If English is your second language and you are taking the EPPP in California, there is a regulation written specifically for you, and in years of talking with candidates I have almost never met one who knew it existed. California Code of Regulations, Title 16, section 1388(h) grants qualifying ESL candidates time-and-a-half on the EPPP. Not as a disability accommodation. As its own pathway, on the books, with a clear checklist.

That is 50% more time. On a 4-hour-15-minute exam, it is the difference between about 68 seconds per question and about 102. For a candidate who reads clinical vignettes in their second language, that difference is not a convenience. It is the exam finally measuring your psychology knowledge instead of your reading speed.

This is not a secret anyone is keeping. It came up at the California Board of Psychology's public meeting in February 2026, where board staff walked through exactly how it works (you can watch the webcast). It is just unpublicized. So here is the whole thing in one place.

Who qualifies for the California ESL accommodation?

Three requirements, straight from the regulation and the board's ESL accommodation form:

1. English is your second language, stated under penalty of perjury on the board's form.
2. You take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language, the iBT) and score at or below the threshold. The regulation's threshold was a TOEFL score of 85 or below; in January 2026 the board updated the number to 4.5 to match ETS's revised scoring scale, a technical change that did not alter who qualifies. Check the current form for the number that applies when you apply.
3. The TOEFL was taken within the two years before your application, and ETS sends the score directly to the board. A score report you forward yourself does not count.

Notice the logic: scoring LOW on the TOEFL is what qualifies you. This trips people up. The TOEFL here is not a bar to clear. It is documentation that English genuinely costs you time.

How to actually do it

1. Register for the TOEFL iBT through ETS. It is about a 2-hour test.
2. When registering or after, designate the California Board of Psychology as a score recipient so ETS sends the score directly.
3. Complete the board's ESL examination accommodation form and submit it with your application materials.
4. If approved, your EPPP appointment is scheduled with time-and-a-half.

Timing matters: the two-year TOEFL window runs backward from your application, so take the TOEFL when your licensure application is on the horizon, not years early.

If you do not qualify, other accommodations still exist

The ESL rule is one lane. The board reviews all other accommodation requests case by case: documented disabilities, medical conditions, and testing-environment needs (separate rooms, readers, and similar arrangements have all been granted). Two useful things board staff said at that February meeting: requests are handled by a deliberately small group of staff to protect your privacy, and the accommodation offered may differ from the one requested, so the process can involve some back and forth. Start it early rather than the month before your exam window.

One more thing worth saying plainly, because the research supports it: extra time is not an unfair edge, and using it is not an admission of weakness. Standardized exams are speeded tests, and speed of reading English is not one of the competencies the EPPP is supposed to measure. The accommodation levels the field so the exam can do its actual job.

Does this survive the 2027 exam change?

The regulation covers "the examination," and the integrated EPPP arriving in Fall 2027 remains the EPPP, administered through the same board processes. ASPPB staff confirmed at the same February meeting that the existing accommodation process is expected to carry over to the new exam. That said, the new exam adds audio and video questions, and how timing accommodations interact with audio/video items has not been published. If you are an ESL candidate testing in the integrated window, this is worth a direct question to the board when you apply. The full picture of what changes in 2027 is in the complete guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a high TOEFL score to qualify for EPPP time-and-a-half?

No, the opposite. Scoring at or below the threshold is what qualifies you. The TOEFL here is not a bar to clear. It is documentation that English genuinely costs you time on the exam.

When should I take the TOEFL for the ESL accommodation?

Within the two years before your licensure application, and ETS must send the score directly to the California Board of Psychology. A score report you forward yourself does not count, so take the TOEFL when your application is on the horizon, not years early.

Does the ESL accommodation apply to the 2027 integrated EPPP?

ASPPB staff said the existing accommodation process is expected to carry over to the new exam. How timing accommodations interact with the new audio and video questions has not been published, so ask the board directly when you apply.

The bottom line

If English is your second language and you test in California: TOEFL within two years, score at or below the threshold, ETS sends it directly, board form under penalty of perjury, time-and-a-half granted. It is one of the few parts of this process designed to make things easier, and it goes unused mostly because nobody talks about it. Now you know.

Whatever time you get, make it count: free EPPP practice questions to find your gaps, and a study schedule that fits around full-time work. If you want practice that adapts to where you actually struggle, try thePsychology.ai free for 7 days.

Sources

• Cal. Code Regs. Title 16, § 1388 (Examinations), subsection (h): https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/16-CCR-1388
• California Board of Psychology, ESL examination accommodation form: https://www.psychology.ca.gov/applicants/exam_accom_esl.pdf
• California Board of Psychology, TOEFL scoring-scale update (Jan 2026): https://www.psychology.ca.gov/laws_regs/toefl_exam
• California Board of Psychology, February 13, 2026 meeting webcast (accommodations discussion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RicQN_H8qQ