Content: the eight areas
The outline splits the questions evenly: each of the eight CACREP areas is 12.5% of the exam, so no area is heavy or light. The area list, with a page for each, is on the CPCE overview.
CPCE · exam facts · checked Oct 30, 2026
CPCE registration and exam facts
You don't register for the CPCE yourself: your program coordinator does, and only students of a participating program can sit it. Pearson VUE then emails you an authorization to test, you pay Pearson VUE, and you sit the exam on campus, in a Pearson VUE seat or from home, whichever your program offers. Each step is below, checked against the candidate handbook revised March 25, 2025.
Start the CPCE practice test Study guide
Updated Oct 30, 2026 · Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.
- questions160
- testing time225 min
- to test6-month window
- raw score report24–48 hours
Exam facts
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 160 multiple-choice questions20 questions in each of the 8 CACREP content areas. | CCE: CPCE Content Outline, Aug 2024 (PDF) · CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Scored questions | 136 scored; 3 pretest questions per content area are not scored | CCE: CPCE Content Outline, Aug 2024 (PDF) · CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Question format | Multiple choice, 20 questions per CACREP content area | CCE: CPCE Content Outline, Aug 2024 (PDF) [1] | |
| Exam time | 3 hours 45 minutes (225 minutes) | CCE: CPCE Content Outline, Aug 2024 (PDF) · CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Appointment | 4 hours 15 minutes (255 minutes)Includes a break after question 80. | CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [2] | |
| Where you test | On campus through the Anywhere Proctored Browser (APB), at a Pearson VUE test center, or online through OnVUEYour program chooses the delivery modes it offers; paper is available only as an accommodation. | CCE: Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) · CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [2][3] | |
| When you can test | Within a 6-month authorization window; APB dates are set by your school | CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [2] | |
| Exam fee | $75 on campus (APB); $150 at a Pearson VUE center or on OnVUE | CCE: Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) [3] | |
| Other fees | Reschedule $50 (test center or OnVUE, at least 24 hours ahead); each retake is a new fee | CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [2] | |
| Results | Raw score report in your Pearson VUE account about 24–48 hours after the exam; pass/fail comes from your programOfficial results reach your program's university portal about 45 days after the exam; CCE gives no results to candidates and does no score verification. | CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [2] | |
| Passing score | Set by your counseling program, not by CCECCE reports raw section and total scores, with national data, to the program; the program applies its own minimum criterion score. | CCE: CPCE Content Outline, Aug 2024 (PDF) · CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Retakes | Two attempts in the 6-month window, the second at least 30 days after the first (90 days if you retest on OnVUE)Since Aug 1, 2023 an OnVUE retest waits 90 days; switching to a test center is allowed after 30. After a second fail, your program coordinator must approve a new authorization. | CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [2] | |
| Content outline in force | Content outline dated August 2024 (8 CACREP content areas) | CCE: CPCE Content Outline, Aug 2024 (PDF) [1] | |
| Changes in 2027 | No change to the CPCE announced by CCE | CCE: Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) · CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) [2][3] | |
| Ethics code tested | ACA Code of Ethics (2014)ACA is revising the 2014 Code; until its board adopts the new version, the 2014 Code remains current. | ACA: Ethics (Code of Ethics status) [4] | |
| Official prep material | No official study guide; CCE publishes a textbook listThe textbook list is dated 2014 (it cites the 2013 DSM-5 and the 6th edition of the APA manual); it ranks the books programs assign most often in each area and endorses none. | CCE: Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) · CCE: CPCE textbook guide (PDF) [3][5] |
Facts checked Oct 30, 2026 against the testing organizations; sources are listed under Source notes.
Registration, step by step
- Your program registers you. Only the program coordinator can submit a registration.
- Pearson VUE emails an Authorization to Test, about 7 business days after the registrations are exported. It holds your candidate ID (it starts with CPC), the dates of your 6-month window, the number of attempts and the delivery mode (handbook, p. 10).
- You pay Pearson VUE, not the exam owner, once that email arrives; card types and the voucher rule are on CPCE cost.
- You book the appointment. On campus, the school sets the dates; for a center or OnVUE, you pick a slot inside your window.
If the window runs out before you test, the coordinator has to ask for an extension.
Three ways to sit it
Which of the three you can use is your program's call.
- APB (Anywhere Proctored Browser): on campus, in a session your school schedules and proctors. The cheaper mode.
- CBT at a Pearson VUE center: you choose the date and center.
- OnVUE: online from home, with a remote proctor and Pearson VUE's room and system checks.
Fees by mode: the cost page.
Questions, pretest items and time
Pace yourself on the testing time, not on the appointment. The handbook's "4 hours and 15 minutes to complete the examination" line (p. 8) covers the whole appointment, with the agreement screen, a tutorial and the break after question 80, which is why some prep sites print it as testing time.
The pretest questions look exactly like scored ones, so give each one full effort.
Results
Your raw score report appears in your Pearson VUE dashboard 24–48 hours after the exam. It shows scores only, with no verdict. The official result reaches your program about 45 days after the exam (handbook, p. 15), and your coordinator tells you whether you passed.
How the score turns into pass or fail
Your program, not the exam owner, sets the cut, so neither a national cut nor a national pass rate exists. What the report contains, how programs set their cut and what to do after a fail: passing score.
Retakes
You get two attempts in one authorization window, and the second can follow after 30 days (OnVUE 90). Each attempt is a separate registration with its own fee.
An appeal goes through the NBCC/CCE Examination Appeals Policy (handbook, p. 16), and its only remedy is another attempt; see if you fail.
After graduation
This exam ends with graduation. Licensure is a separate track: the licensure exam your state requires (NCE or NCMHCE), state board rules on licensure requirements by state, and the full sequence on how to become an LPC.
Other pages on this exam
- CPCEThe counseling master's exit exam: 8 CACREP areas, format, fee and who sets the cut
- CPCE practice testQuestions in the outline's even split over the eight CACREP areas, every option explained
- CPCE costFee by delivery mode, retakes, rescheduling, the next exam bill
- CPCE passing scoreNo national cut: what the raw score report shows, how programs set the pass mark, retakes
- CPCE study guideEight equal areas, CCE's 2014 textbook list and what has aged
Source notes
- [1]CCE: CPCE Content Outline, Aug 2024 (PDF) cce-global.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
- [2]CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) cce-global.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
- [3]CCE: Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) cce-global.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
- [4]ACA: Ethics (Code of Ethics status) counseling.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
- [5]CCE: CPCE textbook guide (PDF) cce-global.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
Registration and test-day questions
Is the CPCE given through Pearson VUE?
Yes. Pearson VUE delivers all three modes, including the on-campus APB session, and takes the payment. CCE owns the exam.
Can I take the CPCE online?
Only if your program offers OnVUE. The program decides which of the three modes are open to its students.
How soon do I see my CPCE score?
A raw score report reaches your Pearson VUE dashboard 24–48 hours after the exam. Your pass or fail comes from your program.
How many attempts do I get at the CPCE?
Twice in one 6-month window. A third try needs your coordinator's approval.