National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) Transitioning to New Format

Beginning fall 2022, the new format of the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) will be fully launched and the current version of the examination retired. This new, contemporary format is based on a content outline that was developed by subject matter experts from a national job analysis survey of more than 16,000 credentialed counselors.

“The new format of the NCMHCE was expertly developed, written, designed, and reviewed by counselors, for counselors,” said Callie Marino, NBCC’s Vice President of Credentialing and Quality Assurance. “In creating this examination, counseling professionals have determined the standards for what counselors need to know in order to practice safely and effectively.”

The new format includes 11 case studies, each with a set of 13 multiple-choice questions broken into three sections. Examinees may sit for the examination in person at a PearsonVUE center or online through OnVUE. Test-takers are given 260 minutes of total seat time, including 225 minutes for the examination, 5 minutes for the non-disclosure agreement, a 15-minute tutorial, and a 15-minute break. A format comparison and sample case study are available on our website.

There are two ways to register for the examination—as part of an application for national certification or solely for state licensure. The examination in each of these scenarios is the same, and the scores from either route can be used for licensure or national certification.

If you are taking the NCMHCE as part of your certification application, the new format will be administered during the fall 2022 certification cycle beginning in October, and you can request that your score be sent to your state licensure board. If you are taking the examination through the state licensure registration process, outside of an application for national certification, the current format will be available until Nov. 7, 2022.

If you would like to take the current format of the NCMHCE solely for state licensure examination registration, you must schedule and take your examination by Oct. 17, 2022. Candidates interested in taking the new format of the examination must schedule it to take place after Nov. 7, 2022. Please note that the old format will no longer be an option for anyone taking the NCMHCE beginning Nov. 7, 2022.

Please feel free to email us or call (336) 547-0607 if you have questions.