TEXAS SCHOOL COUNSELOR EXAM
PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS
RATIONALES 2026 Q&A | INSTANT
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1. A school counselor wants to build rapport with a new
student. Which skill is most effective during the first meeting?
A. Giving immediate advice
B. Sharing personal stories
C. Active listening
D. Using technical counseling terms
Rationale: Active listening communicates care, builds trust,
and encourages the student to open up.
2. According to the ASCA National Model, which domain
includes helping students understand themselves and their
emotions?
A. Academic development
B. Career development
C. Social/emotional development
D. Cultural development
,Rationale: Social/emotional development focuses on self-
awareness, relationships, and emotional regulation.
3. FERPA grants parents the right to:
A. Control classroom curriculum
B. Access educational records
C. Remove counselors
D. Observe counseling sessions
Rationale: FERPA ensures parental access to student
educational records.
4. When a student expresses suicidal intent, the counselor’s
FIRST responsibility is to:
A. Call the student’s teacher
B. Ensure the student’s immediate safety
C. Notify the parent
D. Complete documentation
Rationale: Safety assessment and stabilization always come
before notification or paperwork.
5. A data-driven school counseling program uses data to:
A. Replace counselor judgment
B. Determine needs, plan interventions, and evaluate
outcomes
C. Motivate teachers
D. Replace accountability
,Rationale: Data identifies needs and measures effectiveness of
counselor interventions.
6. A counselor receiving a gift from a student must consider:
A. The student’s grades
B. Ethical guidelines and potential dual relationships
C. The price of the gift
D. Whether other counselors accept gifts
Rationale: Ethical practice requires avoiding conflicts of
interest or perceived favoritism.
7. A student threatens to harm another. The counselor must:
A. Keep confidentiality
B. Break confidentiality due to danger
C. Ignore the statement
D. Contact the board of education
Rationale: Threats of harm require breaking confidentiality for
safety.
8. A counselor sees a trend of declining grades among ninth
graders. The next step is to:
A. Ignore it
B. Conduct a needs assessment
C. Refer all students to tutoring
D. Call each parent
Rationale: Needs assessments identify root causes and
appropriate interventions.
, 9. Solution-focused brief counseling emphasizes:
A. Childhood trauma
B. Long-term analysis
C. Student strengths and future solutions
D. Personality assessment
Rationale: SFBC is short-term and focuses on building
solutions, not exploring pathology.
10. A teacher requests confidential information about a
student. The counselor should:
A. Provide all details
B. Refuse rudely
C. Share only what is necessary for educational interest
D. Report the teacher
Rationale: Privacy must be protected; only educationally
relevant information should be shared.
11. Career interest inventories are used to identify:
A. Reading levels
B. Personality disorders
C. Student career preferences
D. Test anxiety
Rationale: Interest inventories guide career exploration based
on student preferences.
12. A counselor notices a student withdrawing socially. The
BEST initial step is to:
PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS
RATIONALES 2026 Q&A | INSTANT
DOWNLOAD PDF
1. A school counselor wants to build rapport with a new
student. Which skill is most effective during the first meeting?
A. Giving immediate advice
B. Sharing personal stories
C. Active listening
D. Using technical counseling terms
Rationale: Active listening communicates care, builds trust,
and encourages the student to open up.
2. According to the ASCA National Model, which domain
includes helping students understand themselves and their
emotions?
A. Academic development
B. Career development
C. Social/emotional development
D. Cultural development
,Rationale: Social/emotional development focuses on self-
awareness, relationships, and emotional regulation.
3. FERPA grants parents the right to:
A. Control classroom curriculum
B. Access educational records
C. Remove counselors
D. Observe counseling sessions
Rationale: FERPA ensures parental access to student
educational records.
4. When a student expresses suicidal intent, the counselor’s
FIRST responsibility is to:
A. Call the student’s teacher
B. Ensure the student’s immediate safety
C. Notify the parent
D. Complete documentation
Rationale: Safety assessment and stabilization always come
before notification or paperwork.
5. A data-driven school counseling program uses data to:
A. Replace counselor judgment
B. Determine needs, plan interventions, and evaluate
outcomes
C. Motivate teachers
D. Replace accountability
,Rationale: Data identifies needs and measures effectiveness of
counselor interventions.
6. A counselor receiving a gift from a student must consider:
A. The student’s grades
B. Ethical guidelines and potential dual relationships
C. The price of the gift
D. Whether other counselors accept gifts
Rationale: Ethical practice requires avoiding conflicts of
interest or perceived favoritism.
7. A student threatens to harm another. The counselor must:
A. Keep confidentiality
B. Break confidentiality due to danger
C. Ignore the statement
D. Contact the board of education
Rationale: Threats of harm require breaking confidentiality for
safety.
8. A counselor sees a trend of declining grades among ninth
graders. The next step is to:
A. Ignore it
B. Conduct a needs assessment
C. Refer all students to tutoring
D. Call each parent
Rationale: Needs assessments identify root causes and
appropriate interventions.
, 9. Solution-focused brief counseling emphasizes:
A. Childhood trauma
B. Long-term analysis
C. Student strengths and future solutions
D. Personality assessment
Rationale: SFBC is short-term and focuses on building
solutions, not exploring pathology.
10. A teacher requests confidential information about a
student. The counselor should:
A. Provide all details
B. Refuse rudely
C. Share only what is necessary for educational interest
D. Report the teacher
Rationale: Privacy must be protected; only educationally
relevant information should be shared.
11. Career interest inventories are used to identify:
A. Reading levels
B. Personality disorders
C. Student career preferences
D. Test anxiety
Rationale: Interest inventories guide career exploration based
on student preferences.
12. A counselor notices a student withdrawing socially. The
BEST initial step is to:
