CPCE Practice Test

Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) Questions and Answers

The 160 multiple-choice questions in the CPCE include 20 questions for each of the eight (8) CACREP domains. 14. There will be 20 things total, 17 of which will be scored, and the final three will be unidentified pretest items. As a result, 136 questions on the CPCE were given a score. Practice with the free Counselor Preparation Comprehensive practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (7 questions with answer explanations).

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Other Educational Professions (CACREP) has identified specific knowledge and skill requirements for professional counsellors’ training. The Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) assesses a student’s mastery of those requirements.

The total number of questions across all eight key areas can be scored gives you a maximum score of 136. The amount of questions you correctly answered determines your test score, which is a “raw” score.

About an hour after the exam, your Pearson VUE account will have access to your CPCE results. For the CPCE, a score of 90 is required, plus or minus the standard error of the mean.

The CPCE is a knowledge-based test with roughly 160 items, 20 of which are assigned to each CACREP topic. The test provides 3 hours 45 minutes for test-takers to complete the examination. The exam will go through the following eight CPCE core curriculum areas: Human Development and Growth.

• Select study resources.
• Take a practice test.
• Make a study plan.
• Study with peers.
• Brush up on test-taking techniques, especially techniques for multiple-choice exams.

Some individuals believe that while the test may appear challenging, passing it is pretty simple. Just try your hardest to study, and you’ll succeed.

The CPCE has a passing score of 70/136.

If you are pursuing the CPCE to work in substance abuse counseling, preparing with a CADC practice test can strengthen your knowledge of addiction treatment models and intervention strategies.

Counselors looking to expand their credentials in financial wellness should also consider taking an AFC practice test to build expertise in financial counseling techniques that complement mental health practice.

CPCE Exam at a Glance

What changed for CPCE in 2026

• Oct 25, 2026: Delivery changed to On-campus APB (secure browser), Pearson VUE test center (CBT) or online OnVUE (previously On-campus APB, Pearson VUE test center (CBT) or online OnVUE; no paper).^[3]
• Oct 25, 2026: Eligibility changed to Must be approved by your university (previously Must be approved by your university counseling program).^[3]
• Oct 25, 2026: Exam fee (CPCE-ABE (Pearson VUE test center CBT or OnVUE online)) changed to $150 per student (previously $150 per student (CBT or OnVUE)).^[2]
• Oct 25, 2026: Exam fee (CPCE-APB (on-campus Anywhere Proctored Browser)) changed to $75 per student (previously $75 per student (APB)).^[2]
• Oct 25, 2026: Score release changed to Raw score report on the Pearson VUE dashboard, possibly after a 24–48 hour delay (previously Raw score report within 24–48 hours on the Pearson VUE dashboard).^[1]
• Oct 25, 2026: Retake fee changed to Separate registration and full fee again (previously Full fee again (separate registration and fee)).^[1]
• Oct 25, 2026: Registration deadline (CPCE-APB (on-campus)) changed to School order form due at least 45 days before the on-campus exam date (previously School order form due 45+ days before the on-campus exam date).^[3]

Free Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam Study Tools

Interactive Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

According to Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), an affiliate of NBCC, “The CPCE consists of 160 multiple-choice questions, with 20 items per CACREP area. Of the 20 items per section, 17 will be scored items and the remaining three will be pretest items”^[1]

CPCE content outline and where to practise each area

The content areas below are copied from the official CPCE content outline published by Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), an affiliate of NBCC. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.

Worked examples: how to reason through CPCE questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: A client discloses to their counselor a specific and credible threat to inflict serious physical harm upon an identifiable third party. The legal precedent established by the Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California case creates which primary responsibility for the counselor?

1. To uphold the client's confidentiality above all other concerns.
2. To take reasonable steps to protect the intended victim.
3. To immediately terminate the therapeutic relationship.
4. To focus solely on de-escalating the client's anger within the session.

Answer: B. To take reasonable steps to protect the intended victim.

Explanation:

B is correct. Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California established the duty to protect. When a client makes a specific, credible threat against an identifiable person, confidentiality gives way and the counselor must take reasonable steps to protect that person. That can mean warning the victim, contacting law enforcement, or arranging hospitalization, depending on local law.

• A is wrong because Tarasoff is exactly the case that limits confidentiality when someone else is in danger.
• C is wrong because ending therapy does nothing to protect the victim and may count as abandonment.
• D is wrong because de-escalating in session may help, but on its own it does not meet the duty.

Rule to remember: a serious threat plus an identifiable victim means you act to protect. How that duty works varies by state law.

Example 2

Question: During a session, a counselor encourages a client to speak to an empty chair as if their estranged father were sitting in it. The client is then asked to switch chairs and respond as their father. This powerful experiential technique is most closely associated with which theoretical orientation?

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
2. Gestalt Therapy
3. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
4. Psychoanalytic Therapy

Answer: B. Gestalt Therapy

Explanation:

B is correct. The empty chair is a signature Gestalt technique linked to Fritz Perls. It brings unfinished business into the present moment. The client speaks to the absent person and then answers as that person, which brings feelings and conflicts out in the open.

• A is wrong because CBT works on identifying and disputing thoughts, through methods like thought records and cognitive restructuring, not experiential role-play with an absent person.
• C is wrong because solution-focused therapy looks ahead, using exception and miracle questions instead of revisiting past conflicts.
• D is wrong because psychoanalytic work relies on free association, interpretation and transference, with a less directive therapist.

Rule to remember: here-and-now, awareness and unfinished business point to Gestalt.

Example 3

Question: A group leader who sets the agenda, actively encourages member participation, and guides the group toward making collaborative decisions is demonstrating which leadership style?

1. Authoritarian
2. Laissez-faire
3. Transactional
4. Democratic

Answer: D. Democratic

Explanation:

D is correct. A democratic leader gives the group structure but shares decisions with the members. Setting an agenda while drawing everyone in and reaching decisions together matches that style.

• A is wrong because an authoritarian leader makes decisions alone and directs members without asking for their input.
• B is wrong because a laissez-faire leader gives little or no direction and would not set an agenda or steer decisions.
• C is wrong because transactional leadership works through rewards and exchanges for performance. It comes from organizational theory and is not the shared decision-making described here.

Rule to remember: look at who makes the decisions. The leader alone means authoritarian, nobody means laissez-faire, and leader and members together means democratic.

How to use these practice tests

Start by asking your program for its cut score, which delivery option it uses, and its testing dates. Your target and your deadline both depend on those answers. Then read the CPCE handbook on the CCE website so the format holds no surprises: 160 questions, 20 per CACREP area, 225 minutes of exam time.

Next, take a short set from each content area in the table above and note where you miss the most. Spend most of your study time on your weakest areas rather than rereading what you already know. For every question you miss, write down the rule behind it, such as the theory a technique belongs to or the ethical principle that applies. Review those notes every few days.

Use the extra sets on diagnosis, crisis and trauma, family systems and core theories to practise case-style questions that draw on more than one area. Closer to test day, run the full practice test in a single timed sitting to build stamina and check your pacing across 225 minutes. Treat our questions as practice only. They are written by us, not taken from the real exam, so check any surprising point against your course textbooks and the official material.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

Sample Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam Practice Questions

Try these questions from our free Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam practice tests. The correct answer and an explanation follow each question.

1. A counselor designs a final exam for a graduate-level ethics course. The counselor meticulously ensures that the exam questions cover all major topic areas from the syllabus in proportion to the time spent on each topic during the semester. This process is primarily an effort to establish the exam's:

   • A. predictive validity
   • B. construct validity
   • C. content validity
   • D. test-retest reliability

Answer: C. content validity

Content validity refers to the extent to which a test's items adequately represent the entire domain of the content it is designed to measure. By aligning exam questions with the course syllabus and topic coverage, the counselor is ensuring the test is a representative sample of the course material.

Answer: A. outdated and potentially culturally biased norms.

Using tests with outdated or inappropriate norms is a significant ethical concern. Norms provide the comparison group for a client's score, and if the norm group does not reflect the client's demographic (e.g., age, culture, socioeconomic status), the resulting interpretation is likely to be invalid and potentially harmful.

Answer: B. Transference

Transference is a phenomenon where a client unconsciously redirects feelings and attitudes from a person in their past onto the therapist. In this scenario, the client is projecting feelings associated with a parental figure onto the counselor. Countertransference is the therapist's emotional reaction to the client, while congruence and empathy are core therapeutic conditions.

Answer: C. Countertransference

Countertransference occurs when a therapist projects their own unresolved feelings, experiences, or reactions onto a client. In this case, the counselor's personal feelings, triggered by the client's resemblance to their child, are interfering with their professional objectivity and therapeutic role.

Take the full Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam practice test

Sources & last verified

1. Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), an affiliate of NBCC — number of questions, time limit, passing score, retake fee (official source). “The CPCE consists of 160 multiple-choice questions, with 20 items per CACREP area. Of the 20 items per section, 17 will be scored items and…” Verified Oct 25, 2026.
2. Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), an affiliate of NBCC — exam fee (official source). “The examination cost per student is $75 for APB testing and $150 for CBT and OnVue testing.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 23, 2026.
3. Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), an affiliate of NBCC — delivery, eligibility, registration deadline, testing window (official source). “CBT administrations can only be delivered at an approved Pearson facility.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 23, 2026.
4. Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), an affiliate of NBCC — other (official source). “professional counseling orientation and ethical practice” Verified Oct 29, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.