Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE)

The following courses should already be completed (with a grade):

• Orientation to Counselor Profession Identity & Function (COUC/CEFS 500)
• Ethical & Legal Issues in Counseling (COUC/CEFS 501)
• Human Growth & Development (COUC/CEFS 502)
• Research & Program Evaluation (COUC/CEFS 515)
• Multicultural Counseling (COUC/CEFS 504)
• Counseling Techniques & the Helping Relationship (COUC/CEFS 505)
• Integration of Spirituality & Counseling (COUC/CEFS 506)
• Theories of Counseling (COUC/CEFS 510)
• Group Counseling (COUC/CEFS 512)
• Assessment Techniques in Counseling (COUC/CEFS 521)
• Career Development & Counseling (COUC/CEFS 522)
• Psychopathology (COUC/CEFS 546)
• CMHC students – Clinical Diagnosis & Treatment Planning (COUC 667)
• MFC/MFT Students – Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning in Marriage and Family Counseling (COUC/CEFS 602)

Additional requirements:

• 3.0 GPA
• Good standing in the program

Students now have two options for taking their CPCE: they can either test in person at an offsite Pearson VUE testing center or they can test online at home through Pearson’s OnVUE platform. The CPCE is proctored by Pearson VUE both ways. The Integration Exam is offered online through students’ CEFS 671 Canvas course.

Registration Process:

1. Email the COMP Exam Office at counselingcompexam@liberty.edu to request directions on beginning the steps in this process.

2. The Comp Exam Coordinator will check prerequisites and email the Comp Exam Wavier to the student to fill out and return.

3. Once the completed waiver is returned, the Comp Exam Coordinator will then email instructions that will assist in beginning the registration process with the CCE and Pearson.

4. The student will then create an account with the CCE and select to test for the CPCE. Once the CCE registration is complete, the Comp Exam Coordinator will approve the student to sit through their Credentialing Gateway account and Pearson will email the student a candidate ID number (Authorization to Test).

5. Once the student receives their Authorization to Test email, they should forward this to the COMP Exam Office for next steps on scheduling their CPCE and directions on registration for their exam courses (CEFS 670/671).

6. Once a student schedules and pays for their exam through Pearson, they must email counselingcompexam@liberty.edu a copy of the confirmation page for the scheduled CPCE and the Comp Exam Coordinator will request their registration for the corresponding CEFS 670/671 courses.

Important Notes:

• The current fee to test either offsite at a Pearson VUE testing center or at home through the virtual OnVUE platform is $150. Pearson requires this payment directly by credit card upon scheduling.
• All students are required to be registered for the appropriate courses associated with the Counseling Comprehensive Exam: CEFS 670 (CPCE) and CEFS 671 (Integration Exam). Please remember to submit your confirmation page to the COMP Exam Office.
  • If you schedule your exam outside any term dates, you will be registered for your courses in the following term.
  • If we are in the last 3 weeks of the B or D term you desire registration for, because of timing, we will not permit registrations for that term as that registration term window is closed. You can keep your scheduled CPCE date if you choose, but you will be registered for your exam courses in the following term.
• You can find Pearson VUE locations here.
• On campus testing at Liberty is no longer offered. Students can either test offsite at a Pearson center or at home via the virtual OnVUE platform.

You will be able to see your raw score immediately upon completion of the CPCE. However, the exam coordinator will not receive the official scores until around the middle to end of the month following the month of testing. Once the exam scores are processed, a notice will be sent to you via email notifying you of the results.

Please note the CCE releases a new version of the CPCE a couple times a year.

Passing Scores

• Integration Exam: The passing score for the Integration Exam is 14 questions correct out of 20.
• CPCE: The passing score for the CPCE changes with every version of the exam.
  **Please note, the following scores are examples of passing scores we have seen over the past few years and is by no means a comprehensive list of all possible passing scores. The exam coordinator will not be able to confirm a student’s passing score until receiving the official results from the CCE.
  • Ex: The passing score for version 100123 is 70/136 or higher.
  • Ex: The passing score for version 100223 is 62/136 or higher.
  • Ex: The passing score for version 100A24 is 71/136 or higher.
  • Ex: The passing score for version 100B24 is 85/136 or higher.

Part One: Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE)

Eight core knowledge areas will be covered in the CPCE portion:

1. Human Growth and Development: COUC/CEFS 502
2. Social and Cultural Diversity: COUC/CEFS 504
3. Counseling and Helping Relationships: COUC/CEFS 505
4. Group Counseling & Group Work: COUC/CEFS 512
5. Career Development: COUC/CEFS 522
6. Assessment and Testing: COUC/CEFS 521
7. Research and Program Evaluation: COUC/CEFS 515
8. Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice: COUC/CEFS 500/501

Part Two: Integration

The Integration Exam is offered through Canvas at no cost. This exam reviews studies that provide an understanding of the integration of spirituality and counseling.

• You must email counselingcompexam@liberty.edu to be registered for the Integration Exam during the same subterm in which you register for the CPCE.
• There are three versions of the Integration Exam to correspond with different course materials for the COUC/CEFS 506 course:
  • Version 1: for students who completed COUC/CEFS 506 in Summer 2020 or earlier
  • Version 2: for students who completed COUC/CEFS 506 between Fall 2020 and Spring 2024
  • Version 3: for students who completed COUC/CEFS 506 in the Summer 2024 or later.
  • Please note there are three different study guides to correspond with the three versions of the exam.
• This is a closed-book, closed-note exam.
• If you do not complete the Integration Exam by the deadline, then you will receive a grade of “NP” (No Pass), and it will be counted as one of your three attempts.
  • If you feel you cannot complete the exam by the due date, you must reach out to Academic Advising and request to be dropped or withdrawn from CEFS 671 before the exam due date in order to avoid the aforementioned penalty.
  • Your Integration Exam due date is always the end of the subterm during which you are registered for CEFS 671.
• You may not reschedule for a test date in the same subterm.
  • If you do not pass the Integration Exam, you must wait until at least the next subterm to retake the exam.
• If your computer freezes or you have technical issues while taking the exam, contact the IT Help Desk and submit a ticket. You may then email our office at counselingcompexam@liberty.edu with the ticket number and ask us to resolve the issue.

CPCE Study Tips

Please note that there is no official study guide for the CPCE; the study materials suggested below are simply a list of materials that students and professors have highly recommended over the years.

• Encyclopedia of Counseling Fourth Edition by Howard Rosenthal
  • Free electronic copy available through the Jerry Falwell Library for 7 days
• List of study guides for the NCE (PDF) (which they say contains similar material to the CPCE).
• Study Guide for the National Counselor Examination and CPCE (Newest Edition) by Andrew A. Helwig
• Academic Review provides preparation materials for the NCE. The CPCE is drawn from the same type of questions. A study guide and an electronic program with exam mode and study mode are available.
• Mastering the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and the counselor preparation comprehensive examination (CPCE) by Bradley T. Erford
• CPCE Secrets Study guide
• NCE practice exam kit (electronic and print)
• Vital Review questions for NCE and CPCE 15^th Edition by Howard Rosenthal
• Flash Cards for CPCE
• Daily Email of Questions for CPCE and study materials
• Dr. Arthur’s NCE Study Guide
• ACA Code of Ethics
• NCE Pocket Prep (App)

Integration Study Tips

• Version 1: for students who completed COUC/CEFS 506 in Summer 2020 or earlier
  • McMinn, M. R. (2011). Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian counseling (Rev. ed.). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House. ISBN: 9780842352529.
  • Entwistle, D. N. (2015). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers. 978-1498223485.
  • Integration Exam Version 1 Study Guide (PDF)
• Version 2: for students who completed COUC/CEFS 506 between Fall 2020 and Spring 2024
  • Entwistle, D. N. (2015). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers. 978-1498223485.
  • Neff, M. A., & McMinn, M. R. (2020). Embodying integration: A fresh look at Christianity in the therapy room. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • Integration Exam Version 2 Study Guide (PDF)
• Version 3: for students who completed COUC/CEFS 506 in Summer 2024 or later
  • King, J. A., & Ford, K. (Eds.) (2024). Christian integration in counselor education. Kendall Hunt. ISBN: 9798765781876. 
  • Neff, M. A., & McMinn, M. R. (2020). Embodying integration: A fresh look at Christianity in the therapy room. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • Integration Exam Version 3 Study Guide (PDF)

Preparing for the Exam

• The best way to prepare for the exam is to develop a study schedule that allows for adequate studying time in each of the different areas of knowledge.
• Divide your study time so that you spend equal time preparing for each area.
• Study consistently.
• It is recommended that students consider the timing for taking the CPCE. Often students in their internship semester, who are also taking a few additional classes, tend to feel overwhelmed if a study schedule is not established and followed.
• Do something relaxing and get a good night’s rest the night before the examination.

Time Limit

• CPCE: 4-hour time limit
• Integration Exam: 40-minute time limit

Maximum Number of Attempts

• Students may take the CPCE once per semester and the Integration Exam once per sub-term.
• Students may take both the CPCE and Integration Exam up to three times each.
  • After the second attempt, a student must fill out a CTAP (Counseling Third Attempt Policy) form and wait at least one semester before attempting the CPCE for the third time or one sub-term before attempting the Integration Exam for a third time.
  • The CTAP form must be completed and reviewed before students are eligible for their third and final attempt.
  • After three failed attempts, students will no longer be eligible for the licensure track degree. They will need to contact Dr. Lakisha Mearidy-Bell (lmearidybell@liberty.edu) to discuss the opportunity of transferring their earned credits and conferring a non-licensure 30-hour Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree.
• After a failed third attempt, students may appeal for a fourth attempt by emailing counselingcompexam@liberty.edu for instructions.

Disability Accommodations

Disability accommodations are available to you for both the CPCE and Integration Exam. You will need to email luoodas@liberty.edu to arrange the needed accommodations in advance. If you need disability accommodations, please include this in the email to counselingcompexam@liberty.edu when requesting to register for your Comp Exams to be directed accordingly.