You are eligible to take the NPLEX Part I – Biomedical Science Examination (BSE) if you:

• Have completed all biomedical science coursework requirements at an approved naturopathic medical program

 AND

• Are currently (a) enrolled in, (b) on an approved leave of absence, or (c) have graduated from an approved naturopathic medical program.
  • If you graduated more than five (5) years ago, contact NABNE regarding additional requirements.

You are eligible to take the NPLEX Part II – Core Clinical Science Examination if you:

• Have completed all graduation requirements at an approved naturopathic medical program within the last five (5) years.
  • If you completed all graduation requirements more than five (5) years ago and have not passed both the NPLEX Part I – Biomedical Science and the Part II – Core Clinical Science Examinations, contact NABNE regarding additional requirements.

   OR

• Will have completed all graduation requirements at an approved naturopathic medical program no later than April 30th for an examination taken in February and no later than October 31st for an examination taken in August. If this applies to you:
  • NABNE must receive written pre-verification of completion of all graduation requirements from your approved naturopathic medical program prior to the NPLEX administration..
  • Your NPLEX results will not be released until NABNE receives written verification of completion of all graduation requirements from your approved naturopathic medical program, no later than April 30th for an examination taken in February and no later than October 31st for an examination taken in August.
    • If NABNE does not receive verification that you have completed all graduation requirements by the deadline stated above, results from the examination(s) you took during the current NPLEX administration will be withheld or canceled.

  AND

• Passed the NPLEX Part I – Biomedical Science Examination within the last ten (10) years.
  • If it has been more than ten (10) years since you passed the NPLEX Part I – Biomedical Science Examination, you are required to retake and pass the Part I – Biomedical Examination before you will be allowed to take or retake any NPLEX Part II – Clinical Science Examinations. If this applies to you, contact NABNE regarding additional requirements.

You are eligible to take the NPLEX Part II – Elective Pharmacology, Minor Surgery, and/or Parenteral Medicine Examinations if you:

• Have met the eligibility requirements for the NPLEX Part II – Core Clinical Science Examination
  AND
• Are taking the NPLEX Part II – Core Clinical Science Examination during the same NPLEX administration
  OR
• Have previously passed the NPLEX Part II – Core Clinical Science Examination or the Part II – Clinical Science Exam Series.

You are eligible to take the NPLEX Part II – Elective Acupuncture Examination (AEE) if you:

• Have met the eligibility requirements for the NPLEX Part II – Core Clinical Science Examination
  AND
• Are taking the NPLEX Part II – Core Clinical Science Examination during the same NPLEX administration
  OR
• Have previously passed the NPLEX Part II – Core Clinical Science Examination or the Part II – Clinical Science Exam Series
  AND
• Have met one of the following criteria:
  
  
  • You have graduated from an approved naturopathic medical program that requires at least 220 hours of didactic training in acupuncture, and have completed at least 30 hours of clinical training
    OR
  • You have completed at least 220 hours of didactic training and at least 30 hours of clinical training in acupuncture from an institution accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, and you have submitted to NABNE:
  • • • A transcript from the institution verifying the hours of training in acupuncture you have completed
        AND
      • A letter from a regulatory authority stating that the training in acupuncture you have completed meets jurisdictional eligibility requirements for licensure or registration.

Contact the regulatory authority in the jurisdiction in which you plan to practice to determine which, if any, NPLEX Part II – Clinical Elective Examinations you will be required to pass to become eligible for licensure or registration.

Some naturopathic physicians graduated from schools and were licensed/registered before NPLEX and the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) were in existence. Consequently, they have never taken the NPLEX.

Because these NDs are not eligible to take the NPLEX in accordance with normal NABNE policies, the NABNE Board has established a procedure whereby it may make an exception and allow an ND who received era-appropriate education to take the NPLEX.

Both the applicant and the school must meet certain criteria before the ND will be allowed to take the NPLEX.

To be eligible to take the NPLEX under the EAE policy, you must:

• Have a diploma from a four-year, in-resident naturopathic medical school or program that is currently accredited by the CNME (verified by a notarized copy of diploma)
• Have taken graduate-level biomedical science coursework, such as biomedical science coursework in any post-baccalaureate program, at either a master’s or doctoral level (verified by official transcript)
• Have received supervised experience/training in a clinical setting (verified by official transcript)
• Have passed state, provincial, or national board healthcare licensing examinations (verified by letter from a jurisdictional licensing/regulatory authority or scores from a national examining board)

AND

• Be currently licensed in a recognized health profession that has educational and examination standards equal to those of naturopathic medicine (verified by a notarized copy of license)
• Have been practicing in a healthcare profession during a majority of the years since graduation (verified by CV and a notarized statement from a professional in the healthcare field)
• Have a state naturopathic licensing board verify that you will be eligible for licensure in that state if you pass the NPLEX.

If you have not passed the NPLEX Part I Examination(s), the NABNE Board will determine if you must pass the NPLEX Part I – Biomedical Science Examination before you will be eligible to apply for and take the NPLEX Part II – Clinical Science Examinations.

You can request an Application to Take NPLEX Based on “ERA Appropriate Education”, by contacting NABNE.

NABNE does not evaluate the educational equivalency of foreign medical or naturopathic programs.

To be eligible to take the NPLEX, you will need to have completed educational requirements at one of the naturopathic medical education programs currently approved by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. If you have graduated from a foreign naturopathic or other medical program and are interested in becoming licensed or registered to practice as a naturopathic physician/doctor in either the US, US Territories, or Canada (with some exceptions), you should contact one of the CNME-approved naturopathic medical education programs to explore the possibility of receiving advanced standing.

For more information, contact the American Association of Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC).