Comprehensive Exams for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

Normally, the comprehensive exams are taken upon the completion of the core courses in the program or during your last semester of registration in the program at Fort Hays State University. The exam consists of two parts: an objective exam and an essay exam. Completing the objective and essay comprehensive exams for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate degree program will take two days, as the exams shall not exceed four hours each day. Contact your advisor if you have any questions regarding the comprehensive exams.

Objective Examination

The Counseling Program utilizes the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) published by the Center for Credentialing and Education, Inc., an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. (NBCC), for the objective part of the exam. The CPCE® covers the eight common-core areas of the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP®) as defined by their Standards for Preparation:

1. Human Growth and Development - studies that provide an understanding of the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels.
2. Social and Cultural Foundations - studies that provide an understanding of issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society.
3. Helping Relationships - studies that provide an understanding of counseling and consultation processes.
4. Group Work - studies that provide an understanding of group development, dynamics, counseling theories, group counseling methods and skills, and other group work approaches.
5. Career and Lifestyle Development - studies that provide an understanding of career development and related life factors.
6. Appraisal - studies that provide an understanding of individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation.
7. Research and Program Evaluation - studies that provide an understanding of types of research methods, basic statistics, and ethical and legal considerations in research.
8. Professional Orientation and Ethics - studies that provide an understanding of all aspects of professional functioning including history, roles, organizational structures, ethics, standards, and credentialing.

The CPCE consists of 160 items with 20 items per the eight common-core CACREP areas listed above. Of the 20 items per section, 17 will be scored items and the remaining 3 are pretest items that will not be included in the student score. You must achieve a passing score at or above 1 Standard Deviation below the National Average.

There is no official guide for the CPCE®. Since the CPCE and the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE®) are based on the same eight knowledge areas, any study materials developed for the NCE® should be useful for the CPCE®. You may want to check the NBCC Website for NCE preparation materials which includes sample online tests, workshops, study guides, etc. Also, please refer back to the textbooks used in your program courses.

Specialty Examinations

Please see the student handbook for more information pertaining to the Counseling Specialty Presentation requirement. 

To find more information on how to sign up, visit the Graduate’s School page.