CPCE Practice Test – Latest 2025/2026 Exam
Prep & Practice Questions
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. - correct answerCORRECT 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. - correct answerCORRECT 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. - correct answerCORRECT
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. - correct answerCORRECT
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. - correct answerCORRECT 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. - correct answerb. 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 - correct answerd. 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 - correct answera. 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.
c. Journal of Consulting and Abnormal Psychology.
d. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases. - correct answera. Journal of Counseling
Psychology.
, According to the NBCC Code of Ethics and the ACA Code of Ethics. when should a
counselor try to persuade the client to report knowledge of a crime to the appropriate
law enforcement authorities?
a. when there is imminent danger to others
b. when there is a crime in progress
c. after the crime
d. never - correct answera. when there is imminent danger to others
Third party reimbursement is a term pertinent to
a. transactional analysis.
b. behavioral therapy.
c. insurance practices.
d. veterans' educational programs. - correct answerc. insurance practices.
In the late 1970s, AACD ( known as ACA since 1992) began to focus very heavily on
professional credentialing. This led to the formation of the
a. CCMHC.
b. NBCC.
c. CACREP, formed in 1981.
d. APGA, formed in 1952. - correct answerb. NBCC.
By passing the NCE, a counselor can attain_______ given via NBCC.
a. NCC, a generic certification for counselors.
b. NCC, a specialty mental health certification for counselors
c. NCC, national certification for school counselors.
d. MAC, master addictions counselor. - correct answera. NCC, a generic certification
for counselors.
Which choice would most likely violate the counseling ethic or law termed "scope of
practice"?
a. A counselor who is using good accurate empathy with a client, but fails to confront
about her excessive drinking.
b. A licensed counselor who gives the client a DSM diagnostic code for insurance.
c. A counselor who is too active-directive with a client.
d. A counselor who is conducting a strict Freudian psychoanalysis with the client. -
correct answerd. A counselor who is conducting a strict Freudian psychoanalysis with
the client.
Ethical guidelines were first created for the helping professions in 1953 when the
American Psychological Association (APA) published their first code of ethics. The
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) created their code in 1960 ,and in 196l,
the organization that is now ACA adopted ethics for counselors. Ethics always describe
a. laws.
b. universal principles which apply to all helpers.
c. standards-of conduct imposed by ACA and NBCC.
Prep & Practice Questions
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. - correct answerCORRECT 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. - correct answerCORRECT 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. - correct answerCORRECT
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. - correct answerCORRECT
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. - correct answerCORRECT 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. - correct answerb. 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 - correct answerd. 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 - correct answera. 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.
c. Journal of Consulting and Abnormal Psychology.
d. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases. - correct answera. Journal of Counseling
Psychology.
, According to the NBCC Code of Ethics and the ACA Code of Ethics. when should a
counselor try to persuade the client to report knowledge of a crime to the appropriate
law enforcement authorities?
a. when there is imminent danger to others
b. when there is a crime in progress
c. after the crime
d. never - correct answera. when there is imminent danger to others
Third party reimbursement is a term pertinent to
a. transactional analysis.
b. behavioral therapy.
c. insurance practices.
d. veterans' educational programs. - correct answerc. insurance practices.
In the late 1970s, AACD ( known as ACA since 1992) began to focus very heavily on
professional credentialing. This led to the formation of the
a. CCMHC.
b. NBCC.
c. CACREP, formed in 1981.
d. APGA, formed in 1952. - correct answerb. NBCC.
By passing the NCE, a counselor can attain_______ given via NBCC.
a. NCC, a generic certification for counselors.
b. NCC, a specialty mental health certification for counselors
c. NCC, national certification for school counselors.
d. MAC, master addictions counselor. - correct answera. NCC, a generic certification
for counselors.
Which choice would most likely violate the counseling ethic or law termed "scope of
practice"?
a. A counselor who is using good accurate empathy with a client, but fails to confront
about her excessive drinking.
b. A licensed counselor who gives the client a DSM diagnostic code for insurance.
c. A counselor who is too active-directive with a client.
d. A counselor who is conducting a strict Freudian psychoanalysis with the client. -
correct answerd. A counselor who is conducting a strict Freudian psychoanalysis with
the client.
Ethical guidelines were first created for the helping professions in 1953 when the
American Psychological Association (APA) published their first code of ethics. The
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) created their code in 1960 ,and in 196l,
the organization that is now ACA adopted ethics for counselors. Ethics always describe
a. laws.
b. universal principles which apply to all helpers.
c. standards-of conduct imposed by ACA and NBCC.
