CPCE PRACTICE TEST
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+ 2025-2026
The NBCC Code of Ethics and Ethical Standards of the American Counseling
Association (ACA) do not include a statement reflecting the principle that
A) counselors have a right to protect clients from themselves if the clients give
evidence of being self- injurious.
B) revelation of a counselor's notes on a client should not be made to other
professional unless the client has provided written permission to do so or the
information has been subpoenaed by a court of law.
C) counselors should receive appropriate fees for services rendered regardless of the
situations or settings in which the services were rendered.
D) improvement of the profession through a variety of professional involvements is a
responsibility of all counselors. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER: C) counselors should receive
appropriate fees for services rendered regardless of the situations or settings in which
the services were rendered.
The state in which you reside does not yet have counselor licensure, so a local civic
club has asked you to address their members by presenting an overview of counselor
licensure and its benefits to the public. In your presentation to the group you note that
,A) licensure automatically entitles counselors to receive third- party payments from
insurance companies.
B) some professional groups (e.g., psychologists) have opposed counselor licensure
although the need for mental health services for the public has increased steadily.
C) state-level counselor licensure laws have existed for over 40 years although it is only
recently that a majority of the states have counselor licensure laws.
D) one of the ways that counselor licensure laws protect the public's general welfare is
through restriction of the use of the term "counselor" to those persons who have
graduated from counselor education programs. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER:
B) some professional groups (e.g., psychologists) have opposed counselor licensure
although the need for mental health services for the public has increased steadily.
A client has concluded a series of counseling sessions with another counselor and has
now come to you for counseling. According to the NBCC ethical standards, you should
A) proceed as you would with any other new client.
B) contact the other counselor and find out if it is appropriate for you to counsel the
client.
C) contact the other counselor to ensure that you do not cover the same topic areas
with the client.
D) advise the client to continue with the other counselor. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER:
A) proceed as you would with any other new client.
Your employer has a policy which necessitates that you report all instances of child
abuse to state authorities. A client alludes (in your judgment) to the possibility of (the
client) being a child abuser. As a counselor you should
,A) contact your lawyer; the policy is a violation of the "fair trade" laws.
B) refer the person elsewhere; receipt of a salary constitutes voluntary agreement with
the employer's policies.
C) inform the client of the policy and let the client decide how to proceed.
D) contact a consultant; then do as the consultant suggests. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER:
C) inform the client of the policy and let the client decide how to proceed.
A married couple comes to you, as a counselor in private practice and tells you that
they are having marital difficulties and have sought counseling for resolution of them.
In the course of an initial session with them, one of the spouses reports being a new
and active member of the local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA~) group. You should
A) investigate the nature of the local AA's activities and continue counseling if those
activities do not include accepted definitions of counseling.
B) terminate counseling with the one spouse but continue to work with the spouse who
is not an AA participant.
C) offer to co-counsel with the staff of the local AA.
D) refer both spouses to the local AA. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER:
A) investigate the nature of the local AA's activities and continue counseling if those
activities do not include accepted definitions of counseling.
A member of the local clergy telephones and asks for your evaluation of the spiritual
values of a person whom the caller knows was one of your clients. The caller wants
your opinion because the former client is an applicant to a theological institution for
which the caller is the local applicant evaluator. You should
a. respond orally but require that no records be made of the conversation and that no
comments be attributed to you.
, b. inform the caller that under no circumstances are you ethically permitted to divulge
whether a person is or has been a client or any information about a client without the
client's permission.
c. inform the caller that you need to call the former client and obtain the client's
permission before you can express your opinions.
d. seek the counsel of your supervisor to determine what types of information it
would be permissible to divulge. - ANS-b. inform the caller that under no
circumstances are you ethically permitted to divulge whether a person is or has been a
client or any information about a client without the client's permission.
You have been providing career counseling to a client who is seeking employment.
Concurrent to the counseling, and with your knowledge, the client has made
application for employment with several employers. A potential employer calls you
and asks for your opinion as to your client's suitability for the employer's job opening.
Under which of the following conditions are you free (i.e., not in violation of
professional ethics) to provide the information requested?
a. when it is clear that the client will not get the job unless the information is given
b. when you are certain that the information you would provide would assure that the
client would get the job
c. when in your best judgment you believe the information would enhance the client's
chances for getting the job
d. none of the above - ANS-d. none of the above
As applied to professional licensure of counselors. the term "reciprocity" means that
a. one licensing agency agrees to accept the licensing standards of another as
sufficient for its own.
b. a licensed counselor may legally perform the functions of a licensed psychologist.
c. certification is synonymous with licensure.
d. graduation from a fully accredited counselor education program automatically
constitutes eligibility for licensure - ANS-a. one licensing agency agrees to accept the
licensing standards of another as sufficient for its own.
The publication that is likely to average the largest number of current research articles
on the counseling process is the
a. Journal of Counseling Psychology.
b. Review of Educational Research.
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+ 2025-2026
The NBCC Code of Ethics and Ethical Standards of the American Counseling
Association (ACA) do not include a statement reflecting the principle that
A) counselors have a right to protect clients from themselves if the clients give
evidence of being self- injurious.
B) revelation of a counselor's notes on a client should not be made to other
professional unless the client has provided written permission to do so or the
information has been subpoenaed by a court of law.
C) counselors should receive appropriate fees for services rendered regardless of the
situations or settings in which the services were rendered.
D) improvement of the profession through a variety of professional involvements is a
responsibility of all counselors. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER: C) counselors should receive
appropriate fees for services rendered regardless of the situations or settings in which
the services were rendered.
The state in which you reside does not yet have counselor licensure, so a local civic
club has asked you to address their members by presenting an overview of counselor
licensure and its benefits to the public. In your presentation to the group you note that
,A) licensure automatically entitles counselors to receive third- party payments from
insurance companies.
B) some professional groups (e.g., psychologists) have opposed counselor licensure
although the need for mental health services for the public has increased steadily.
C) state-level counselor licensure laws have existed for over 40 years although it is only
recently that a majority of the states have counselor licensure laws.
D) one of the ways that counselor licensure laws protect the public's general welfare is
through restriction of the use of the term "counselor" to those persons who have
graduated from counselor education programs. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER:
B) some professional groups (e.g., psychologists) have opposed counselor licensure
although the need for mental health services for the public has increased steadily.
A client has concluded a series of counseling sessions with another counselor and has
now come to you for counseling. According to the NBCC ethical standards, you should
A) proceed as you would with any other new client.
B) contact the other counselor and find out if it is appropriate for you to counsel the
client.
C) contact the other counselor to ensure that you do not cover the same topic areas
with the client.
D) advise the client to continue with the other counselor. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER:
A) proceed as you would with any other new client.
Your employer has a policy which necessitates that you report all instances of child
abuse to state authorities. A client alludes (in your judgment) to the possibility of (the
client) being a child abuser. As a counselor you should
,A) contact your lawyer; the policy is a violation of the "fair trade" laws.
B) refer the person elsewhere; receipt of a salary constitutes voluntary agreement with
the employer's policies.
C) inform the client of the policy and let the client decide how to proceed.
D) contact a consultant; then do as the consultant suggests. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER:
C) inform the client of the policy and let the client decide how to proceed.
A married couple comes to you, as a counselor in private practice and tells you that
they are having marital difficulties and have sought counseling for resolution of them.
In the course of an initial session with them, one of the spouses reports being a new
and active member of the local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA~) group. You should
A) investigate the nature of the local AA's activities and continue counseling if those
activities do not include accepted definitions of counseling.
B) terminate counseling with the one spouse but continue to work with the spouse who
is not an AA participant.
C) offer to co-counsel with the staff of the local AA.
D) refer both spouses to the local AA. - ANS-CORRECT ANSWER:
A) investigate the nature of the local AA's activities and continue counseling if those
activities do not include accepted definitions of counseling.
A member of the local clergy telephones and asks for your evaluation of the spiritual
values of a person whom the caller knows was one of your clients. The caller wants
your opinion because the former client is an applicant to a theological institution for
which the caller is the local applicant evaluator. You should
a. respond orally but require that no records be made of the conversation and that no
comments be attributed to you.
, b. inform the caller that under no circumstances are you ethically permitted to divulge
whether a person is or has been a client or any information about a client without the
client's permission.
c. inform the caller that you need to call the former client and obtain the client's
permission before you can express your opinions.
d. seek the counsel of your supervisor to determine what types of information it
would be permissible to divulge. - ANS-b. inform the caller that under no
circumstances are you ethically permitted to divulge whether a person is or has been a
client or any information about a client without the client's permission.
You have been providing career counseling to a client who is seeking employment.
Concurrent to the counseling, and with your knowledge, the client has made
application for employment with several employers. A potential employer calls you
and asks for your opinion as to your client's suitability for the employer's job opening.
Under which of the following conditions are you free (i.e., not in violation of
professional ethics) to provide the information requested?
a. when it is clear that the client will not get the job unless the information is given
b. when you are certain that the information you would provide would assure that the
client would get the job
c. when in your best judgment you believe the information would enhance the client's
chances for getting the job
d. none of the above - ANS-d. none of the above
As applied to professional licensure of counselors. the term "reciprocity" means that
a. one licensing agency agrees to accept the licensing standards of another as
sufficient for its own.
b. a licensed counselor may legally perform the functions of a licensed psychologist.
c. certification is synonymous with licensure.
d. graduation from a fully accredited counselor education program automatically
constitutes eligibility for licensure - ANS-a. one licensing agency agrees to accept the
licensing standards of another as sufficient for its own.
The publication that is likely to average the largest number of current research articles
on the counseling process is the
a. Journal of Counseling Psychology.
b. Review of Educational Research.
