Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE)
HGST
Counseling Comprehensive Exam
(Comp Exam)
 Required for all MAC students
• Graduation requirement: Students must pass the
Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination
(CPCE) prior to graduation. This exit exam is prepared,
scored, and measured against national statistical data
provided by The Center for Credentialing and
Education, Inc.
About the CPCE
 The CPCE is utilized by over 340 universities and colleges; the CPCE is
designed to assess counseling students’ knowledge of counseling information
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viewed as important by counselor preparation programs. Additionally, the
CPCE:
Allows Master’s program comprehensive exams to better meet psychometric
standards.
Gives programs an objective view of the knowledge level of their students.
Allows programs to examine student functioning in various curricular areas.
Promotes longitudinal self-study.
Compares a program’s results to national data.
Stimulates student integration of knowledge learned in separate courses.
Gives students comparative strength / weakness feedback.
The CPCE is not intended or designed as an alternate credentialing
examination.
Student eligibility to participate in the CPCE and its use is determined solely by
the institutions that have contracted to use the CPCE.
http://www.cce-global.org/Org/CPCE
Prerequisites
HSGT students must meet the following criteriabefore
they can apply to take the CPCE:
 Successfully complete the following courses:
COU 500, 522, 530, 540, 600, 611, 665, 674, 690, 710
 Hold a 3.0 GPA
 Be in good standing in the program
CPCE – 8 Core Content Areas
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Human Growth & Development
Social and Cultural Foundations
Helping Relationships
Group Work
Career & Lifestyle Development
Appraisal
Research and Program Evaluation
Professional Orientation & Ethics
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160 Multiple-Choice Questions
136 Questions are Graded
17 Questions per Content Area
24 picked out at random by CCE
Testing
 Time Limit
 4 Hours – CPCE 160 questions
Passing Scores
Passing Scores CPCE passing scores change
depending on version
Version 100113: 73/136
Retaking the Comp Exam
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If you did not receive a passing score, you may
retake the part(s) that you failed. Register again
and retake only the part(s) you did not pass.
Exam can only be taken twice per semester
Maximum Number of Attempts
 HGST students will be given two opportunities, at the
student’s discretion, to pass the exam.
 A third opportunity will be given following a
minimum 4-month break during which time focused
preparation will be expected.
 An overall passing score must satisfy all three of the
following conditions:
 The total score must be greater than or equal to one standard
deviation below the national mean for total scores;
 At least seven of the eight individual category scores must be
greater than or equal to one standard deviation below the
national mean for that category;
 All category scores must be greater than or equal to two
standard deviations below the national mean for that
category.
Test Fee
 $60 charge for HGST students, each time you register.
CPCE Study Tips
 No official study guide
 Any study materials developed for the NCE (National
Counselor Exam)
http://www.nbcc.org/Exams/Study#NCE
CPCE Additional Study Guides
 Rosenthal, H. (2013). Encyclopedia of Counseling (3rd
Edition). New York, NY: Brunner-Routledge.
 Mastering the National Counselor Exam and the Counselor
Preparation Comprehensive Exam (Merrill Counseling) by
Bradley T. Erford, Danica G. Hays, Stephanie Crockett and
Emily M. Miller (Jun 19, 2010). Preparation Guide for the National
Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification
(Copyright 2001 by NBCC; revised 2003)
 There is a copy on reserve in HGST library.
Exam Results
You will be notified via email in 2-4 weeks
CPCE Exams Dates and Registration
Deadlines 2014
CPCE Exam Dates and Times (arrive 12:45)
 January 15, 2014, 1-5 pm (register by Dec.11, 2014)
 March 26, 2014, 1-5 pm (register by Feb. 12, 2014)
 June 18, 2014, 1-5 pm (register by May 14, 2014)
Registering for the Exam
 Use the form (found at
http://www.hgst.edu/offices/registrar/cpce-registration/ )
to register for the Counseling Preparation Comprehensive
Exam (CPCE). In order to guarantee an exam booklet,
students must register by the registration deadline.
 The fee for the CPCE is $60 for HGST students.
 Students from other universities should bring a $70
money order made out to CCE on the day of the exam, and
should pay a $15 proctoring fee to HGST when they register
for the exam.
 All fees paid to HGST can be processed online at
www.hgst.edu/online-payments.
Questions?
 Contact:
 Ria E. Baker, PhD, LPC-S
 713-942-9505, ext. 217
 rbaker@hgst.edu