SECOND CHANCE FREE HAS ENDED for 2025.

A SECOND CHANCE will be provided for all NCC Certification applications submitted between 2/01/2025 and 9/30/2025 by 11:59 PM Central Standard Time (CST). 

To celebrate 50 years of certification excellence, a second chance free promotion was offered for 8 months in 2025. If you registered during this time frame with a PAID registration or voucher, you will still receive the second chance free, based on the guidelines below. Please be aware that if you registered using a second chance free and are unsuccessful, you will not receive another second chance free for that registration. 

You must have registered for the examination and PAID the registration fee during this time frame.  For those who qualify, if you are not successful in achieving certification on your first examination attempt, you can apply to retake the same NCC Certification examination for a second attempt for free. (Please note, if you registered for an exam before February 1, 2025, you do not qualify for a second chance free promotion). The promotion is based on the date of the PAID registration application. Registering with a free second chance free from previous or this promotion during the time frame does not provide you with another second chance free.

If you registered during the promotion time frame and are not successful on your first attempt, you will be eligible to reapply for the same certification examination after a 45-day waiting period and your fee for the second attempt will be waived.  Candidates who fail on the first attempt have 12 months from the date they tested to register again for the same examination and receive their second chance free.  To receive the second chance free, you must be signed into your account,  use the link to apply for the exam again within your account, and then complete the application process to demonstrate continued compliance with all eligibility requirements. The fee will only be waived if you apply for the same certification.

Offer to reapply at no cost is only valid for the 12 months following your first unsuccessful examination attempt. Please note that there is a 45-day waiting period after a failed examination attempt before you can register again.  A voucher code will not be provided and should not be used when applying for a second attempt. Once signed in to the account, the registration process should be done using the "register for an exam" link on the Certification home page or directly from the link in your account.  The policy for retesting, including the 45-day wait to register, is within this 12-month time frame. 

  • Offer applies to certification applications submitted between February 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025, by 11:59 pm CST, and subsequently found eligible and approved.
  • Applies to NCC Core and Subspecialty certifications 
  • To take advantage of the second chance free promotion, candidates must be signed into their accounts, submit another application, and re-establish eligibility.
  • Candidates must wait 45 days after the date the first examination was taken to register again.
  • If an applicant files earlier than 45 days from the failed test date, the application will be denied.
  • Candidates who wish to claim this offer must submit a new examination registration within one year of the date the first examination was taken. The candidate must be signed in and register for the same certification exam to have the registration fee waived.  After that time, the offer will no longer be valid.
  • Any application that is incomplete (those applications submitted with missing information, containing incomplete or incorrect information, incorrect license information, or lacking the expiration date or does not include full payment) is subject to a non-refundable $30 reprocessing fee upon the submission of proper documentation.  If the requested documentation and the reprocessing fee are not provided within 14 days the application will be marked ineligible and the second chance free will be forfeited. 
  • The promotion is not transferable to other certifications or other people
  • Examinations for any NCC Certification can only be taken twice in a calendar
  • If you fail to pass the examination on your first attempt, you will be provided a second chance free when you apply again for the same examination. Payment will not be requested, and candidates must be sure to sign in to the same account as their previous application. The second chance free is automatically applied to the registration application but the candidate must be signed in.  If you are asked for payment, you should abandon the registration and contact NCC to verify eligibility. Those eligible for the second chance free will not be asked for payment. Make sure you have logged in when you go to register. Candidates who register again and pay a registration fee will not receive a refund. Please see the information on the partial amount of refund with withdrawals.
  • All NCC policies and procedures for registration and examinations apply to this promotion.