A national survey of training directors of academic programs, predoctoral internships, and postdoctoral fellowships was conducted to explore what constitutes an adequate number of practicum hours necessary to apply for internship. Training directors agreed that minimum standard hours should be set but differed on what those hours should be, with academic training directors endorsing fewer hours than directors of predoctoral internships and postdoctoral fellowships. The results raise questions about what is a practicum hour and suggest a need to obtain consensus about minimum standards and the possibility of a competency-based approach rather than emphasizing hours of practicum experience.Attention has recently focused on educational, training, and supervisory experiences necessary for trainees to become competent, licensed psychologists. For example, in 1999, the American Psychological Association (APA Commission, 2000) formed a commission to examine the sequence of doctoral training leading to licensure. The commission gathered together representatives from 30 constituent groups of practitioners, scientists, and educators to explore alternative models of training. They developed a series of recommendations, including the need to examine and strengthen practicum training.During the past few years, students and faculty alike have voiced concern about the increasing number of practicum hours needed, or perceived to be needed, to attain an internship. The APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation (2000) indicated that the average number of practicum hours reported by training sites for the 1998 -1999 year was 1,941 hr. This average has held fairly steady since then, as the average number of practicum hours for the 2002 training year was 2,199, and for 2003, it was 1,896 (S. Zlotlow, personal communication, May 11, 2004).