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NCE path

Sources

Every number about the NCE and the NCMHCE on the NCE path (the domains and their weights, the 101 work tasks, the number of questions and cases, the time, the field-test items, the review rules and the score scale) comes from the documents below, from NBCC and its affiliate CCE, and the ethics codes come from the bodies that issue them. Where they are silent, the choice is ours and we say so.

Checked against the issuers' sites on November 13, 2026.

The 2027 exams: NBCC's specifications

The blueprint the path follows, effective July 1, 2027, the same six domains and 101 tasks for both exams.

  • National Counselor Examination (NCE) Examination Specifications

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Effective July 1, 2027
    What we use it for
    The six domains and their weights, the 101 tasks with their knowledge and skills, word for word in our Library; 170 questions with three possible responses, 30 of them field-test items; 225 minutes with an optional 15-minute break halfway and review within each half; the 100 to 500 scale with a pass at 360.
    Read it at the source

  • National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) Examination Specifications

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Effective July 1, 2027
    What we use it for
    The same domains and tasks; 10 case studies, each an intake summary and two sessions, 9 to 15 questions per case with four options; 130 to 150 questions, 30 to 50 of them field-test items; the same time, break, scale and pass point.
    Read it at the source

  • Examination Content Crosswalk (NCE and NCMHCE)

    Issued by
    NBCC Assessments Department
    Version
    May 2026
    What we use it for
    NBCC's map from the current domains to the 2027 tasks, linked for candidates sitting before the change; NBCC codes tasks as we do ("1B.5", "6.3"); the 18 novel tasks with no current counterpart.
    Read it at the source

  • Upcoming 2027 Version of the NCE and NCMHCE (page tab)

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Live tab, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    The new version will be released in summer 2027; the tasks as web text, which differ from the PDFs in small places, where the specifications govern.
    Read it at the source

  • New Examination FAQ (page tab)

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Live tab, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    The new version is implemented in summer 2027 with dates to be announced; candidates scheduled before then take the current version; new topics include artificial intelligence, medically assisted therapy and emotional support letters.
    Read it at the source

  • Work Analysis for Professional Counseling, White Paper

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    No printed date (PDF created 28 July 2026)
    What we use it for
    How the 2027 tasks were found (interviews, focus groups, a survey with 7,483 usable responses). Its survey shares are not the final weights; we keep the specifications' names and weights.
    Read it at the source

  • Exam Development, Work Analysis (page tab)

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Live tab, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    The survey's sample (52% in private practice, 80% practising telemental health) and the six domains of the exams releasing in summer 2027.
    Read it at the source

The current exams and how they are delivered

For candidates sitting before the 2027 version, and for delivery rules the 2027 specifications leave to the handbooks.

  • Content Outline, The National Counselor Examination (NCE)

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    2023
    What we use it for
    The current NCE: 200 questions, 160 scored, in 3 hours 45 minutes; its domains and weights, so the Overview can say what differs before 2027.
    Read it at the source

  • Content Outline, NCMHCE

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Revised October 8, 2025
    What we use it for
    The current NCMHCE: 11 case studies, one unscored, 100 scored items; its domains and weights.
    Read it at the source

  • Candidate Handbook for State Licensure, NCE

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Revised September 24, 2024
    What we use it for
    Pearson VUE centre or OnVUE online; the session's parts and the break after question 100; one question at a time, answers can be changed, no penalty for guessing; retake after 30 days.
    Read it at the source

  • Candidate Handbook for National Certified Counselor Certification, NCE

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Revised September 24, 2024
    What we use it for
    After the break the first half can be neither reviewed nor changed, which our mock follows; up to three attempts in two years.
    Read it at the source

  • Candidate Handbook for State Licensure, NCMHCE

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Revised November 20, 2025
    What we use it for
    Each case's sections and review only within a section before moving on, which our mock follows; the break after the fifth case; its reference list names the 2014 ACA Code of Ethics.
    Read it at the source

  • Candidate Handbook for National Certification, NCMHCE

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Revised October 16, 2025
    What we use it for
    As the state licensure handbook, for the NCC and CCMHC route; up to three attempts in two years.
    Read it at the source

  • NCMHCE Sample Case Study

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Updated March 2023
    What we use it for
    The shape of a case (intake, two sessions, the intake header with a provisional diagnosis), read for format only; nothing is reused.
    Read it at the source

  • About the National Counselor Examination (NCE)

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    NBCC page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Where NBCC links the current outline, the 2027 specifications and the handbooks.
    Read it at the source

  • About the NCMHCE

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    NBCC page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Where NBCC links the NCMHCE outline, the 2027 specifications and the handbooks.
    Read it at the source

  • NCE

    Issued by
    Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), NBCC's affiliate
    Version
    CCE page, read 12 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Confirms the current form: 200 questions, 160 of them scored, and the current domain counts.
    Read it at the source

  • NCMHCE

    Issued by
    Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), NBCC's affiliate
    Version
    CCE page, read 12 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Confirms the current form: 11 case studies, 100 scored questions, one case unscored, 9 to 15 questions per case.
    Read it at the source

  • Exam Administration

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    NBCC page, read 12 November 2026
    What we use it for
    In person at Pearson VUE or online through OnVUE; no calculators; accommodations, including for English as a second language.
    Read it at the source

Policies

  • NBCC/CCE Special Examination Accommodations Policy

    Issued by
    NBCC and the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE)
    Version
    Approved February 1, 2024
    What we use it for
    Disability accommodations, and for English as a second language "Extended time, not to exceed time and a half" and/or an approved word-to-word bilingual dictionary, as the Overview says.
    Read it at the source

  • National Certification Examinations Testing Authorization Periods and Extension Requests Policy

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Effective January 1, 2024
    What we use it for
    Candidates on the NCC and CCMHC route test within a 6-month authorization period unless it is extended, as the Overview says.
    Read it at the source

  • NBCC/CCE Examination Appeals Policy

    Issued by
    NBCC and the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE)
    Version
    Revised August 10, 2026
    What we use it for
    The appeal routes, read for reference; nothing on the path depends on it.
    Read it at the source

  • NBCC Test Score Release Policy

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Undated
    What we use it for
    How NBCC releases scores, read for reference; our reports make no claim about it.
    Read it at the source

Ethics codes

The specifications name no code (task 6.5: "Adhere to the Counseling codes of ethics"); these are the ones our guides and questions cite.

  • 2014 ACA Code of Ethics

    Issued by
    American Counseling Association (ACA)
    Version
    2014, as approved by the ACA Governing Council
    What we use it for
    The code our questions cite: every standard number cited in our content was checked against its heading.
    Read it at the source

  • NBCC Code of Ethics

    Issued by
    National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
    Version
    Approved May 2023, revised August 24, 2023
    What we use it for
    Named with its version in guide 6.5: it applies to all NBCC certificants and candidates, with its disclosure duties.
    Read it at the source

  • Counseling Ethics and ACA Code of Ethics Resources

    Issued by
    American Counseling Association (ACA)
    Version
    ACA page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    ACA is revising its Code; until the new version is adopted, the 2014 Code remains current, which guide 6.5 says.
    Read it at the source

What the sources leave open, and what we do

  • NBCC publishes domain percentages, not question counts. Our NCE mock scores 140 questions as 21, 25, 21, 28, 17 and 28 by domain; our NCMHCE mock scores 100 as 15, 18, 15, 20, 12 and 20.
  • Which questions are field-test items is not published. Each mock marks 30 of its questions unscored at random, shown only in our report.
  • NCMHCE forms vary in length. Ours has 10 cases of 13 questions, each in the three sections NBCC describes; the 2027 text is silent on whether a case section closes when you move on, and ours closes, as the current form does.
  • The raw to scaled conversion and the cut score are not public, so our report never gives a scaled score, a pass or fail or a prediction.
  • July 1, 2027 is the effective date printed on the specifications; NBCC will announce the final testing dates for the current version, so check nbcc.org before you book.

Independent preparation. ExamDragon is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) or Pearson VUE. The exams' names are used only to describe the exams; every question, case and guide on the NCE path is our own, written from NBCC's published 2027 examination specifications.