Overseas Psychologist HCPC Registration: Test of Competence

An overseas-qualified psychologist enters via the HCPC international application route. Eligibility requires training outside the UK in a profession HCPC regulates, no previous HCPC registration, and English-language proficiency to meet the standards of proficiency. The applicant submits the qualification that first enabled them to practise plus evidence of professional experience; HCPC assesses against the standards of proficiency for practitioner psychologists. There are three outcomes: successful (entered on the Register), a Test of Competence (a test the applicant must sit to inform the decision), or unsuccessful (refused). The honest international message: unlike a simple “recognition,” HCPC assesses each applicant’s training against the specific protected-title standards — a US, Australian or Canadian psychologist is not automatically transferable, and the route can require a Test of Competence. State the protected-title target precisely (e.g. “Clinical Psychologist,” not “psychologist”), because that is the standard the application is judged against.