National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

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First-Time Candidate Application

  1. How do I apply for National Board Certification?
  2. What is the fee for becoming a National Board Certification candidate?
  3. How do I find out if there is financial assistance available for paying the assessment fee?
  4. A third party or state subsidy has submitted payment on my behalf. Why is it not showing on my account?
  5. Where is the application to apply as a new candidate?
  6. How do I know what certificate area is right for me?
  7. How will my felony conviction affect my application or the processing of my application?
  8. I am a foreign language teacher and very interested in National Board Certification, but I do not see my language offered under World Languages Other than English. Why not?

Retake Candidate Application

  1. How can I access the Retake Application?


First-Time Candidate Application


  1. How do I apply for National Board Certification?

    2. You can submit an online application. Before you apply, you should read all of the information provided in the online Guide to National Board Certification, review the eligibility prerequisites, and find out if your state or district offers fee subsidies for candidates.


  2. What is the fee for becoming a National Board Certification candidate?

    3. The assessment fee for candidacy is $2,500, which includes the $500 nonrefundable initial fee. There is also a nonrefundable $65 application processing charge, which is due at the time the application is submitted online.


  3. How do I find out if there is financial assistance available for paying the assessment fee?

    4. Scholarships, loans, and fee subsidies are available but vary from year to year. Potential candidates should review the requirements for eligibility for these offers before applying.


  4. A third party or state subsidy has submitted payment on my behalf. Why is it not showing on my account?

    5. All payments received are processed within seven business days. To check the status of a third-party payment not showing on your account, we advise contacting the organization directly. If you are awaiting payment from a state subsidy, please visit your state page subsidy administrator contact information.


  5. Where is the application to apply as a new candidate?

    6. The 2009-2010 NBPTS Application can be accessed on the NBPTS website Become a Candidate, Apply Now.


  6. How do I know what certificate area is right for me?

    7. Our recommendation to all potential candidates is to carefully study the standards in the certificate field, as well as the demands of the entries and exercises to see if the entries and exercises will allow them to demonstrate their highest level of accomplished teaching practice. An excellent starting point for your review is Assessment at a Glance. This document provides an excellent overview of the requirements for a certificate of interest.


  7. How will my felony conviction affect my application or the processing of my application?

    8. If you are uncertain whether your affirmative response to the felony question on the application form will make you ineligible for National Board candidacy, we urge you to submit information to NBPTS that documents your circumstances before you submit an application or any of the candidate fee to allow NBPTS time to review your documentation and make a determination of your eligibility prior to your application. Submitting this documentation with your application and fee, without prior review will delay the mailing of any of the required assessment materials while a review of your documentation is undertaken. In addition if you submit an initial payment and are subsequently determined to be ineligible for candidacy, the $500 initial fee and $65 application processing charge are nonrefundable.


  8. I am a foreign language teacher and very interested in National Board Certification, but I do not see my language offered under World Languages Other than English. Why not?

    9. Several languages, other than the current specialties of Spanish and French, were offered in the past. Unfortunately, these were found to be low in candidate demand. The Guide to National Board Certification, page 9, offers the following about low demand certificates:

    "NBPTS reserves the right not to offer an assessment, not to score an assessment after it has been offered, and/or not to render scoring or certification decisions if, in its discretion, NBPTS determines that low candidate volume may result in psychometric or financial problems. In the event that a problem arises due to insufficient candidate volume or with respect to an aspect of an assessment or scoring sustem that is not adequately resolved, in the judgment of NBPTS, such that a valid certificate decision cannot be made within an appropriate time period, NBPTS will offer fee refunds to affected candidates. The NBPTS Board of Directors affirmed that the decision to not offer a certificate, or to not score a certificate, is not a value judgment on any subject area and is based strictly on market demand. The National Board made these decisions after examining a variety of solutions to address those certificate areas in which there is low candidate demand."

    It is for this reason that registration for the following certificates was closed and will remain closed until further notice: EA/Generalist and EMC/World Languages Other than English. EAYA/WLOE for students ages 11 - 18+ is still available. However, the specialty areas, German, Latin, and Japanese are no longer included.

    Additional information about low-demand certificates will be provided on the NBPTS web site as it becomes available.


Retake Candidate Application


  1. How can I access the Retake Application?

    2. Access the Retake Application by logging into your score report using your candidate ID number, date of birth, and social security number.