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NCE EXAM PREP 2026 | 400+ VERIFIED Q&A | NATIONAL
COUNSELOR EXAM MASTERY | GRADED A+
A group counselor uses techniques based on implosive therapy in her work. which theorist
is responsible for implosive therapy?
a. ellis
b. beck
c. janov
d. stampfl
d. stampfl - abreactive form of therapy often used with highly phobic clients. clients are induced
to read or hear about or imagine frightening depictions of what might happen if they are forced
to face their fear. idea is that the person will become desensitized
A group counselor decides to make graphs of the psychological test data for all of her
clients over the past year. when she plots the distribution of beck depression inventory data,
she notices it it skewed to the left. which of the following statements is true if a distribution
is skewed to the left?
a. the mean is greater than the median
b. the mean is less than the median
c. the mean and median are the same
d. the mode is the best measure of center
b. the mean is less than the median - it means that although most of the scores are to the right of
the distribution, there are a few low scores pulling the distribution to the left. the mean is most
impacted by the extreme scores. Because the extreme scores in this dist. are low, the value of the
mean will be made less than the value of the median
Susie is playing with blocks and is trying to build a tower; she tries but cannot build a
tower. Susie's mother helps her build a four-block tower. Later, Susie builds a four-block
tower without her mother's help. According to Vygotsky, the inability to build the tower on
her own is known as:
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a. scaffolding
b. the zone of proximal development
c. assisted discovery
d. learning by imitation
B. "Scaffolding" is a term used by Vygotsky that explains what Susie's mother is doing.
She is adjusting her level of support to Susie based on Susie's level of performance. The zone
of proximal development involves a range of tasks that are too difficult for the child to do
alone but possible to do with the help of adults or other, more-skilled children. "Assisted
discovery" is another term used by Vygotsky to describe learning situations that a teacher
sets up within a classroom so that children are guided into discovering learning. Learning
by imitation is a type of learning that involves a child watching someone perform a task and
later performing the task by herself.
According to Erickson, 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
C. In Erickson's theory of psychosocial development, individuals who fail to achieve the goal of
the lower level of development will have problems attaining the developmental task at the next
stage of development. In the example above, the individual failed to achieve identity, which
occurs during adolescence. Therefore, in young adulthood, the individual will have problems
attaining intimacy, which is the developmental task to be achieved at
this level. For autonomy, the individual would have to have failed to attain basic trust; for
initiative, the individual would have to have failed to attain autonomy; and for integrity, the
individual would have to have failed to attain generativity.
Which of the following is the correct sequence of stages in Freud's theory of personality
development?
a. Oral, genital, latency, anal, phallic
b. Genital, anal, phallic, oral, latency
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c. Latency, phallic, oral, anal, genital
d. Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
D. The best way to remember Freud's psychosexual stages of development is to think about what
key tasks individuals do throughout childhood. The first thing infants do is suck (oral). Next,
babies begin toilet training (anal), then discover the difference between boys and girls (phallic).
Next, children spend time growing physically and cognitively but are latent in the psychosexual
realm (not focusing on anything sexual); finally, puberty sets in and they begin to think about sex
again and are focused on their own genitals.
Jacob's father tells Jacob to clean his room. When Jacob asks why, his father responds,
"Because I said so." The father's response is most representative of which parenting style?
a. Uninvolved
b. Authoritarian
c. Authoritative
d. Permissive
B. The authoritarian parenting style uses coercive techniques and psychological control to
discipline children, whereas the authoritative parenting style emphasizes some control but allows
for some independence. The uninvolved parenting style rarely uses any control and the parent
seems to be indifferent to the child's level of independence. In the permissive parenting style, the
parents are typically overindulgent with the child. They exert very little control and are lenient
when it comes to granting independence to the child.
Harry Harlow used baby monkeys and several different kinds of "surrogate mothers" to
investigate which factors are important in early development and attachment. According to
his findings, baby monkeys:
a. preferred a soft terrycloth "mother" to a wire-mesh "mother" that held a bottle
b. preferred a wire-mesh "mother" that held a bottle to a soft terrycloth "mother"
c. showed no preference
d. preferred neither "mother"
A. In Harry Harlow's experiments, he found that baby monkeys preferred physical comfort to
hunger satisfaction. In other words, the baby monkeys wanted to be close to a
, 4|Page
soft terrycloth "mother" rather than a wire-mesh "mother," even though the latter presented food.
Therefore, attachment involves more than hunger satisfaction. It involves having close contact
with a "loving" caregiver.
Which of the following is a myth about suicide in the United States?
a. Male suicide is four times higher than that among females.
b. It occurs in age groups of 90 years and up.
c. Psychiatrists, physicians, and dentists are most prone.
d. Asking someone about suicide may push that person over the edge.
D. If someone is thinking about suicide, asking that person about suicide will not plant the seed
or push her into committing suicide. It is important that as a counselor, you ask clients about
suicide so that they can get the help they need. It is necessary to assess suicidality whenever you
suspect that someone is contemplating it or behaving in ways that may suggest that she is
contemplating it. It is best practice to assess for suicidality at each session with your clients.
Suicide knows no age boundaries. Females attempt suicide at a rate three times higher than
males, but males are successful more often, usually because
they use more lethal methods than females.
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
B. Integrity versus despair is one of the stages in Erickson's psychosocial developmental theory.
Kohlberg postulated that in the first level, preconventional, individuals are concerned with
consequences imposed upon them for wrongdoing. Thus, in the example, Cody wanted to avoid
being punished by having his television privileges taken away. At the conventional level, an
individual wants to conform to societal rules so that authority rules and order is maintained. At
the postconventional level, individuals define morality in terms
of universal values and altruism.
NCE EXAM PREP 2026 | 400+ VERIFIED Q&A | NATIONAL
COUNSELOR EXAM MASTERY | GRADED A+
A group counselor uses techniques based on implosive therapy in her work. which theorist
is responsible for implosive therapy?
a. ellis
b. beck
c. janov
d. stampfl
d. stampfl - abreactive form of therapy often used with highly phobic clients. clients are induced
to read or hear about or imagine frightening depictions of what might happen if they are forced
to face their fear. idea is that the person will become desensitized
A group counselor decides to make graphs of the psychological test data for all of her
clients over the past year. when she plots the distribution of beck depression inventory data,
she notices it it skewed to the left. which of the following statements is true if a distribution
is skewed to the left?
a. the mean is greater than the median
b. the mean is less than the median
c. the mean and median are the same
d. the mode is the best measure of center
b. the mean is less than the median - it means that although most of the scores are to the right of
the distribution, there are a few low scores pulling the distribution to the left. the mean is most
impacted by the extreme scores. Because the extreme scores in this dist. are low, the value of the
mean will be made less than the value of the median
Susie is playing with blocks and is trying to build a tower; she tries but cannot build a
tower. Susie's mother helps her build a four-block tower. Later, Susie builds a four-block
tower without her mother's help. According to Vygotsky, the inability to build the tower on
her own is known as:
,2|Page
a. scaffolding
b. the zone of proximal development
c. assisted discovery
d. learning by imitation
B. "Scaffolding" is a term used by Vygotsky that explains what Susie's mother is doing.
She is adjusting her level of support to Susie based on Susie's level of performance. The zone
of proximal development involves a range of tasks that are too difficult for the child to do
alone but possible to do with the help of adults or other, more-skilled children. "Assisted
discovery" is another term used by Vygotsky to describe learning situations that a teacher
sets up within a classroom so that children are guided into discovering learning. Learning
by imitation is a type of learning that involves a child watching someone perform a task and
later performing the task by herself.
According to Erickson, 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
C. In Erickson's theory of psychosocial development, individuals who fail to achieve the goal of
the lower level of development will have problems attaining the developmental task at the next
stage of development. In the example above, the individual failed to achieve identity, which
occurs during adolescence. Therefore, in young adulthood, the individual will have problems
attaining intimacy, which is the developmental task to be achieved at
this level. For autonomy, the individual would have to have failed to attain basic trust; for
initiative, the individual would have to have failed to attain autonomy; and for integrity, the
individual would have to have failed to attain generativity.
Which of the following is the correct sequence of stages in Freud's theory of personality
development?
a. Oral, genital, latency, anal, phallic
b. Genital, anal, phallic, oral, latency
,3|Page
c. Latency, phallic, oral, anal, genital
d. Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
D. The best way to remember Freud's psychosexual stages of development is to think about what
key tasks individuals do throughout childhood. The first thing infants do is suck (oral). Next,
babies begin toilet training (anal), then discover the difference between boys and girls (phallic).
Next, children spend time growing physically and cognitively but are latent in the psychosexual
realm (not focusing on anything sexual); finally, puberty sets in and they begin to think about sex
again and are focused on their own genitals.
Jacob's father tells Jacob to clean his room. When Jacob asks why, his father responds,
"Because I said so." The father's response is most representative of which parenting style?
a. Uninvolved
b. Authoritarian
c. Authoritative
d. Permissive
B. The authoritarian parenting style uses coercive techniques and psychological control to
discipline children, whereas the authoritative parenting style emphasizes some control but allows
for some independence. The uninvolved parenting style rarely uses any control and the parent
seems to be indifferent to the child's level of independence. In the permissive parenting style, the
parents are typically overindulgent with the child. They exert very little control and are lenient
when it comes to granting independence to the child.
Harry Harlow used baby monkeys and several different kinds of "surrogate mothers" to
investigate which factors are important in early development and attachment. According to
his findings, baby monkeys:
a. preferred a soft terrycloth "mother" to a wire-mesh "mother" that held a bottle
b. preferred a wire-mesh "mother" that held a bottle to a soft terrycloth "mother"
c. showed no preference
d. preferred neither "mother"
A. In Harry Harlow's experiments, he found that baby monkeys preferred physical comfort to
hunger satisfaction. In other words, the baby monkeys wanted to be close to a
, 4|Page
soft terrycloth "mother" rather than a wire-mesh "mother," even though the latter presented food.
Therefore, attachment involves more than hunger satisfaction. It involves having close contact
with a "loving" caregiver.
Which of the following is a myth about suicide in the United States?
a. Male suicide is four times higher than that among females.
b. It occurs in age groups of 90 years and up.
c. Psychiatrists, physicians, and dentists are most prone.
d. Asking someone about suicide may push that person over the edge.
D. If someone is thinking about suicide, asking that person about suicide will not plant the seed
or push her into committing suicide. It is important that as a counselor, you ask clients about
suicide so that they can get the help they need. It is necessary to assess suicidality whenever you
suspect that someone is contemplating it or behaving in ways that may suggest that she is
contemplating it. It is best practice to assess for suicidality at each session with your clients.
Suicide knows no age boundaries. Females attempt suicide at a rate three times higher than
males, but males are successful more often, usually because
they use more lethal methods than females.
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
B. Integrity versus despair is one of the stages in Erickson's psychosocial developmental theory.
Kohlberg postulated that in the first level, preconventional, individuals are concerned with
consequences imposed upon them for wrongdoing. Thus, in the example, Cody wanted to avoid
being punished by having his television privileges taken away. At the conventional level, an
individual wants to conform to societal rules so that authority rules and order is maintained. At
the postconventional level, individuals define morality in terms
of universal values and altruism.
