Can you get extra time or other accommodations on the NHIE?

EBPHI's Test Policies page says its test administrators comply with the ADA and with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. If a disabling condition gets in the way of the standard setup, you can ask for special testing services. Every test site has access for people with movement disabilities.

The vendor provides aids and services unless one would fundamentally alter the exam or its results, or cause an undue burden. It sets the time and place of an accommodated exam and confirms them with you directly. EBPHI's policies still govern the arrangement.

EBPHI doesn't list specific accommodations, and neither does PSI's NHIE bulletin. EBPHI's policy covers impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills, or another disability. PSI says it makes accommodations to meet a candidate's needs.

Pearson VUE, the vendor in Florida, Nevada, and Texas, gives these examples on its test accommodations page and in its Texas handbook:

• Extra testing time
• A separate testing room
• Breaks
• A reader or recorder, for someone with a mobility or vision impairment who can't read or write on their own

Every request is decided case by case. The Texas handbook says an accommodation gives full access to the test and isn't a promise of a better score. Pearson VUE's Texas page links documentation guidelines for four groups of conditions:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Emotional, psychological, and psychiatric disorders
• Learning and other cognitive disorders
• Physical and chronic health conditions

EBPHI's Test Policies page says a request to the test vendor has to include the following:

• Your name, address, and Social Security number
• The test date, location, and time you want
• A description of the special requirements
• Documentation from a physician or other qualified professional that gives the diagnosis and explains your need for the aids or changes

Pearson VUE wants the same kind of proof, from the professional who diagnosed the condition, with that person's credentials. It should say how the condition affects you under standard test conditions. A list of accommodations you've had before can go in too. The Texas page says school records, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), and transcripts help but aren't required.

The request goes to the vendor that books your seat. Each one has its own route:

To find out which vendor your state uses, see how to register for the NHIE.

Send it at least 15 business days before the test date you want. That is the lead time on EBPHI's Test Policies page. Its 2024 candidate packet says only to ask in advance, so 15 business days is the number to plan around.

Pearson VUE's Texas page asks you to allow 10 business days for its review. If you're approved, the decision letter tells you how to book. If you're turned down, you can appeal from the same system, and disability experts review every appeal.

For the standard booking, cancel, and test-room rules, see NHIE exam day.

Without an accommodation, the 4-hour clock doesn't stop. You can leave the room only with permission, and EBPHI gives no extra time for it. Pearson VUE lists breaks as an accommodation you can request.

On a retake, tell the vendor you tested with an accommodation. Nevada's Pearson VUE handbook asks candidates who reschedule or retest to tell its Special Accommodations team that special arrangements were used before. For the rest of the retake rules, see what to do after you fail the NHIE.

Of the documents read for this guide, only Nevada's addresses English as a second language. The Nevada real estate candidate handbook (a PDF) covers the Inspector of Structures exam that Nevada uses. It lets candidates ask for additional time with a request form and a letter from an English instructor or employer. You wait for approval before you book, and the extra time applies only at a test center.