What is the 5+1 supervised practice program?
The 5+1 program is the primary route to general registration for psychology graduates who completed a four-year sequence of undergraduate study in psychology — typically a three-year bachelor's degree followed by a one-year honours degree. The "5" refers to those five years of approved academic study, and the "+1" refers to one year of supervised practice under the oversight of the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA).
Under this pathway, you are provisionally registered with AHPRA while you complete your supervised placement. Once you have satisfied all program requirements — including passing the National Psychology Exam — you can apply to AHPRA for general registration as a psychologist.
Eligibility: who can undertake the 5+1?
To be eligible for provisional registration and the 5+1 pathway, you must have completed an APAC-accredited sequence of undergraduate study in psychology. This typically means a three-year bachelor's degree in psychology followed by an APAC-accredited honours year, or an equivalent sequence recognised by the Psychology Board.
You must also meet AHPRA's English language proficiency requirements and hold (or be able to obtain) federal and state police checks before beginning client-facing work. You can verify eligibility criteria and the current approved programs list at the Psychology Board of Australia website: psychologyboard.gov.au.
Breaking down the hour requirements
The 5+1 program has specific minimum hour requirements across three main categories. These minimums are a floor, not a target — most full-time placements exceed all of them comfortably.
- Direct client contact: minimum 500 hours (up to 60 of these can be simulated practice rather than with real clients)
- Supervision: minimum 80 hours total, with at least 50 of those as individual supervision with your principal supervisor
- Education and training: minimum 60 hours of Psychology Board-approved CPD and professional development activities
- Total duration: minimum 44 weeks of full-time equivalent supervised practice (part-time is allowed at no less than 0.5 FTE)
The 44-week and hour minimums must all be met within the same supervised practice period. If your internship spans multiple employers or settings, you still need to satisfy every minimum before applying for general registration.
The role of your principal supervisor
Your principal supervisor bears primary responsibility for the quality of your supervised practice. They must hold current general registration as a psychologist with AHPRA (with no conditions relating to supervised practice), have at least three years of recent experience in the area in which they are supervising you, and have completed approved supervisor training.
Your principal supervisor must directly observe your practice a minimum of four times per six-month period — at least two assessment sessions and two intervention sessions. Observation can be live or via approved recording. A written report must be completed after each observation.
Your logbook and AHPRA compliance
You must maintain a contemporaneous logbook of your supervised practice throughout the entire internship. The logbook has three sections: Section A records your daily practice activities; Section B documents your education and training activities; Section C contains supervision summaries and supervisor assessment reports.
Your supervisor reviews and signs off your Section A entries regularly — typically weekly. If AHPRA requests your logbook, you must be able to produce it within 14 days. This is why maintaining a compliant, tamper-proof logbook from day one — not reconstructing it at the end — is so important.
The National Psychology Exam
All 5+1 registrants must pass the National Psychology Exam (NPE) before AHPRA will grant general registration. You can sit the exam at any point during your provisional registration — you do not need to complete all your hours first. The pass mark is 70 on a scaled score.
The exam tests competency across six domains of professional psychological practice using scenario-based multiple-choice questions. It is administered at scheduled sittings throughout the year via the Psychology Board.
From internship to general registration: the timeline
Once you have met all supervised practice requirements, passed the NPE, and had your final PACF-76 supervisory assessment submitted by your supervisor, you can lodge a graduate application for general registration through your AHPRA online portal. Processing typically takes six to twelve weeks.
The full 5+1 journey — from receiving provisional registration to general registration — typically takes around twelve to eighteen months for a full-time candidate.
Common pitfalls to avoid
Logbook gaps are the most common problem. Many interns fall behind on documenting entries and then attempt to reconstruct weeks of work later. Contemporaneous recording — logging entries at or near the time of the activity — is a hard compliance requirement, not a suggestion.
- Logging entries in bulk at month-end rather than contemporaneously
- Failing to map entries to competency areas
- Missing supervisor sign-off on review periods before moving forward
- Not documenting education and training activities in Section B
- Counting simulated hours without confirming they qualify with your supervisor first
- Underestimating how long the NPE preparation takes — start early