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Board approves language to broaden qualifying degrees for psychological testing technicians in sunset package
Summary
The board agreed Feb. 27 to include revised statutory language in its sunset bill to expand the list of qualifying bachelor's and graduate degrees for registration as a psychological testing technician and to allow the board to make final determinations in unclear cases; the board removed a broadly worded catchall from draft language.
The Board of Psychology voted Feb. 27 to request that the board’s sunset bill include amended language expanding which bachelor’s and graduate degrees qualify an applicant for registration as a psychological testing technician (PTT).
Current law (SB 1428, 2022) limited eligible degrees to a bachelor’s or graduate degree in psychology or an education degree with a field of specialization in educational, counseling or school psychology. Board staff and the California Psychological Association (CPA) recommended broader statutory language to allow degrees such as psychological science, cognitive science, neuroscience and related fields to qualify, while keeping the training requirements (including 80 hours of supervised education and training in testing) intact.
At the meeting, CPA representatives described how the earlier narrow wording had excluded applicants they considered qualified — for example, students with baccalaureate degrees in psychological science offered through departments not titled “Psychology.” The board discussed safeguards for consumer protection and the need to avoid vague catch‑all language that could be abused.
After discussion, the board voted to include the proposed language in the sunset bill but removed a broadly worded catch‑all phrase that would have allowed “any other closely related degree” without further specification. The board preserved a pathway for the board to make final determinations when an application’s degree title or coursework is ambiguous; staff may refer ambiguous files to subject‑matter experts for review.
Board members said the change aims to reduce backlogs in testing appointments by enlarging the pool of eligible PTT applicants while preserving supervisory and training requirements. The board directed staff to place the approved language into the sunset package and submit it for inclusion in the board’s pending review request to the legislature.
