Study Guide for the National Counselor Examination and CPCE – Print Version
$59.95
The 2021 Revision of the 9th Edition of the Study Guide for the National Counselor Exam and CPCE was published in 2021 by Dr. Andrew Helwig. The Study Guide is over 400 pages and includes content material in the eight areas examined by the NCE and CPCE. The material in the Study Guide is also similar to many state school counselor certification exams. Some content is also found on the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE) used for national certification and licensure in some states.
Based on a national survey of practicing counselors conducted by NBCC, changes to the National Counselor Exam going forward will reflect a greater emphasis on clinical mental health issues and practices. Results from the survey identified six work domains or context areas which include many of the same areas examined before. NBCC is calling this a new content outline.
The six work domains or context areas have been labeled:
- Professional Practice and Ethics
- Intake, Assessment and Diagnosis
- Areas of Clinical Focus
- Treatment Planning
- Counseling Skills and Interventions
- Core Counseling Attributes
Do review the sections in the Study Guide about the NCE and CPCE for additional information and examples of content based on the above six areas. More information is also available on the NBCC website.
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.
In the Study Guide, all the exam prep material is arranged according to the eight CACREP content areas. Information is presented in outline format, double-spaced, with considerable highlighting and bolding. It is very user friendly and does not look or feel like a textbook.
The passing score on the NCE is set at about 65% with very minor fluctuations from one form of the exam to another. NBCC designs a new form of the exam about every month created from a pool of questions. For the CPCE, the passing score (cutoff) is determined by the university program using that exam and tends to be in the 65% to 70% range.
The cost of the Study Guide is $59.95.
There is a $10 shipping charge unless you buy the download version.
The book’s ISBN number is: 9780964837799.
Note: to receive a 25% discount when you order 2 or more copies, contact Dr. Helwig or send a Purchase Order via email: ahelwig@sprintmail.com.
Also see the National Counselor Examination and CPCE Workshop DVDs