Andrew A. Helwig is Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado Denver and recently retired after 22 years at the university.
In 1990, Dr. Helwig wrote the first edition of the Study Guide for the National Counselor Examination and began conducting counselor exam review workshops. He has now conducted over 225 workshops in 17 states and his NCE Study Guide is in its fifth edition.
Study Guide for the National Counselor Examination (NCE)
The Fifth Edition of the Study Guide for the National Counselor Examination was published in 2006 by Dr. Andrew Helwig. This NCE study guide is 350 pages long and includes content material in the eight areas that are examined by the National Counselor Exam and the national graduate comprehensive exam which is called Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination. The content in the Study Guide is also similar to many state school counselor certification exams and state professional counselor licensure exams that use some exam other than the National Counselor Exam.
Besides information about the make-up and structure of the National Counselor Exam, the Study Guide includes a 200-item practice exam, the ACA Code of Ethics, study tips, nce prep guide, reference lists, test taking strategies, and additional counselor exam prep resources and NCE study materials.
More About the NCE Study Guide
The eight counselor exam preparation content areas are:
- Human Growth and Development (and Abnormal)
- Social and Cultural Foundations
- Helping Relationships (and Marriage and Family)
- Group Work
- Career and Lifestyle Development
- Appraisal (Tests and Measurements)
- Research and Program Evaluation (Statistics)
- Professional Orientation and Ethics
Many other NCE study guides and exam preparation programs often include 1000+ pages of material, flashcards, CDs, etc. Most counselors are better served by a shorter, more focused set of materials such as this Study Guide because they can stay more concentrated and motivated in their review efforts. The passing score on the National Counselor Exam is set at about 65% with very minor fluctuations from one form of the exam to another. Although you may have reasons to score very highly (e.g. 80% or higher), you will pass the exam with approximately 65% of items answered correctly.
The Study Guide also includes a Feedback Form and many of those are returned from around the country each year. Many users report that they used no other resource in order to pass the National Counselor Exam. All the exam prep material which addresses the eight content areas is presented in outline format, and is double-spaced with considerable highlighting and bolding. It is very user friendly and does not look or feel like a textbook.
The cost of the Study Guide is $79.95.
That price includes all handling and Priority Mailing costs.
The book's ISBN number is: 9780964837744.
Also see the National Counselor Examination Workshop DVDs