About This Certification

The National Counselor Examination (NCE), administered by NBCC, is the primary examination used for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensure across the majority of U.S. states. It assesses knowledge across the eight CACREP core curricular areas essential for entry-level counseling practice with individuals, groups, and families.

Exam Overview

The NCE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions (160 scored) with a 4-hour time limit. It is offered twice per year at Pearson VUE testing centers. Questions simulate real counseling situations drawn from the eight CACREP counseling content domains.

Exam Domains & Weighting

Domain	Description	Weight
Human Growth & Development	Lifespan development theories, developmental milestones, personality theories, and human behavior	12.0%
Social & Cultural Diversity	Multicultural counseling, privilege, oppression, identity development models, and cultural competence	11.0%
Counseling & Helping Relationships	Therapeutic relationship, theoretical orientations, counseling techniques, and evidence-based approaches	23.0%
Group Counseling & Group Work	Group dynamics, stages, leadership, facilitation, and therapeutic factors in group settings	10.0%
Career Development	Career development theories, assessment, lifestyle planning, and vocational counseling	8.0%
Assessment & Testing	Psychological assessment instruments, standardized testing, diagnosis, and clinical decision-making	13.0%
Research & Program Evaluation	Research methods, statistics, evidence-based practice, program evaluation, and outcome measures	7.0%
Professional Counseling Orientation & Ethics	ACA Code of Ethics, licensure requirements, professional identity, supervision, and advocacy	16.0%