You take SPEC only when a board authorizes it. New York uses it for endorsement applicants without a practical exam, Florida may require it for degrees over 10 years old, Texas accepts it for endorsement and requires it (or Part IV) to reactivate a license inactive six years or more. The 2026 fee is $1,500.
You take SPEC when a state board tells you to. The Special Purposes Examination for Chiropractic is a post-licensure exam from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, and the NBCE will not schedule it without written authorization from a state or foreign licensing board. Boards use it to check the clinical competence of a doctor who is already licensed, or once was, in a handful of situations: endorsement from another state, a degree or scores the board considers old, a license that sat inactive for years, or a disciplinary order.
What is SPEC?
According to the NBCE's SPEC page, the exam takes about three hours of testing time in two 90-minute sessions, and you must finish both to receive a score. It is given six times a year at Prometric testing centers across North America. To be eligible you must hold or have held a chiropractic license; the NBCE says the license may have lapsed, been suspended or been revoked. You then need a board's authorization, which you request through your SPEC application in your MyNBCE account.
The NBCE recommends a passing score of 375 and is explicit that the use of SPEC scores "for any purpose is at the discretion of individual state licensing boards." Florida, for one, adopts the NBCE's passing score by rule (Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B2-11.004).
What does SPEC cost, and when is it offered?
- Exam fee: $1,500, per the NBCE's 2026 fee schedule. A withdrawal before the deadline refunds $1,200.
- Sample test: 35 questions for $15.
- Remaining 2026 window: December 7 to 12, 2026, with an application deadline of December 2. The NBCE must receive the application by 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time that day.
- Earlier 2026 windows ran in February, April, June, August and October, each with a deadline about a week before.
That calendar is the real constraint. Board authorization has to be in place before the NBCE deadline, so a board that takes a few weeks to review your file and issue the authorization can push you into the next window, two months later.
When do states require SPEC?
These are the uses we have verified in statute, rule or board guidance, as of October 2026. Each state's full requirements are on its page in our state license index.
Endorsement for doctors without a practical exam on record
- New York. An endorsement applicant who never completed a practical (hands-on) clinical exam can meet the exam requirement with SPEC plus seven of the immediate past ten years of acceptable practice, attested by two licensed colleagues, according to the NYSED chiropractic requirements page. The other endorsement route uses NBCE Parts I and II plus a state clinical exam and two years of practice in the last five. More in New York chiropractic licensing: the endorsement routes.
- Texas. An out-of-state licensee may qualify with NBCE Parts I through IV and Physiotherapy, or with SPEC at 375 or better, plus three years of practice and the Texas jurisprudence exam (22 Tex. Admin. Code § 72.20). See Texas chiropractic license by endorsement.
- Alabama. Parts I and II plus SPEC can stand in for Parts I through IV (Ala. Admin. Code r. 190-X-2-.01).
- Alaska. A DC with five continuous years of practice may substitute SPEC for NBCE Parts III and IV (12 AAC 16.037).
- Nebraska. A DC licensed and practicing elsewhere can qualify with Parts I, II and Physiotherapy plus SPEC (172 NAC 29-003.01(C)).
Old degrees and old scores
- Florida. The board "may require an applicant who graduated from an institution accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education more than 10 years before the date of application" to take SPEC or its equivalent (Fla. Stat. § 460.406(1)). The word is "may," so it is a board decision in each file.
- Nebraska. An applicant whose NBCE scores are more than three years old and who is not practicing elsewhere must pass SPEC within the three years before applying.
Returning to practice
- Texas. A license inactive for six years or more can be reactivated only after passing Part IV or scoring at least 375 on SPEC, plus the jurisprudence exam (22 Tex. Admin. Code § 72.16(g)). The board may exempt a licensee who held an active, unrestricted license in good standing elsewhere during that time (§ 72.16(h)).
- Nevada lists SPEC as a possible reinstatement requirement. See reinstating a lapsed chiropractic license.
Discipline
The NBCE lists disciplinary action, suspension and revocation among the situations in which boards use SPEC. If a board order requires it, the order sets the terms.
Where is SPEC not used?
Not every state uses it. Montana's definition of the examination prescribed by the board does not include SPEC (Mont. Admin. R. 24.126.301), and we have found it only as a reinstatement tool in Nevada. A state not on the list above may still use it; boards change rules and some decide case by case. Check before you assume either way.
Is SPEC the better route or a detour?
It depends on what else you have. For a DC who never took Part IV, or one whose original state ran its own practical exam, SPEC is often the only realistic way into a state that wants a practical credential. For a DC who already has Parts I through IV and Physiotherapy, SPEC is usually unnecessary in Texas, and New York's examination route may be simpler than the SPEC-plus-seven-years route.
Three questions decide it:
- What is on your NBCE transcript? The transcript shows your most recent passing scores. If Parts III and IV are there, many SPEC routes are moot.
- How many years have you practiced, and can colleagues attest to them? New York's SPEC route needs seven of the last ten years, attested on its form.
- When can the board authorize you? Count backward from the next NBCE deadline.
Can anyone waive SPEC for me?
No. Where a statute or rule requires SPEC, the board applies it; where it says "may," the board decides. We cannot waive SPEC, years-of-practice rules or any other requirement, and we do not prepare candidates for the exam content. Our SPEC Exam Pathway Support ($299 one-time) confirms whether SPEC applies to you, requests the board authorization, files the NBCE application on the right deadline, and routes the score to the board. The NBCE's $1,500 fee is separate. If you are weighing SPEC against other routes, start with our Chiropractic Licensure Readiness Review ($149), or read endorsement or the exam route.
Common questions
- Can I sign up for SPEC on my own?
- No. The NBCE requires written authorization from a state or foreign licensing board, and you must hold or have held a chiropractic license.
- How often is SPEC offered?
- Six times a year at Prometric centers. The last 2026 window is December 7 to 12, with an application deadline of December 2.
- What is the passing score for SPEC?
- The NBCE recommends 375, but boards decide how to use the score. Florida adopts the NBCE passing score by rule; Texas rules specify 375.
- Does Florida always require SPEC for older graduates?
- No. Florida's statute says the board may require it when the degree is more than 10 years old, so it is decided file by file.
- Is SPEC required to reactivate a Texas license?
- If it has been inactive six years or more, Texas requires Part IV or SPEC at 375 plus the jurisprudence exam, unless the board exempts a licensee who held an active, unrestricted license elsewhere.
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