years of the doctorate pay a $65 application fee for a $765 total. Prelicensure Early Entry applicants pay a $25 application fee.
The oral examination runs approximately three hours and includes an in-vivo consultation exercise in addition to discussion of your submitted practice sample.
There are 16 official domain entries: eight foundational, four essential functional, and four optional functional (Supervision, Teaching, Management-Administration, Advocacy), which apply based on your individual practice.
Video is preferred, but audio is accepted when video is unavailable. Regardless of format, case material must be deidentified and PHI-containing files encrypted or password-protected.
Yes. Active certification requires annual attestation and applicable annual fees. Specialists certified on or after January 1, 2015 also complete maintenance of certification every ten years through a professional-development grid and narrative, with no separate MOC fee.