National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination
(NCMHCE)
What is the NCMHCE?
There are two primary counseling licensure exams, the NCE and the NCMHCE. While the NCMHCE is generally used less frequently, there are some states that require this examination in order to achieve a full – independent counseling license and some military programs require it.
Taking the Test
The NCMHCE replicates what seeing a client would be like for a practitioner, as such, there are a series of simulations that cover a broad area of competencies. Unlike the NCE, this exam is not based on the recall of isolated facts. Problem-solving abilities including identifying, analyzing, diagnosing and treating clinical mental health problems will be measured.
Within the exam are a series of 10 clinical mental health counseling cases. Each case is divided into five to eight sections that are classified as either information gathering or decision making. Information gathering measures the ability to gather clinical data needed to evaluate a situation. Decision-making sections assess the test taker’s ability to solve clinical problems by using data to make judgements and decisions.
During the exam, a scenario is provided which includes the setting, client information and the problem they present. The objective is to identify solutions to the presented items.
Scoring the NCMHCE
Within each of the 10 scenarios, there is a given parameter for what is right or wrong, and those point totals are tallied. Each section has a minimum pass level of points, and all of those totals are then tallied. The total raw score on the entire examination then determines a pass or a fail. Candidates must achieve a passing score in both the information gathering and decision-making sections to pass the NCMHCE.
