First, once you are an AMFT
The California Law and Ethics Exam
- Format
- 75 questions in 90 minutes on a computer at a Pearson VUE center: 50 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions, mixed in so you can't tell them apart.
- Fee
- $75 from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2030 ($150 otherwise), paid to the Board.
When to take it, retakes, and what it covers
- When
- Once the Board approves your AMFT registration (or, applying from out of state, your Application for Licensure), apply to the Board for it and pay the fee; the Board then tells Pearson VUE you are eligible. Through December 31, 2026, take it before your registration first expires and at least once in each renewal cycle until you pass; from January 1, 2027, there is no yearly attempt under the new law (the Board's regulation, 16 CCR 1829.3, still describes one; ask the Board how it applies it). You pass it before the Clinical Exam. For a request for your initial license, or for a subsequent registration number, that the Board receives after January 1, 2030, the pass must be no more than seven years old.
- Retakes
- If you don't pass, you can apply to retake it at any time, and the Board approves the retake after 90 days. Through December 31, 2026, take it at least once in each renewal cycle of your registration until you pass. Once your Application for Licensure is approved, retake it within a year of a failed attempt, or your licensing file is closed.
- What it covers
- Consent, Confidentiality, and Privilege16%
- Limits to Confidentiality and Mandated Reporting16%
- Legal Standards for Professional Practice12%
- Professional Competence and Integrity16%
- Responsibility to Clients and Counseling Relationships24%
- Practice Policies and Professional Responsibilities16%
The Board's exam pages (opens in a new tab) · Checked October 11, 2026; the Board’s own pages are the final word.
200 practice questions, weighted to this exam’s outline