Counselor Licensure Exam

Licensure exam or program exit exam · Oct 30, 2026

NCE vs CPCE: exit exam or licensure exam

The CPCE and the NCE draw on one set of eight CACREP content areas, and the likeness stops there. The CPCE is a comprehensive exam your counseling program may require before you graduate; it leads to no license, and the passing cut is your program's own. The NCE serves licensure in states that adopt it, and is one route to the NCC.

Updated Oct 30, 2026 · Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.

Side by side

FactNCECPCESourceChecked
Exam ownerNational Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)For state licensure the exam is administered by NBCC's affiliate, the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), and delivered by Pearson VUE.Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE)CCE, an NBCC affiliate, develops and administers the exam; CACREP accredits programs and does not own the exam.[1][2][3][4]
Leads toState counselor licensure (the entry license in most states) and the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credentialOne of the two NBCC licensure exams; the NCC accepts the NCE or the NCMHCE.No license or credential: it is the comprehensive (exit) exam of your counseling master's programUsed by more than 400 counseling programs.[1][3][5]
Questions200 multiple-choice questionsFrom July 1, 2027: 170 questions with three answer options.160 multiple-choice questions20 questions in each of the 8 CACREP content areas.[2][4][6][7]
Scored questions160 scored; 40 unscored field-test questions are mixed in and not marked136 scored; 3 pretest questions per content area are not scored[2][4][6][7]
Question formatMultiple choice in one unsectioned examFour answer choices (A–D) per question on the current form (NCE handbook p.14); the 2027 form uses three.Multiple choice, 20 questions per CACREP content area[2][4][6]
Exam time3 hours 45 minutes (225 minutes)3 hours 45 minutes (225 minutes)[2][4][7]
Where you testPearson VUE test center or OnVUE online proctoringOnly specific, limited accommodations are available on OnVUE.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.[2][3][7]
Passing scoreA raw cut score set for each exam form (modified Angoff, then equated)Raw score 0–160; NBCC says the passing score may vary slightly by form, and there is no fixed percentage. From July 1, 2027: a scaled score of 100–500 with 360 to pass on every form.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.[2][4][7][8]
Exam fee$275Paid to NBCC/CCE in the Credentialing Gateway. The NBCC handbook does not print the fee; $275 is the figure state boards publish (Virginia, checked Oct 2026). Through the NCC route the exam is included in the $375 NCC application.as of Oct 30, 2026 · state board figure; NBCC does not print the fee$75 on campus (APB); $150 at a Pearson VUE center or on OnVUE[2][3][9]
RetakesAfter a 30-day wait, with a new registration and fee; your state board sets the attempt limitNCC route: up to 3 attempts within 2 years per application, each retake with a $150 reregistration fee.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.[2][7][10]
Pass rateOnly figures the exam owner or a state board publishes, with the period they cover.Not published by NBCCPrograms whose students apply for the NCC as students get aggregate scores compared with national statistics.No national pass rate: each program sets its own cut score[1][2][3][4][11]
Changes in 2027From July 1, 2027: 170 questions with three options (140 scored), a 100–500 scale with 360 to pass, a new 6-domain outline shared with the NCMHCE, and a Spanish formCandidates who test before the switch take the current form; NBCC plans no overlap period.No change to the CPCE announced by CCE[1][3][7][8]

Facts checked Oct 30, 2026 against the testing organizations; sources are listed under Source notes.

Same areas, built differently

CPCE: the questions are split evenly, 20 per area, so each area carries exactly the same weight, and your program sees your raw score area by area, next to national data.

NCE: NBCC aligns the exam with the same eight areas but publishes no weight per area. The outline it does weight is a different one, six work-behavior domains, and the second largest of them, areas of clinical focus at 29%, has no CPCE counterpart: it covers presenting problems such as depression, trauma and substance use from a counseling point of view.

On this site both exams use one guide per area, from professional orientation to research and program evaluation, with separate question sets: the CPCE practice test and the NCE practice test share no questions.

Using the CPCE to prepare for the NCE

If your program gives the CPCE, you take it before graduation; the NCE comes later, when your board's rules let you test. That order makes the CPCE a diagnostic: your raw score reaches your Pearson VUE account within 24–48 hours, and your program decides pass or fail.

  • Weak areas carry over. The areas are the same, so an area where you scored low is the one to rebuild before the NCE.
  • Clinical focus does not. Study it separately for the NCE: areas of clinical focus.
  • The NCE changes on July 1, 2027 (170 questions, pass at 360); none announced for the CPCE as of Oct 30, 2026. If your NCE date falls after the switch, prepare for the new form.

Bottom line

CPCE

The CPCE is for you when…

  • your program requires it before you graduate; it counts for nothing outside the program;
  • you know your program's cut score (ask the coordinator), since that decides pass or fail;
  • you will use the area scores as a map for licensure study.

CPCE practice test About the CPCE exam

NCE

The NCE is for you when…

  • your board licenses on it, or you want the NCC;
  • you have studied the clinical domain the CPCE does not cover;
  • you know which form you will sit, since the format changes in July 2027.

NCE practice test About the NCE exam

Apps for the CPCE and the NCE

CPCE app

CPCE practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app.

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle PlayGet the CPCE app

Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.

NCE app

NCE practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app.

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle PlayGet the NCE app

Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.

Source notes

  1. [1]NBCC: National Counselor Examination (NCE) nbcc.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
  2. [2]NBCC: NCE Candidate Handbook for State Licensure, rev. Sep 24, 2024 (PDF) sanbcccore.blob.core.windows.net · checked Oct 30, 2026
  3. [3]CCE: Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) cce-global.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
  4. [4]CCE: CPCE Content Outline, Aug 2024 (PDF) cce-global.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
  5. [5]NBCC: National Certified Counselor (NCC) nbcc.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
  6. [6]NBCC: NCE Content Outline, 2023 (PDF) sanbcccore.blob.core.windows.net · checked Oct 30, 2026
  7. [7]CCE: CPCE Candidate Handbook, rev. Mar 25, 2025 (PDF) cce-global.org · checked Oct 30, 2026
  8. [8]NBCC: NCE Examination Specifications, effective July 1, 2027 (PDF) sanbcccore.blob.core.windows.net · checked Oct 30, 2026
  9. [9]Virginia Board of Counseling: examination information dhp.virginia.gov · checked Oct 30, 2026
  10. [10]NBCC: NCE Applicant Handbook for National Certification, rev. Sep 24, 2024 (PDF) sanbcccore.blob.core.windows.net · checked Oct 30, 2026
  11. [11]NBCC: student FAQ (NCC student applicants) nbcc.org · checked Oct 30, 2026

CPCE and NCE: common questions

Is the CPCE the same exam as the NCE?

No. Different owners (CCE and NBCC), different purposes, different questions. They share the eight CACREP content areas, hence the mix-ups.

Does a CPCE pass let me skip the NCE?

No. The CPCE stays inside your program; a board that requires the NCE requires it whatever your CPCE result.

Who decides the CPCE passing score?

Your program does. CCE publishes no national cut and no national pass rate, so a score that passes in one program may fail in another.

Can I retake the CPCE?

Yes, after 30 days (OnVUE 90), inside the same authorization window; your program may add rules of its own.