Candidate FAQs

You are eligible if you meet the requirements for education, state licensure, and employment. If you are pursuing a World Languages certificate, you must also meet the language proficiency requirement. Review the full eligibility details below before you register.

To determine your total years of employment, follow the instructions on page 6 of the Eligibility Verification Forms and Instructions. These instructions outline how to calculate and verify your employment. Part-time teaching and long‑term substitute teaching do count toward the three‑year requirement.

Note: The National Board cannot determine whether a specific job title or set of duties qualifies as “teaching” for employment verification. If you’re unsure how your role is classified, contact your school or district office (such as HR or an administrator).

Yes. You may begin if you currently hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and a valid state teaching or school counseling license, even if you have not yet completed three full years of teaching or counseling. Review the Acceptable State Licenses Guide to confirm your state license meets National Board requirements.

Note: Candidates for the Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificate must hold a bachelor’s degree only if their state requires one for their current license.

You must meet the three‑year employment requirement by June 30 of your third year as a National Board candidate. If you do not meet this requirement by that date, you will not be eligible to achieve certification.

Only submit your verification forms if the National Board notifies you that you’ve been selected for an audit. You’ll receive this notification by email and in your National Board account within 30 days of purchasing your first component.

Audit Fast Facts

• If you’re selected for an audit, an Eligibility Audit page will appear in the left menu of your National Board account.
• All audits must be completed by the registration deadline.
• If you have three or more years of teaching when you register, you’ll need to submit proof of meeting the education, licensure, and employment requirements.
• If you have fewer than three years of teaching when you register, you’ll need to submit proof of meeting the education and licensure requirements first.
  • After that initial audit is complete, an Employment Attestation button will appear in your account.
  • You must complete the attestation after you complete three years of teaching, and no later than June 30 of your third year of candidacy.

You may be eligible to apply for National Board Certification if you meet the education, licensure, and employment requirements. See the Eligibility FAQ above for the full list of requirements and review the Guide to National Board Certification and the Eligibility Verification Forms and Instructions for details.

Note: The computer-based assessment (Component 1) is offered only in the United States, select U.S. territories, and Puerto Rico, depending on test center availability. You will need to travel to one of these locations to complete the assessment.

The National Board offers 25 certificate areas across 16 disciplines and six student developmental levels, including:

• Early Childhood (ages 3–8)
• Middle Childhood (ages 7–12)
• Early and Middle Childhood (ages 3–12)
• Early Adolescence (ages 11–15)
• Adolescence and Young Adulthood (ages 11–18+)
• Early Childhood through Young Adulthood (ages 14–18+)

If you’re choosing a certificate area, start with Choosing the Right Certificate and the Standards for any areas you’re considering. These resources explain each certificate’s focus, developmental level, and expectations so you can decide which one fits your teaching situation.

If you don’t immediately see a certificate that matches your subject or assignment, check out the Standards. Most teaching roles align with one of the 25 certificate areas, even if the match isn’t obvious at first.

ENL candidates may also want to review Choosing the Right ENL Path.

Important: The National Board cannot advise you on which certificate to choose. The best way to make your decision is to review the Standards and certificate descriptions and compare them with your own teaching situation.

Start by reviewing the Guide to National Board Certification. Pay close attention to important dates, deadlines, and policies. paying close attention to important dates, deadlines and policies. When ready, create an account in the National Board Candidate Management System (NBCMS) to register and purchase components.

Note: A $75 registration fee is required during each cycle year and must be paid before you are permitted to purchase a component. Registrations that do not have at least one component purchased will be withdrawn after the registration deadline. Watch this video for step-by-step instructions on how to register.

The registration window for each assessment cycle opens each year in late spring and closes in late winter. This window includes deadlines for registration and component purchases.

Component schedule:

• Component 1 testing and submission of Components 2–4 take place in the spring, after the registration window closes.
• Scoring occurs in the summer, with scores released no later than December 31.

Candidacy timelines:

• You must complete all four components within the first three years of your candidacy.
• You have a five-year window to achieve certification.
• Components must be completed during the cycle year in which they’re purchased.
• There is no minimum or maximum score required to retake a component.
• You may retake each component (or part of Component 1) up to two times.
• You may have a year in which you do not take or retake any components.

For exact dates for the current cycle, see the Important Dates and Deadlines section of the Guide to National Board Certification.

You will be required to pay two fees in each assessment cycle in which you register and purchase components:

• Registration Fee: This $75 fee is charged once per assessment cycle and required before you can purchase a component. It is nonrefundable and nontransferable.
• Component Fee: This $475 fee is charged for the initial attempt of all four components, as well as the retake attempt of components 2, 3, and 4. Component 1 consists of four parts; the cost to retake Component 1 is $125 per part.

Components must be purchased separately and before the registration deadline. Only purchase the components you plan to complete during the current assessment cycle.

There are several options available to help cover the cost of National Board Certification, depending on your location and eligibility.

• State Support: Many states and districts offer financial support to teachers pursuing National Board Certification. These supports may include:
  • State or local funding to help cover certification fees
  • Salary increases, bonuses, or other incentives for educators who become NBCTs

Before you register, contact your state or local program administrator to learn what fee support and incentives are available in your area and whether any special application requirements apply.

• National Board Payment Plan: The National Board payment plan is available to all candidates, including those pursuing retakes. The plan offers:
  • Quick and easy setup
  • Six equal monthly installments (about $80 per component per month)
  • No interest, no fees, and no credit check
  • Availability through the registration deadline
• Scholarships: Thanks to the generosity of corporate and foundation partners, the National Board periodically offers a limited number of scholarships to help offset certification fees. Scholarships are awarded based on guidelines set by the donors.

If you select a component and meet the eligibility criteria for any available scholarship funds, you’ll receive an email notification with next steps. Please note: Scholarship funding is limited, and you should not rely on it to cover your component fees.

Before purchasing a component, make sure you’ve completed the Third-Party Release Agreement in your account under Terms and Agreements.
From the My Components page:

1. Click the name of the component you want to purchase, then select Purchase.
2. During checkout, follow the prompts to apply your available third-party funding or indicate that you’re expecting third-party funding. Review these step-by-step instructions for details.

Important: Indicating that you’re expecting third-party funding does not guarantee payment. It’s your responsibility to confirm with your third-party payer that funding will be provided by the third-party payer designation deadline. If funds are not added to your account by that date, you must self pay by the registration deadline.

Start with the Guide to National Board Certification, which is the most comprehensive resource for understanding the certification process.
You can also find support in these ways:

• Customer Support: Our team can help with questions about registration, payments, deadlines, and navigating your National Board account.
• Portfolio and score guidance: For questions about portfolio instructions, submission requirements, or understanding your score report, review the component instructions, Standards, Scoring Rubrics, and the Scoring Guide carefully. National Board staff cannot provide feedback on your materials or approach. Use your professional judgment and the provided instructions when making decisions about your entries.
• NBCT Networks: Many areas have networks of National Board Certified Teachers who offer peer support and insight throughout the process.

To achieve National Board Certification, you must meet both component-level score requirements and an overall score requirement.

1. Component 1 (Content Knowledge): You must earn a minimum unweighted average score of 1.75 on Component 1 (i.e., the assessment center section). The minimum score requirement on this section is based on unweighted rubric scores, not weighted scores.
2. Components 2–4 (Portfolio): You must earn a minimum unweighted average score of 1.75 on Components 2 through 4 (i.e., the portfolio section). The minimum score requirement on this section is based on unweighted rubric scores, not weighted scores.
3. Overall score requirement: You must earn a total weighted score of at least 110.

How rubric scores work:
The National Board uses a four level rubric scale (Levels 4, 3, 2, and 1), with plus (+) and minus (–) variations.

• Levels 4 and 3 represent accomplished teaching practice.
• A score of 2.75 is the lowest rubric score that reflects clear evidence of accomplished practice.
• Levels 2 and 1 represent not yet accomplished practice.

How component scores are weighted:

• Component 1 (Content Knowledge) accounts for 40% of your total weighted score:
  • Constructed response items make up 50% of Component 1 (each item weighted 6.67% of the total score).
  • Selected response items make up 50% of Component 1 (weighted 20% of the total score).
• Components 2–4 (Portfolio) together account for 60% of your total weighted score:
  • Component 2: Differentiation in Instruction – 25% of the portfolio section (15% of total score)
  • Component 3: Teaching Practice and Learning Environment – 50% of the portfolio section (30% of total score)
  • Component 4: Effective and Reflective Practitioner – 25% of the portfolio section (15% of total score)

For more detail, see the component instructions and Scoring Guide: Understanding Your Scores.

As you prepare for the assessment, it’s helpful to understand how performance is evaluated and what level of evidence represents accomplished teaching practice.
The National Board uses a four level rubric. Levels 3 and 4 represent accomplished practice. A rubric score of 2.75 or higher reflects clear evidence of accomplished teaching.
In general:

• Earning scores at or above 2.75 on each component or part of Component 1 puts you in a strong position to achieve certification.
• While this is the recommended goal, it is possible—based on score weighting—to achieve certification with lower individual scores as long as your total weighted score meets the certification requirement.

To better understand how rubric scores and weighting work together, see “A Note About Scores and Weights” in the Scoring Guide: Understanding Your Scores.

The National Board releases scores and certification decisions no later than December 31 each year. For more information about score reports and results, see Scoring Guide: Understanding Your Scores.

Yes. You may retake each component up to two times within your five-year window for achieving certification. Retakes must be purchased during an open registration window, and the highest score earned is used.

To learn more about retakes and how to prepare for the next assessment cycle, review the Scoring Guide: Understanding Your Scores and the General Portfolio Instructions.

Since 2017, when the National Board revised its assessment, 71% of teachers who received a certification decision earned the National Board Certified Teacher designation. This cumulative rate includes teachers who received a decision after completing all four components of the assessment. Learn more.

Detailed information about score reports, score release, and next steps is available in the Score Release FAQs for First-time and Returning Candidates.