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National Counselor Examination (NCE) Practice Test

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National Counselor Examination (NCE) Practice Test

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Questions
200
Format
Multiple choice
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2 years
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$39.99
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About these practice questions

These practice questions will help you prepare for the National Counselor Exam.

This practice test contains 200 practice questions covering the six sections of the National Counselor Exam:

  1. Professional Practice and Ethics
  2. Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis
  3. Areas of Clinical Focus
  4. Treatment Planning
  5. Counselling Skills and Interventions
  6. Core Counselling Attributes

All questions have been carefully designed to reflect the questions on the real exam, to help you prepare and get a passing grade.

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Section 1: Professional Practice and Ethics

1) Which term means scrambling sensitive data into a secret code to prevent unauthorized access?
  1. Authentication
  2. Confidentiality
  3. Encryption
    Encryption transforms data into a secret code that can only be deciphered with a digital key. This helps to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.
  4. Transmission
2) Which of these is a client right?
  1. The right of a guarantee of a specific outcome
  2. The right to ask about the counsellor's qualifications
    Clients have the right to inquire about their counselor's qualifications, training, experience, and areas of expertise. This information helps clients make informed decisions about engaging in counselling and ensures transparency and trust in the therapeutic relationship.
  3. The right to contact the counselor at any time
  4. The right to refuse payment for services rendered
3) A counselor has made an error in a client's clinical record. The counselor should:
  1. append the record with the correct information
    The counselor should make a new entry in the record, stating the correct information and noting the date of the amendment. It's important to never destroy or alter original entries in clinical records. Any corrections should be documented in a manner that preserves the integrity of the original record in case the record is ever needed in court.
  2. cross out the inaccurate information several times so it is no longer readable
  3. destroy the original record and rewrite it with the correct information
  4. keep the record as is and do nothing
4) A client tells you that his coworkers regularly steal money from the cash register. What is the best action to take?
  1. Advise the client of possible actions he could take
    As a counselor, your role is to guide the client to make ethical and legal decisions. In this situation, you should discuss the implications of the situation with the client and explore possible actions the client could take, such as reporting the activity to the owner of the business. You cannot report the crime yourself to the police because this would be a breach of confidentiality.
  2. Tell the owner of the business what is happening
  3. Tell the police
  4. Terminate the client
5) Which of these statements about counseling charges is true?
  1. Clients should be told the cost of counseling before counseling begins
    Clients should be fully informed about the cost of sessions before starting counseling. This ensures clarity and avoids potential misunderstandings regarding financial aspects, allowing both the client and counselor to focus on the therapeutic process.
  2. Counselors must accept insurance
  3. Long-term clients should pay a reduced rate
  4. Once the price for counseling is agreed on, it must never change
6) A counselor works employed at a county agency and also runs her own private practice. She sends clients with good insurance from the county agency to her private practice. This counselor is:
  1. acting unethically
    Sending clients from a county agency to a private practice based on their insurance benefits is unethical because it prioritizes the counselor's financial gain over the clients' best interests.
  2. engaging in a dual relationship
  3. following the standard procedure
  4. practicing beyond her scope of practice
7) The duty to warn conflicts with a client's right to:
  1. confidentiality
    Sessions with a client are confidential and private. However, confidentiality can be broken when a client poses a serious threat of harm to themselves or others. In these cases, a mental health professional has a duty to warn third parties who the client plans to harm. This duty to warm conflicts with the usual obligation to keep client information private.
  2. informed consent
  3. non-discrimination
  4. safety
8) Informed consent would give the client the right to know which of the following?
  1. The counselor's fees
    Informed consent involves providing clients with essential information about the counseling process, including the counselor's qualifications, the nature and course of the counseling, confidentiality limits, and the fees for services. This information helps clients make an informed decision about their participation in counseling.
  2. The counselor's home address
  3. The counselor's religion
  4. The counselor's sexual orientation
9) Which of these would be a valid reason for a counselor to refuse to treat a client?
  1. The client has a drug addiction
  2. The client is already seeing another counselor
  3. The client is the counselor's nephew
    Counselors should avoid treating people with whom they already have a pre-existing relationship, such as friends and family members.
  4. The client wants to meet only once a month
10) What should you do if a client sends you a friend request to your personal Facebook account?
  1. Accept the request and send the client a thank you message
  2. Accept the request but add the client to your Facebook restricted list
  3. Decline the request
    People often use Facebook to share revealing information about themselves. Having a client as a Facebook friend will allow you to see details about their life they may not have wanted to share with you. Similarly, they might discover details about you that you would have preferred to keep private.
  4. Only accept if you are sure the client is okay with it
11) As a counselor, what is the best defense against lawsuits?
  1. Following standards of practice
    Adhering to established standards of practice, including ethical guidelines and professional protocols, is crucial. Following standards helps in providing quality care and reduces the risk of legal issues.
  2. Letting the client guide the sessions
  3. Putting the client's needs before your own needs
  4. Using questionnaires to diagnose the client
12) A client says he is going to shoot up a school. Your main concern should be:
  1. avoiding a lawsuit
  2. maintaining confidentiality
  3. protecting the public
    When a client makes a specific and credible threat to harm others, such as stating an intention to shoot up a school, the counselor's duty to protect the public overrides the usual commitment to confidentiality.
  4. staying within ethical considerations
13) In which of these situations can a counselor break confidentiality?
  1. When a client has died and a family member wants to know what happened
  2. When a client reports having occassional thoughts about suicide
    A client who occasionally thinks suicide, but has no intent or plan, would not be sufficient for the counselor to break confidentiality.
  3. When the counselor receives a court order
    A court order or subpoena can legally require a counselor to disclose confidential information about a client. A counselor must also break confidentiality if a client is a danger to themselves or others, or if the client reports child abuse or the abuse of a vulnerable elder.
  4. When the counselor's supervisor wants to know about the client
14) A situation where multiple roles exist between a counselor and a client is called a:
  1. dual relationship
    A dual relationship (also known as a multiple relationship) is a situation in which multiple roles exist between a counselor and a client, such as when a client is a friend or family member of the counselor.
  2. multiple-role situation
  3. multiplex relationship
  4. variable-role situation
15) Which law protects the privacy of counseling records?
  1. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  2. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
    The law that protects the privacy of counseling records is HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA provides federal protections for personal health information held by covered entities. Under HIPAA, there are strict guidelines on how health information, including counseling records, can be shared and used.
  3. Medicaid
  4. Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
16) Which of the following best describes informed consent?
  1. Developing a structure that allows for everyone's ideas to be heard
  2. Having members decide upon all the activities of the group
  3. Having members sign a contract before joining the group
  4. Telling members about the nature and purpose of the group
    Informed consent involves providing clear and comprehensive information about the group's nature, objectives, procedures, benefits, and potential risks. It ensures that participants understand what they are agreeing to and can make an informed decision about their participation.
17) The highest level of confidentiality is found in:
  1. directed groups
  2. heterogeneous groups
  3. homogeneous groups
  4. individual counseling
    The highest level of confidentiality is generally found in individual counseling, which is where the counselor works with a client one-on-one. In group counseling, maintaining confidentiality can be difficult because group members will often talk about one another outside of sessions.
18) What is the reliability coefficient of a perfectly reliable test?
  1. 0
  2. 1
    The reliability coefficient is a number between 0 and 1 that represents the accuracy of a test, research instrument, or rating. A perfectly reliable test has a reliability coefficient of 1.
  3. 5
  4. 100
19) Which term means the extent to which measurements agree with the true value?
  1. Accuracy
    Accuracy is how close a measurement is to the real value.
  2. Precision
    Precision is how close repeated measurements are to each other.
  3. Reliability
  4. Reproducibility
20) What is precision?
  1. The closeness of a result to the first standard deviation
  2. The closeness of a result to the median value
  3. The closeness of a result to the true value
  4. The repeatability of a procedure
    Precision refers to the closeness of results when a procedure is tested repeatedly. A test with high precision gives nearly the same result each time, even if the result is wrong.

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About the National Counselor Exam

What is the National Counselor Exam?

The National Counselor Examination (NCE) is an exam that tests your knowledge of entry-level counseling. In many US states, you need to pass this exam to get a counselor license.

The exam is run by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). The NBCC provides information about the NCE on its website at www.nbcc.org/exams/nce.

A pass on the NCE exam or a pass on the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) is also a requirement for National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification.

Exam structure

The NCE is 3 hours and 45 minutes long.

The exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions. Only 160 of these questions are marked, however. The other 40 questions provide the NBCC with statistical information to help them design future examinations. During the exam, there will be no way to know which questions are marked and which are unmarked because they will be in a mixed order.

The pass rate varies from state to state. Typically, a mark of around 85/160 (53%) is needed to pass.

The questions cover six domains of knowledge. These domains are:

  1. Professional Practice and Ethics
  2. Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis
  3. Areas of Clinical Focus
  4. Treatment Planning
  5. Counseling Skills and Interventions
  6. Core Counseling Attributes
The next few pages will go through each of these domains in detail.

1. Professional Practice and Ethics

This domain has 24 questions and will test your knowledge of maintaining proper protocols. It will cover topics like:

  • assessing your ability to work with clients
  • statistics and research methods
  • law and ethics
  • counselor–client roles
  • client rights and responsibilities
  • limits of confidentiality
  • counselor agency policies
  • payment, fees, and insurance benefits
  • counseling processes, procedures, risks, and benefits
  • uses and limits of social media
  • informing clients about legal aspects of counseling
  • obtaining informed consent
  • e-mail confidentiality
  • establishing group rules, expectations, and termination criteria
  • assessing the competency of clients to provide informed consent
  • building a therapeutic relationship with the client
  • reviewing client records
  • accommodating clients with disabilities
  • sharing information with third parties
  • referring patients
  • advocating professional and client issues
  • seeking supervision/consultation
  • documentating the counseling process
  • self-care

2. Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis

This domain has 24 questions and will test your ability to assess and diagnose clients. It will cover topics like:

  • biopsychosocial interviews
  • diagnostic interviews
  • cultural formulation interviews
  • initial interviews
  • making diagnoses
  • Mental Status Exams (MSE)
  • co-occurring diagnoses
  • determining the required level of care
  • identifying of the suitable modality of treatment
  • assessing the presenting problem and level of distress
  • assessing mental health functioning level
  • screening clients to determine appropriate services
  • assessment instruments
  • formal and informal observations
  • assessing for trauma
  • assessing for substance use
  • client self-reports
  • evaluating interactional dynamics
  • assessing risk of suicide, self-harm, and homicide
  • assessing outcomes with pre-test and post-test measures
  • evaluating the effectiveness of counseling

3. Areas of Clinical Focus

This domain has 58 questions and will test your knowledge of common client problems and concerns. It will cover topics like:

  • adjustment to injury
  • aging
  • behavioral issues
  • bullying
  • caregiving challenges
  • cultural adaptation
  • end-of-life issues
  • fear and panic
  • financial struggles
  • gender identity
  • grief
  • hopelessness and depression
  • loneliness/attachment
  • problems focusing
  • intellectual disability
  • sleep problems
  • maladaptive eating behaviours
  • remarriage
  • developmental processes
  • obsessive thoughts and behaviors
  • career changes
  • physical problems caused by anxiety
  • physical problems caused by depression
  • trauma issues
  • process addictions
  • racism and discrimination
  • religious issues
  • retirement
  • intrusive thoughts
  • parent-child separations
  • sexual dysfunction
  • sleep patterns
  • spiritual issues
  • stress
  • substance use and addiction
  • suicide
  • challenges with terminal illness
  • hallucinations
  • anxiety
  • adoption issues
  • blended family issues
  • child abuse
  • child development
  • dating and relationship challenges
  • divorce
  • family abuse
  • interpersonal partner violence
  • communication with partner
  • parenting conflicts
  • emotional regulation problems

4. Treatment Planning

This domain has 18 questions and will test your ability to develop courses of treatment. It will cover topics like:

  • working with the client to set goals and objectives for treatment
  • developing counseling objectives that align with the client's diagnoses
  • identifying factors that hinder the client's achievement of goals
  • recognizing client strengths that can enhance goal achievement
  • treatment levels (outpatient, inpatient, residential, etc.)
  • making referrals for concurrent treatment
  • directing the development of the treatment plan.
  • the process of terminating treatment
  • changes in group membership
  • post-treatment follow-up
  • assessment tools to support client decision-making
  • continuous evaluation of the treatment plan.
  • engaging clients towards progress towards their treatment goals.
  • collaborating with other providers and client support systems, including documentation and report writing
  • educating clients about how they can maintain their improvements made during therapy
  • educating the client about the importance of adhering to their treatment plan

5. Counseling Skills and Interventions

This domain has 60 questions and will test your ability to provide effective counseling. It will cover topics like:

  • tailoring interventions to the client's developmental stage
  • tailoring interventions to the type of counseling (individual, couple, family, or group)
  • tailoring interventions for specific client groups (veterans, minorities, disenfranchised, disabled, etc.)
  • conducting individual counseling in accordance with a treatment plan
  • forming a therapeutic alliance
  • using theory-based counselling interventions
  • addressing addiction problems
  • cultural factors
  • family structures
  • systemic interaction patterns
  • family interactions
  • exploring religious and spiritual beliefs with clients
  • teaching problem-solving skills to clients
  • helping clients to buildi support networks
  • motivatiing clients to change
  • improving interactional patterns
  • conducting crisis interventions
  • teaching clients about transference and defense mechanisms
  • promoting a sense of trust and safety
  • teaching communication skills to clients
  • creating strategies for resolving conflicts
  • creating safety plans
  • facilitating systemic change
  • delivering counseling services remotely or via telehealth
  • delivering educational resources (stress management, assertiveness training, divorce adjustment, etc.)
  • delivering psychoeducational materials to clients
  • summarizing
  • reframing/redirecting
  • promoting empathetic understanding
  • sharing personal experiences with clients
  • engaging in constructive confrontation
  • helping clients to become aware of present interactions
  • helping clients to resolve conflicts
  • applying techniques of linking and blocking within group settings
  • handling dynamics between group leaders and members
  • teaching group members how to give and receive feedback
  • exploring the effects of extended family relationships
  • managing strong emotions
  • exploring patterns from family history
  • addressing the impact of social support networks
  • implementing structured activities
  • encouraging interactions among group participants
  • encouraging interactions with the group leader
  • integrating psychoeducation into group activities
  • the stages of the group process
  • themes and patterns in groups
  • designing interventions appropriate to the group's developmental stage
  • confronting harmful behaviors within the group
  • managing potential interactions between group members outside of the group setting

6. Core Counseling Attributes

This domain will have 16 questions and will test your knowledge of the attributes of a good counselor, including:

  • self-awareness
  • genuineness
  • congruence
  • awareness of gender issues
  • awareness of multicultural issues
  • ability to resolve conflicts
  • empathic attunement
  • empathic responding
  • encourgement of group therapeutic factors
  • non-judgmental stance
  • positive regard
  • respect for diversity
  • ability to listen, attend, and reflect