Alaska psychology board proposes dropping its state law and ethics exam for licensure

The Alaska Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners proposed Sunday to drop the State Law and Ethics Examination as a license requirement. The national Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology would become the only exam applicants must pass.

The board's FAQ on the proposal says the state exam is being repealed to remove a barrier to licensure. Applicants have had to pass both the national exam and the separate state exam, which the board's examination page says is offered four times a year. A 2023 board packet records that the state exam was given in person in Anchorage before the COVID-19 pandemic and later offered remotely. That packet described the exam as part of the board's public-protection role and listed rebuilding its bank of test questions as a delayed task.

The proposed rules would tie passing the national exam to the score recommended by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.

The proposal would also drop the requirement that a psychologist or psychological associate appear before the board to have professional privileges reinstated, a change the board says is meant to simplify requirements.

Continuing education would change for current licensees as well as new applicants. Licensees must complete 40 hours every two years to renew, including three hours in professional ethics, according to the FAQ. The proposal would remove the requirements for live interactive and telepsychology hours. The FAQ says licensees could meet the requirement entirely through individual study and could earn credit by virtually attending a board meeting. Certificates would no longer be sent in with renewal applications but must be saved in case of an audit.

The proposal comes as psychologist license fees rise to $1,100 from $500 starting Nov. 27.

The FAQ says the changes respond to Gov. Mike Dunleavy's Administrative Order 360, issued Aug. 4, 2025, as part of state regulatory reform. The state's notice says the proposal also came from agency staff and a petition for a regulation change. It lists no known cost to private persons, municipalities or other state agencies and expects no cost to the state.

Written comments are due by 4:30 pm Dec. 10 and can be submitted through the online notice. The board may then adopt the proposal, adopt different rules on the same subject or take no action. Any adopted rule would take effect 30 days after the lieutenant governor files it.