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The theories, models, and rules that recur on the NCE. Skim before test day, then prove it with practice.
Exam facts
- 200 questions (160 scored), ~4 hours
- Biggest domains: Counseling Skills & Interventions (30%), Areas of Clinical Focus (29%)
Major theories & founders
- Psychoanalysis — Freud (id, ego, superego; defense mechanisms)
- Person-centered — Rogers (empathy, congruence, unconditional positive regard)
- REBT — Ellis (A-B-C model); Cognitive therapy — Beck
- Individual psychology — Adler; Gestalt — Perls
- Reality therapy / choice theory — Glasser
Ethics essentials
- Follow the ACA Code of Ethics; protect confidentiality within its limits
- Duty to protect/warn (Tarasoff) for serious, foreseeable harm to an identifiable person
- Informed consent is ongoing, not a one-time form
Models to know
- Holland (RIASEC) career types; Super life-span/life-space
- Tuckman group stages: forming, storming, norming, performing
- Stages of change (Prochaska): precontemplation → contemplation → preparation → action → maintenance
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Sources & references
The exam facts on this page are drawn from official certifying-body materials, reviewed 2026-06-18 by the DrCertifications exam-prep team (10+ years in exam preparation and publishing).