NCE Exam V1 | National Counselor
Examination (NCE) | Q&A with Rationale
(NCE Exam) | National Board for Certified
Counselors (NBCC)
1. A counselor is working with a client who expresses a specific threat to harm a named
individual. Which legal precedent most clearly dictates the counselor’s responsibility to warn
the potential victim?
A. Jaffee v. Redmond
B. Miranda v. Arizona
C. Roe v. Wade
D. Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The Tarasoff case established the legal duty to warn third parties who are in
danger of harm by a client. This case implies that clinical confidentiality is not absolute
when public safety is at immediate risk. Counselors must document their assessment of
lethality and the specific steps taken to protect the intended victim.
2. According to Jean Piaget, during which stage of cognitive development do children begin to
understand the concept of conservation?
A. Concrete Operational
,B. Preoperational
C. Sensorimotor
D. Formal Operational
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The concept of conservation is typically mastered during the concrete
operational stage, which ranges from ages 7 to 11. During this period, children realize that
the quantity of a substance remains the same even if its shape or container changes. This
marks a shift toward more logical, albeit concrete, thinking processes.
3. A counselor focuses on understanding the client’s culture from an ‘insider’s’ perspective.
This approach is referred to as:
A. Etic
B. Universal
C. Emic
D. Ethnocentric
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The emic perspective emphasizes that counseling must be culture-specific to be
effective for the individual. It focuses on the unique values and behaviors of the culture
being studied rather than applying universal norms. This contrasts with the etic approach,
which assumes that there are universal principles of counseling applicable to all cultures.
, 4. In John Holland’s RIASEC model, a person who enjoys working with tools, machines, and
animals would likely score high in which category?
A. Social
B. Investigative
C. Conventional
D. Realistic
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The Realistic type prefers physical activities that require skill, strength, and
coordination. Individuals in this category often enjoy working with their hands, using tools,
or operating machinery. They generally prefer concrete problems over abstract or social
ones.
5. Which of the following is one of the three ‘core conditions’ for therapeutic change
identified by Carl Rogers?
A. Unconditional positive regard
B. Interpretation of dreams
C. Cognitive restructuring
D. Systematic desensitization
Correct Answer: A
Examination (NCE) | Q&A with Rationale
(NCE Exam) | National Board for Certified
Counselors (NBCC)
1. A counselor is working with a client who expresses a specific threat to harm a named
individual. Which legal precedent most clearly dictates the counselor’s responsibility to warn
the potential victim?
A. Jaffee v. Redmond
B. Miranda v. Arizona
C. Roe v. Wade
D. Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The Tarasoff case established the legal duty to warn third parties who are in
danger of harm by a client. This case implies that clinical confidentiality is not absolute
when public safety is at immediate risk. Counselors must document their assessment of
lethality and the specific steps taken to protect the intended victim.
2. According to Jean Piaget, during which stage of cognitive development do children begin to
understand the concept of conservation?
A. Concrete Operational
,B. Preoperational
C. Sensorimotor
D. Formal Operational
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The concept of conservation is typically mastered during the concrete
operational stage, which ranges from ages 7 to 11. During this period, children realize that
the quantity of a substance remains the same even if its shape or container changes. This
marks a shift toward more logical, albeit concrete, thinking processes.
3. A counselor focuses on understanding the client’s culture from an ‘insider’s’ perspective.
This approach is referred to as:
A. Etic
B. Universal
C. Emic
D. Ethnocentric
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The emic perspective emphasizes that counseling must be culture-specific to be
effective for the individual. It focuses on the unique values and behaviors of the culture
being studied rather than applying universal norms. This contrasts with the etic approach,
which assumes that there are universal principles of counseling applicable to all cultures.
, 4. In John Holland’s RIASEC model, a person who enjoys working with tools, machines, and
animals would likely score high in which category?
A. Social
B. Investigative
C. Conventional
D. Realistic
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The Realistic type prefers physical activities that require skill, strength, and
coordination. Individuals in this category often enjoy working with their hands, using tools,
or operating machinery. They generally prefer concrete problems over abstract or social
ones.
5. Which of the following is one of the three ‘core conditions’ for therapeutic change
identified by Carl Rogers?
A. Unconditional positive regard
B. Interpretation of dreams
C. Cognitive restructuring
D. Systematic desensitization
Correct Answer: A
