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Larry Brooks

Clinical Neuropsychologist | South Florida

What It Means to Be Board-Certified in Neuropsychology

  • Writer: Dr Larry Brooks
    Dr Larry Brooks
  • Mar 10
  • 6 min read

Author: Dr. Larry Brooks, Ph.D. | Board-Certified Neuropsychologist


Educational Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, neuropsychological diagnosis, or treatment. Accessing this content does not establish a doctor-patient relationship.


Reading time: 9 minutes


In most U.S. states, any licensed psychologist can call themselves a neuropsychologist. No additional training is required. No specialty exam. No peer review. The title is unregulated, and patients have no way of knowing the difference, unless they know what to look for.


Key Takeaways

  • In most states, the title "neuropsychologist" is not legally protected — any licensed psychologist can use it without specialty training (AACN)

  • Only about 4% of all licensed psychologists in the U.S. hold any ABPP board certification (ABPP / APA Monitor, 2024)

  • As of 2020, approximately 1,399 neuropsychologists nationwide held ABCN board certification — a small fraction of the total practicing population (ABPP FAQs)

  • Earning ABCN/ABPP board certification requires passing a written exam, submitting a clinical practice sample for peer review, and passing a live oral examination conducted by senior neuropsychologists

  • Some evaluations, including FAA aviation medical certifications, explicitly require an ABCN board-certified or board-eligible neuropsychologist; unboard-certified evaluations are not accepted

  • Board certification is the clearest external signal that a neuropsychologist has met rigorous, independently verified standards of competence


Can any psychologist call themselves a neuropsychologist?

In most of the United States, yes.


The American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology states it plainly on its own website: most states allow licensed psychologists to call themselves neuropsychologists without demonstrating any specialized training in neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions. (AACN)


This is not a hypothetical concern. It is the current regulatory reality in most U.S. states, including Florida. A licensed clinical psychologist with a general practice background, no neuroscience coursework, no postdoctoral specialty training, no supervised neuropsychological casework, can legally offer "neuropsychological evaluations" to patients and refer to themselves as a neuropsychologist.

For patients making high-stakes decisions about their health, legal cases, children, or careers, this gap matters considerably.


What does it actually take to become board-certified in neuropsychology?

Board certification in clinical neuropsychology through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN), a specialty board of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), is a multi-year, multi-stage process with no shortcuts.


The path begins with a doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited program, not a master's degree, not a certificate program. From there, candidates must complete an APA-accredited internship in a clinically relevant area, followed by a minimum of two full years of postdoctoral training specifically in clinical neuropsychology, including supervised practice with neurologically and psychiatrically complex populations. (AACN Adult Neuropsychology)


Once those training requirements are met and documented, candidates must pass a written examination covering the breadth of neuropsychological knowledge — neuroanatomy, neuropsychological assessment, psychopathology, psychometrics, and clinical neuroscience. Written exam pass rates generally fall between 65% and 80%. (ABPP FAQs)


Passing the written exam is not enough. Candidates must then submit a practice sample, actual clinical work product, for review by senior board-certified neuropsychologists. The sample demonstrates real-world competence in the neuropsychological evaluation of individual patients, not just textbook knowledge.


The final stage is a live oral examination, conducted in person by a panel of ABCN specialists. Candidates are questioned on their clinical reasoning, their handling of diagnostic complexity, their understanding of ethical practice, and their command of the scientific literature that underlies their work.

Completing all three stages earns the ABCN/ABPP diploma in clinical neuropsychology, board certification.


How many neuropsychologists are actually board-certified?

Fewer than most people would expect.


According to a 2024 report published in the APA Monitor on Psychology, approximately 4% of all licensed psychologists in the United States hold any ABPP board certification across all specialty areas. (ABPP, 2024) As of 2020, there were approximately 1,399 ABCN board-certified neuropsychologists in the entire country — across 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. (ABPP FAQs)

To put that in context: there are roughly 190,000 licensed psychologists in the United States. The board-certified neuropsychology community represents a small subset of a small subset.



Why does board certification matter for high-stakes evaluations?

The practical implications differ by context:


For individuals seeking evaluation: 

When someone is pursuing a neuropsychological evaluation for a complex diagnostic question, a disability determination, a return-to-work assessment, or a significant medical or psychiatric concern, the quality of the evaluation determines the quality of the answer. A board-certified neuropsychologist has been independently verified to meet the specialty's standards. A non-certified provider has not. The credential is the only external signal available to patients who lack the clinical knowledge to evaluate competence on their own.


For attorneys and legal proceedings: 

In forensic contexts, personal injury litigation, disability claims, workers' compensation, criminal competency evaluations, the credentials of the evaluating neuropsychologist are scrutinized. Expert witnesses in neuropsychology are routinely challenged on their qualifications.

ABCN board certification is the single most defensible credential in that setting. A non-certified evaluator may be qualified to testify, but board certification meaningfully strengthens the credibility and defensibility of the opinions offered.


For referring physicians and treatment providers: 

When a physician, psychiatrist, or treatment center refers a patient for neuropsychological evaluation, the report they receive informs clinical decisions that may affect the patient for years. Board certification is the clearest available assurance that the clinician conducting the evaluation has undergone independent, peer-reviewed verification of their competence, not just self-reported expertise.


For specific regulated contexts:

Some evaluations explicitly require board-certified or board-eligible neuropsychologists. FAA aviation medical evaluations in neuropsychology are one example: evaluations conducted by non-board-certified providers are not accepted. This is a direct policy recognition that the title alone is insufficient.


What should patients and referring providers ask?

The single most important question is simple:

Are you board-certified in clinical neuropsychology through ABPP/ABCN?


The answer is verifiable. The AACN maintains a searchable directory of ABCN board-certified neuropsychologists. A board-certified provider can be found there. A provider who cannot be found there is not board-certified, regardless of how their credentials are described elsewhere.

Secondary questions worth asking:


Where did you complete your postdoctoral training, and in what settings?

Training at an academic medical center, a rehabilitation hospital, or a VA system with a high volume of neurologically complex patients yields a different depth of experience than training in a general outpatient setting.


What populations do you primarily evaluate?

A neuropsychologist who has evaluated primarily children and adolescents is not optimally positioned to evaluate a 55-year-old with suspected early cognitive decline. Setting-specific experience matters alongside the board certification credential.


What does your evaluation include?

A comprehensive evaluation should incorporate standardized cognitive testing across multiple domains, psychological assessment instruments, clinical interview, record review, and a written report that integrates all findings into clinically actionable recommendations.


Is board certification the same as a PhD or a license to practice?

No, and the distinction is important.


A doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) is an academic credential. It certifies that someone completed a graduate program. A state license to practice psychology is a regulatory credential. It certifies that someone met the minimum requirements to practice in a given state. Neither credential specifies any specialty competence in neuropsychology.


Board certification is a practice credential. It certifies that a licensed doctoral-level psychologist has, through a rigorous external peer-review process, demonstrated specialty competence in clinical neuropsychology. It is the only credential in the field that provides that specific assurance. (ABPP FAQs)


The analogy to medicine is direct. A physician's medical degree and state license permit them to practice. Board certification in a specialty, cardiology, neurology, orthopedic surgery, is how patients and other physicians know that a clinician has met the specialty's peer-verified standards. The same logic applies in neuropsychology.


Bottom line

The title "neuropsychologist" does not, on its own, tell you much.

Most states do not regulate it.

Many licensed psychologists use it without specialty training.


Board certification through ABPP/ABCN is the field's established answer to that problem.

It is a rigorous, multi-stage, peer-reviewed process that most practicing psychologists never complete. The approximately 1,400 neuropsychologists nationwide who hold that certification have been externally verified, by their peers, through their actual clinical work, to meet the specialty's standards.

For patients making significant decisions, attorneys preparing for litigation, and physicians directing care, that distinction is worth understanding before choosing a provider.



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