MFT National Exam Dates 2026–2027: Testing Windows, Deadlines and Results

MFT National Exam testing windows and deadlines

Dates from AMFTRB's Exam Dates page and the testing-period tables in the 2026 and 2027 handbooks, checked on October 27, 2026. The last two columns are Passy's arithmetic from the handbook rules explained below.

Within a window, the exam is given Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays. Every window above starts and ends on a Saturday: 2026 windows span 8 calendar days, 2027 windows 15.

How the MFT exam deadlines work

• Regular deadline. PTC's AMFTRB page puts it simply: applications are due the 1st of the month before the testing window. Your application isn't complete until all information, documents and payment are in.
• Accommodations and ELL deadline. The 2027 handbook says requests for ADA test accommodations must be submitted at least 8 weeks before the start of the testing window, and must be made with your application. ELL extra time also needs at least 8 weeks and a form from your state board. That's why the third column is earlier than the regular deadline, sometimes by more than three weeks.
• Your approval code comes first. You can't apply until your state board sends your approval code, so ask your board how long it takes before you count on a deadline.
• Missed it? AMFTRB's FAQ says "a few exceptions are made, contingent on a number of factors," and to contact PTC immediately. Don't count on one.

After you apply: Scheduling Authorization and booking

The 2027 handbook says approved candidates get a Scheduling Authorization email from notices@ptcny.com within 11 weeks before the window starts. It includes your PTC Candidate ID and instructions for booking with Prometric. If it hasn't arrived 3 weeks before the window opens, contact PTC.

Book as soon as it arrives. Appointments are first-come, first-served, and the handbook warns that if you can't get an appointment, you forfeit your fees. If no seat is open near you, AMFTRB's FAQ suggests another testing period or another test site, which may be in a neighboring state. AMFTRB's roadmap also recommends not waiting until the last day of a window to schedule.

Once you have a date, you can pick an access length that ends after your testing window from the planned 30-, 90- and 180-day options; checkout isn't open yet.

When MFT National Exam results arrive

No result is given at the test center. Scores are finalized only after the whole window closes, so everyone is scored with the same process and standards.

The "Results, roughly" column adds about four weeks to each window's last day. Holidays can push it later, especially for the December windows. Your board then has its own processing time before it issues a license, which AMFTRB doesn't control.

Waiting is the hard part of a fixed-window exam. Use those weeks for something concrete: if you might need a retake, sketch it in the free MFT retake planner instead of rereading notes.

How to choose your MFT exam window

The 2026 handbook and AMFTRB's roadmap give three pieces of advice: leave yourself enough time to study, check whether your board needs your results by a certain date, and allow time to retest if you don't pass the first time.

A practical way to apply that:

1. Start from your board's date. If your board needs a passing result by a set date, count back: results take about four weeks after the window closes.
2. Leave room for one retake. AMFTRB's FAQ sets no waiting period but explains that, because of the registration timeline, the next available window after a failed attempt is usually three months later: a candidate who fails in January is too late for the February and March deadlines and applies for April or later. With the 2027 dates, a January 2–16 result arrives around mid-February, after the February 1 deadline for March. You can also sit only once per calendar quarter. The retake guide has the details.
3. Pick the 2026 or 2027 rules knowingly. The December 2026 window is the last under the 2026 handbook ($370, one-week window, and all 180 items counted according to AMFTRB's undated Exam Reference page). January 2027 and later follow the 2027 handbook ($389, two-week windows, 155 scored items). The 2027 changes guide compares them.
4. Don't pay for two windows at once. AMFTRB's roadmap and FAQ say fees aren't refundable, so if you pass the first time, a second paid application isn't refunded. The 2027 handbook allows only one application per calendar quarter.

If you're aiming at a specific window, the free MFT study planner builds a domain-weighted plan backward from your date. For the final stretch, full prep planned for launch includes a Cram plan and Test Day checklist for the last few days.

If your date has to move

You have two options before your appointment, with different rules:

• Reschedule within the same window through Prometric: free 30 or more days before the appointment, with a fee from 29 to 5 days before ($50 in 2026, $60 in 2027), and not allowed in the last 5 days.
• Transfer to a new window through PTC, once: $180 in the 2026 handbook, $199 in the 2027 handbook, within 12 months of your original window. The 2027 handbook says a move into a future year costs the fee posted for that year, so confirm the amount with PTC if a 2026 appointment moves into 2027.

Missing your appointment without one of these makes you a no-show and costs the full fee. The registration guide explains both processes step by step.

When the next year's dates appear

AMFTRB's Exam Dates page says next year's dates are usually announced by the end of September of the previous year. The FAQ adds that they can appear on PTC's registration form as early as September 1, and on AMFTRB's site by October at the latest. Recheck the official page before you apply, since dates can change.

With a window chosen, make the weeks before it count: the planned question bank, sorted by the six domains with 1,700 questions at launch, is one option, and the 20 free practice questions are a way to start today.