The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) was established to maintain uniform high standards of excellence in the chiropractic profession and chiropractic education. The NBCE primarily prepares and administers examinations to qualified applicants. State licensing boards and/or legal agencies governing the practice of chiropractic may accept, at their discretion, those individuals who have successfully completed any part of the examinations.  

NBCE exams include written exams Parts I, II, III, and PT, as well as clinical practical exam Part IV. All states require some or all parts of the NBCE exams to be passed as a prerequisite for licensing. A directory of state licensing requirements can be found on the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards’ website at www.fclb.org.  

Parker University is responsible for certifying that students are eligible to take National Boards per the deadlines set by the NBCE. Because of the importance of performance on National Board examinations, Parker University has requirements for certifying students for National Board eligibility.  

All students should take all parts of the NBCE exams before graduation but students who fail or withdraw from classes, on a special schedule, or take a leave of absence from the program may experience a delay in qualifying for NBCE exams.  

Parker University is an official test site for all parts of the National Boards. However, the number of exam sessions, dates of the exams, and number of students permitted to take the exams at the University is determined by NBCE.  

Eligibility Timeline  

Students should take NBCE exams according to the following timeline:  

• Part I upon completion of all trimesters 1-4.  

• Part II upon completion of trimesters 1-7.  

• Part III upon completion of trimesters 1-7 and completion or concurrent enrollment in Trimester VIII. NBCE requires students to be within nine months of graduation when taking the Part III exam. 

• PT upon successful completion of Parker’s PT course sequence.  

• Part IV may be taken when the student is eligible per the NBCE requirements that include taking the exam within six months of anticipated graduation.