NCMHCE Exam

The NCMHCE (National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination) is used exclusively by state boards in charge of issuing credentials to individuals. Rather than merely testing the candidate's ability to recall isolated facts, the NCMCHE is designed to assess broad areas of skill and competence by relying on simulated cases. Candidates' reactions to these cases demonstrate their problem-solving ability, including identifying, analyzing, diagnosing, and treating clinical issues.

While some people may be able to take the NCMHCE test and succeed with minimal preparation, most test takers will benefit from allocating time to study beforehand and reading through a NCMHCE Test Study Guide or practicing with a set of NCMHCE Exam Flashcards. Regardless of your studying techniques, be sure that you plan ahead and leave yourself enough time in advance of the test day to become adequately prepared. Last minute studying is likely to be rushed and does not maximize your chances of being successful.

NCMHCE Exam Study Guide | NCMHCE Test Flashcards

The test is made up of ten clinical mental health counseling cases, each one divided into about five to eight sections. These sections require both information gathering and decision-making. The test covers the following three areas:

• Evaluation and Assessment
  This section of the NCMHCE includes at least these four topics: identifying precipitating symptoms or problems, conducting exams regarding mental status, conducting thorough biopsychosocial assessments, and identifying individual and relationship functioning.
• Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
  This section includes these topics: combining assessment of the client with observational data and critical judgment to develop a differential diagnosis, collaborating with the client to formulate a treatment plan, coordinating with other service providers for a treatment plan, and monitoring client progress toward achievement of goals.
• Clinical Practice
  This section includes these topics: determining whether the client's needs are being met by the services, discussing legal and ethical issues, and understanding the extent of practice parameters.

Scoring Procedures

The NCMHCE consists of ten clinical simulations. Each section of each simulation has been matched to part of the content outline. Each content area is subdivided into two sections: Information Gathering (IG) and Decision-Making (DM). The IG sections evaluate the candidate's skill in gathering appropriate clinical data in order to assess a situation or make a decision. The DM sections evaluate how well the candidate solves clinical problems by using data to make judgments and decisions. Each option on the NCMHCE is assigned a score ranging from +3 to -3 based on its effectiveness in client care. A total score is calculated for each of the IG and DM sections on the test. To pass the test, a candidate must achieve a total score at least as high as the passing total score for both the IG and DM sections.