NCE Practice Test
Career Counseling & Development
1. A career counseling client reports that he performs best at work in the
presence of other people. When he is alone he doesn't perform as well. What is
he experiencing?
● a. Social loafing
● b. Social facilitation
● c. Groupthink
● d. Deindividuation
Answer: b. Social facilitation
2. A career counselor believes that one's environment and one's biology are
both influential in determining a person's career choice and performance only
when considered in the context of one's culture. Which developmental theorist
would this counselor be MOST likely to agree with?
● a. Piaget
● b. Vygotsky
● c. Bronfenbrenner
● d. Erikson
Answer: c. Bronfenbrenner (He is considered a cultural context theorist and
believes that culture is very important in development)
3. A career counselor gives all of her new clients a measure of career maturity
that scores people on a 100-point scale from 1-100. After collecting data on
over 100 clients, she notices that the scores are normally distributed. The
mean score is 65, indicating a level of moderate career maturity. The standard
deviation of scores is 10. Based on this information, she would expect that
68% of scores would be between:
● a. 45 and 85
● b. 55 and 75
● c. 50 and 80
● d. 60 and 70
,Answer: b. 55 and 75 (68% of scores will be one SD above and one SD below the
mean)
4. The counseling department at a university is interested in measuring the
relationship between the GRE score of students entering the program and the
students' GPA upon graduation. They discover that the correlation between
the two measures is 0.60. What is the amount of variability between GPA and
GRE scores?
● a. 0.60
● b. 0.36
● c. 0.80
● d. 0.40
Answer: b. 0.36 (Shared variability equals r², so 0.60² = 0.36)
Developmental Theory
5. A counselor believes that both biology and environment are important in
determining a person's development and functioning. The counselor believes
that culture and environment act together with each other to impact the
individual. The counselor would most likely agree with the views of which of
the following theorists?
● a. Environmental learning theory
● b. Biological maturational theory
● c. Interactional theory
● d. Cultural context theory
Answer: c. Interactional theory (The key words are "acts together")
6. According to Erikson, when an individual fails to develop a strong sense of
identity, the individual will have troubles with the development of:
● a. Autonomy
● b. Initiative
● c. Intimacy
● d. Integrity
, Answer: c. Intimacy (Individuals who fail to achieve identity during adolescence will
have problems attaining intimacy in young adulthood)
7. Often, counselors refer to Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial
development when considering the developmental progress of clients. Which
of the following describes the frame of Erikson's model?
● a. The eight stages occur only during childhood
● b. The eight stages occur throughout a person's life span
● c. The eight stages occur only during adulthood
● d. The eight stages are optional developmental milestones
Answer: b. The eight stages occur throughout a person's life span
8. Henry, a 72-year-old widower, reminisces with his daughter about his life. He
talks about his successes and regrets. This is an example of Erikson's:
● a. Intimacy stage
● b. Generativity stage
● c. Industry stage
● d. Ego integrity stage
Answer: d. Ego integrity stage (Older adults review their lives, looking at
successes and regrets)
9. Cody does what his parents say because he doesn't want to lose his
television privileges. This is an example of what level in Kohlberg's theory of
moral development?
● a. Integrity versus despair
● b. Preconventional
● c. Conventional
● d. Postconventional
Answer: b. Preconventional (Individuals are concerned with consequences
imposed upon them for wrongdoing)
Piaget's Cognitive Development
Career Counseling & Development
1. A career counseling client reports that he performs best at work in the
presence of other people. When he is alone he doesn't perform as well. What is
he experiencing?
● a. Social loafing
● b. Social facilitation
● c. Groupthink
● d. Deindividuation
Answer: b. Social facilitation
2. A career counselor believes that one's environment and one's biology are
both influential in determining a person's career choice and performance only
when considered in the context of one's culture. Which developmental theorist
would this counselor be MOST likely to agree with?
● a. Piaget
● b. Vygotsky
● c. Bronfenbrenner
● d. Erikson
Answer: c. Bronfenbrenner (He is considered a cultural context theorist and
believes that culture is very important in development)
3. A career counselor gives all of her new clients a measure of career maturity
that scores people on a 100-point scale from 1-100. After collecting data on
over 100 clients, she notices that the scores are normally distributed. The
mean score is 65, indicating a level of moderate career maturity. The standard
deviation of scores is 10. Based on this information, she would expect that
68% of scores would be between:
● a. 45 and 85
● b. 55 and 75
● c. 50 and 80
● d. 60 and 70
,Answer: b. 55 and 75 (68% of scores will be one SD above and one SD below the
mean)
4. The counseling department at a university is interested in measuring the
relationship between the GRE score of students entering the program and the
students' GPA upon graduation. They discover that the correlation between
the two measures is 0.60. What is the amount of variability between GPA and
GRE scores?
● a. 0.60
● b. 0.36
● c. 0.80
● d. 0.40
Answer: b. 0.36 (Shared variability equals r², so 0.60² = 0.36)
Developmental Theory
5. A counselor believes that both biology and environment are important in
determining a person's development and functioning. The counselor believes
that culture and environment act together with each other to impact the
individual. The counselor would most likely agree with the views of which of
the following theorists?
● a. Environmental learning theory
● b. Biological maturational theory
● c. Interactional theory
● d. Cultural context theory
Answer: c. Interactional theory (The key words are "acts together")
6. According to Erikson, when an individual fails to develop a strong sense of
identity, the individual will have troubles with the development of:
● a. Autonomy
● b. Initiative
● c. Intimacy
● d. Integrity
, Answer: c. Intimacy (Individuals who fail to achieve identity during adolescence will
have problems attaining intimacy in young adulthood)
7. Often, counselors refer to Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial
development when considering the developmental progress of clients. Which
of the following describes the frame of Erikson's model?
● a. The eight stages occur only during childhood
● b. The eight stages occur throughout a person's life span
● c. The eight stages occur only during adulthood
● d. The eight stages are optional developmental milestones
Answer: b. The eight stages occur throughout a person's life span
8. Henry, a 72-year-old widower, reminisces with his daughter about his life. He
talks about his successes and regrets. This is an example of Erikson's:
● a. Intimacy stage
● b. Generativity stage
● c. Industry stage
● d. Ego integrity stage
Answer: d. Ego integrity stage (Older adults review their lives, looking at
successes and regrets)
9. Cody does what his parents say because he doesn't want to lose his
television privileges. This is an example of what level in Kohlberg's theory of
moral development?
● a. Integrity versus despair
● b. Preconventional
● c. Conventional
● d. Postconventional
Answer: b. Preconventional (Individuals are concerned with consequences
imposed upon them for wrongdoing)
Piaget's Cognitive Development
