SPECIALIST (CPRS) CERTIFICATION
EXAMINATION 350 PRACTICE QUESTIONS WITH
DETAILED SOLUTIONS
DOMAIN 1: ADVOCACY
1. What is the primary role of a Virginia Certified Peer Recovery Specialist
(CPRS)?
A. To diagnose mental health disorders
B. To provide clinical therapy independently
C. To support individuals in recovery through lived experience
D. To prescribe medication
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The primary role of a CPRS is to support individuals in recovery by
using their own lived experience to encourage and guide others. CPRSs do not
diagnose, prescribe, or provide independent clinical therapy—these functions
are outside the peer support scope of practice.
2. Advocacy is intended to:
A. Provide education to peers/consumers
B. Support and find appropriate employment for peers/consumers
C. Provide housing and shelter for peers/consumers
,D. Promote the dignity of and reduction of stigma against peers/consumers
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Advocacy promotes the dignity of and reduces stigma against
peers/consumers. While peer specialists may assist with resources and
information, the core purpose of advocacy is empowering individuals and
fighting discrimination.
3. What is the motto that began with the early consumer movement?
A. "Recovery for all"
B. "Nothing about us without us"
C. "Peer support matters"
D. "Together we recover"
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: "Nothing about us without us" is the motto that began with the
early consumer movement. This principle emphasizes that individuals with
lived experience must have a central voice in decisions affecting their lives.
4. Which office of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental
Services affords individuals receiving services due process whereby
complaints against assured rights and complaints involving abuse, neglect,
and exploitation (ANE) can be heard, impartially investigated, and resolved?
A. Office of Civil Rights
B. Office of Human Rights
C. Office of Consumer Affairs
D. Office of Advocacy Services
,Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The Office of Human Rights handles complaints involving abuse,
neglect, and exploitation (ANE) and ensures due process for individuals
receiving services.
5. VOCAL, SAARA, and NAMI are examples of what types of stakeholders?
A. Government agencies
B. Advocacy Groups
C. Treatment providers
D. Research institutions
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: VOCAL, SAARA, and NAMI are advocacy groups that work to
support individuals with mental health and substance use conditions.
6. Which principle best reflects the recovery-oriented approach used by Peer
Recovery Specialists?
A. Pathology-focused intervention
B. Medication adherence enforcement
C. Hope and self-determination
D. Diagnostic assessment prioritization
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Recovery-oriented practice centers on fostering hope and
empowering individuals to determine their own paths to wellness.
7. Self-determination means the individual:
, A. Follows the peer's recommendations
B. Is coerced towards treatment
C. Makes their own informed choices
D. Shares decision-making with family only
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Self-determination emphasizes personal choice and autonomy.
Individuals define their own life goals and design their unique paths towards
those goals.
8. What is meant by "recovery is person-driven"?
A. Recovery is determined by clinical professionals
B. Self-determination and self-direction are the foundations as individuals
define their own life goals
C. Recovery follows a standardized treatment protocol
D. Family members make decisions about recovery
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Person-driven recovery means that self-determination and self-
direction are the foundations as individuals define their own life goals and
design their unique paths.
9. Which of the following is a fundamental value in peer support?
A. Clinical objectivity
B. Diagnostic expertise
C. Mutuality and shared experience
D. Authority over the client