CPCE ASSESSMENT -COUNSELOR PREPERATION COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM|QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLU-
TIONS|GRADED A+|PASS ON FIRST ATTEMPT|BRAND NEW
2026/2027 UPDATE!!!!!
Measurement - ANSWER General process of determining the dimensions of an attribute
or trait.
Assessment - ANSWER Processes and procedures for collecting information about human
behavior.
Assessment tools include tests and inventories, rating scales, observation, interview data
and other techniques.
Appraisal - ANSWER Appraisal implies going beyond measurement to making judgments
about human attributes and behaviors and is used interchangeably with evaluation.
Interpretation - ANSWER Making a statement about the meaning or usefulness of meas-
urement data according to the professional counselor's knowledge and judgment.
Measures of Central Tendency - ANSWER A distribution of scores (measurements on a
number of individuals) can be examined using the following measures:
Mean; the arithmetic average symbolized by X or M
Median: the middle score in a distribution of scores
Mode: the most frequent score in a distribution of scores
All three of these fall in the same place (are identical) when the distribution of scores is sym-
metrical, i.e., normally distributed (not skewed).
1
,Skew - ANSWER The degree to which a distribution of scores is not normally distributed
Positive Skew: tail to right
Negative Skew: tail to left
The mean is pulled in the direction of the extreme scores represented by the tail of a skewed
distribution.
Range - ANSWER Measure of variability. The highest score minus the lowest score. Some
researchers talk of inclusive range which is the high score minus the low score and adding
one (1).
Standard Deviation - ANSWER Measure of variability. this value describes the variability
within a distribution of scores. We use the symbol SD to signify the standard deviation of a
sample. When we talk about the population's variability, we use the symbol a (sigma).
Standard deviation is essentially the mean of all the deviations from the mean. It is an excel-
lent measure of the dispersion of scores.
Variance - ANSWER Measure of variability. the square of the standard deviation.
The variance does not describe the dispersion of scores as well as the standard deviation.
However, we will see it again in the next section when we talk about analysis of variance.
Normal/Bell Curve - ANSWER The normal curve essentially distributes the scores (individ-
uals) into six equal parts—three above the mean and three below the mean.
Counselors should be familiar with the distribution of scores within the normal curve:
2
, 34% and 34% = 68% and comprises one standard deviation and
13.5% and 13.5% = 95% and comprises two standard deviations and
2% and 2% = 99% and comprises three standard deviations.
Percentile - ANSWER A value below which a specified percentage of cases fall.
Stanine - ANSWER From standard nine, converts a distribution of scores into nine parts (1
to 9) with five in the middle and a standard deviation of about 2.
Standardized Scores - ANSWER A standardized score scale is like a 'common language'
that we can use to compare several different test scores for the same individual. Standard-
ized scores occur by converting raw score distributions. These derived scores provide for
constant normative or relative meaning allowing for comparisons between individuals.
Specifically, standardized scores express the person's distance from the mean in terms of the
standard deviation of that standard score distribution. Standardized scores are continuous
and have equality of units. Most common are z-score and T score.
z-score - ANSWER The mean is 0; the standard deviation is 1.0. (See normal curve figure.)
The range for the standard deviation is -3.0 to 3.0.
The Z in z-score should remind you of zero which is the mean of this distribution.
T Score - ANSWER The mean ofthis standardized score scale is 50 and the standard devia-
tion is 10. By (T)ransforming this standard score, negative scores are eliminated unlike the z-
score. (See normal curve figure.)
The T should remind you often which is the standard deviation unit of this distribution.
3
EXAM|QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLU-
TIONS|GRADED A+|PASS ON FIRST ATTEMPT|BRAND NEW
2026/2027 UPDATE!!!!!
Measurement - ANSWER General process of determining the dimensions of an attribute
or trait.
Assessment - ANSWER Processes and procedures for collecting information about human
behavior.
Assessment tools include tests and inventories, rating scales, observation, interview data
and other techniques.
Appraisal - ANSWER Appraisal implies going beyond measurement to making judgments
about human attributes and behaviors and is used interchangeably with evaluation.
Interpretation - ANSWER Making a statement about the meaning or usefulness of meas-
urement data according to the professional counselor's knowledge and judgment.
Measures of Central Tendency - ANSWER A distribution of scores (measurements on a
number of individuals) can be examined using the following measures:
Mean; the arithmetic average symbolized by X or M
Median: the middle score in a distribution of scores
Mode: the most frequent score in a distribution of scores
All three of these fall in the same place (are identical) when the distribution of scores is sym-
metrical, i.e., normally distributed (not skewed).
1
,Skew - ANSWER The degree to which a distribution of scores is not normally distributed
Positive Skew: tail to right
Negative Skew: tail to left
The mean is pulled in the direction of the extreme scores represented by the tail of a skewed
distribution.
Range - ANSWER Measure of variability. The highest score minus the lowest score. Some
researchers talk of inclusive range which is the high score minus the low score and adding
one (1).
Standard Deviation - ANSWER Measure of variability. this value describes the variability
within a distribution of scores. We use the symbol SD to signify the standard deviation of a
sample. When we talk about the population's variability, we use the symbol a (sigma).
Standard deviation is essentially the mean of all the deviations from the mean. It is an excel-
lent measure of the dispersion of scores.
Variance - ANSWER Measure of variability. the square of the standard deviation.
The variance does not describe the dispersion of scores as well as the standard deviation.
However, we will see it again in the next section when we talk about analysis of variance.
Normal/Bell Curve - ANSWER The normal curve essentially distributes the scores (individ-
uals) into six equal parts—three above the mean and three below the mean.
Counselors should be familiar with the distribution of scores within the normal curve:
2
, 34% and 34% = 68% and comprises one standard deviation and
13.5% and 13.5% = 95% and comprises two standard deviations and
2% and 2% = 99% and comprises three standard deviations.
Percentile - ANSWER A value below which a specified percentage of cases fall.
Stanine - ANSWER From standard nine, converts a distribution of scores into nine parts (1
to 9) with five in the middle and a standard deviation of about 2.
Standardized Scores - ANSWER A standardized score scale is like a 'common language'
that we can use to compare several different test scores for the same individual. Standard-
ized scores occur by converting raw score distributions. These derived scores provide for
constant normative or relative meaning allowing for comparisons between individuals.
Specifically, standardized scores express the person's distance from the mean in terms of the
standard deviation of that standard score distribution. Standardized scores are continuous
and have equality of units. Most common are z-score and T score.
z-score - ANSWER The mean is 0; the standard deviation is 1.0. (See normal curve figure.)
The range for the standard deviation is -3.0 to 3.0.
The Z in z-score should remind you of zero which is the mean of this distribution.
T Score - ANSWER The mean ofthis standardized score scale is 50 and the standard devia-
tion is 10. By (T)ransforming this standard score, negative scores are eliminated unlike the z-
score. (See normal curve figure.)
The T should remind you often which is the standard deviation unit of this distribution.
3
