Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE)

The Study Guide for the National Counselor Examination and CPCE by Dr. Andrew Helwig is a valuable resource to prepare for the CPCE.

The Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) was developed and is administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). Over 400 graduate schools training counselors are now using this exam. The exam is typically used as an exit requirement to obtain a degree or as a tool to prepare students for the National Counselor Exam (NCE).

Same Content Areas

The CPCE is based on the same eight content areas as the NCE and many students study for both, the CPCE to get their degree and the NCE to use the results later for national certification. Since many states use the NCE for licensure, many students can also use the NCE results for that purpose later after they have graduated and accrued the required professional counseling hours under supervision.

Differences between CPCE and NCE

There are differences between the CPCE and the NCE. Although both examine the same eight content areas, questions on the CPCE are based on content most Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) graduate programs include in their curricula. CPCE questions, developed by consultants to NBCC, cover a variety of issues and concepts and tend to be more detail oriented. On the other hand, the NCE exam questions are developed by panels of national experts with less focus on CACREP content material and textbooks. NCE questions are more likely to be application oriented and based on practical experience.

Additional Differences

Additional differences between the CPCE and NCE revolve around the number of items on the exams and items per content area. The CPCE has 160 questions with 20 questions in each of the eight content areas. Three of the 20 questions for each area are developmental/experimental so the highest possible score on the exam (number correct) is 136. Each university graduate program that uses the CPCE sets its own cutoff score for passing. Some universities may supplement the CPCE with other written or oral exam requirements for their students.

Beginning in 2020, NBCC made changes to the number of NCE questions which come from each of the eight CACREP areas. Prior to 2020, the number of items from each area was the same for several years. This is no longer true. Do review the section in the Study Guide titled: The National Counselor Exam and CPCE for up-to-date information (pages 7-12). The areas of Counseling and Helping Relationships and Assessment and Testing receive greater emphasis beginning in 2020 and the areas of Research and Program Evaluation and Professional Orientation/Ethics receive less emphasis than was the case before 2020.

Study Guide for Both Exams

The Study Guide for the National Counselor Examination and CPCE is a valuable resource to prepare for either the CPCE or NCE. On their website, www.nbcc.org, the Center for Credentialing and Education which administers the exams, indicates that “…any study materials developed for the NCE should be useful for the CPCE.”

For more information, see the Study Guide for the National Counselor Examination and CPCE.