A candidate who needs a disability accommodation on the FE, PE or PS exam has one moment to ask for it: during exam registration in MyNCEES. The November 2026 edition of the NCEES Examinee Guide says a request cannot be added to an existing registration. A candidate who skips that step and asks later must cancel the registration and register again, and the guide says the usual fees apply.

The legal basis

NCEES states on its accommodations page and in the guide that it intends to comply with applicable law for people with disabilities as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines them, and that candidates with disabilities are encouraged to ask for reasonable accommodations. The decision itself is made case by case. NCEES does not publish a fixed list of approved conditions.

How the request moves

NCEES hands the request process to its test vendor, Pearson VUE. The sequence, as the two organizations describe it on pages checked November 15, 2026:

  • Register and pay for the exam in MyNCEES, and mark the box indicating a need for accommodations during that registration.
  • Watch for an email from NCEES after registration with the next steps for continuing the request.
  • Open Pearson VUE's Reasonable Adjustments Request System, a secure online portal that needs its own username and password, and start the request there.
  • Upload supporting documentation at the last step (step 6) and submit. The system sends an email confirming the submission.
  • Wait for the review. Pearson VUE's NCEES page asks candidates to allow 10 business days.
  • Read the determination letter, which is posted in the My Documents area of step 6. An approval letter explains how to schedule the accommodated exam.

While the request is pending, the exam sits on hold. The guide is direct on this point: a candidate cannot book a test center appointment until a final decision is made. Do not plan around a test date until the letter arrives, and build the 10 business days into any timeline tied to a board deadline or a job offer.

What documentation looks like

Pearson VUE asks candidates to give their evaluator, usually a doctor or psychologist, the evaluator guidelines for the disability in question so the report meets them. It publishes separate guidelines for four groups: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; emotional, psychological and psychiatric disorders; learning and other cognitive disorders; and physical and chronic health conditions. In most cases the evaluator is someone who ran psychological, educational or medical testing and wrote a diagnostic report or a detailed letter.

Pearson VUE also lists records that can help but are not required: school records showing special education services, Individualized Education Plans, middle or high school transcripts, and other records of academic difficulty tied to the disability. A candidate under 18, or one with a legal guardian, needs a Guardian Consent Form uploaded at step 6.

NCEES says medical and mental health information sent with a request is kept confidential and used by NCEES and its vendors only to evaluate and deliver accommodations. It lists narrow exceptions (a valid agency request, subpoena or court order, or a proceeding about the request itself) and says researchers may see accommodation records only without personally identifying details.

Types of accommodations

NCEES describes the categories broadly rather than as a menu: changes to the physical testing environment, additional testing time, additional break time, auxiliary aids or services, and other changes to standard administration. Its FAQ names one specific case. A nursing mother who wants a private room to express milk or extra break time should flag the need at registration, the same as any other request.

The guide adds another situation that requires a request. Pearson VUE test centers collect palm scans at check-in. A candidate whose condition affects the structure, mobility or function of both hands enough to prevent palm scans must request an accommodation during registration.

Comfort aids that need no request

Some items are allowed without approval. The guide says test centers supply items on the Pearson Comfort Aid List, such as earplugs, noise-canceling headphones and tissues, with no preapproval. Braces (neck, back or ankle), hearing aids, eye drops and mobility devices are allowed after a visual inspection, in which staff look at the item without touching it or the candidate. Anything not on the Comfort Aid List has to go through the accommodation process and be approved before scheduling.

After approval, and the next exam

Approval does not book a seat. The candidate follows the scheduling instructions in the determination letter, and the guide notes that appointments open only once registration is complete and any accommodation request is resolved. A candidate who disagrees with the decision can file an appeal from step 6 of the request, and Pearson VUE says disability experts review every appeal.

For repeat or later exams, NCEES says approved accommodations are valid for two years in most cases. Within that period, no new documentation is needed. After it expires, or to ask for something different, the candidate submits a new request. Each new registration still has to carry the accommodation flag, since a request cannot be added after the fact.

Questions go to Pearson VUE at accommodationspearsonvue@pearson.com. The guide says candidates with concerns after contacting Pearson VUE can write to the NCEES accommodations team at accommodations@ncees.org.

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