New Exam Candidates

According to the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE), these changes will go into effect in early 2022.  As a coach and an exam candidate/clinician we will only need to be concerned with a few of the changes that may affect our study and exam prep strategies.  Those changes, and how we will tackle them, I will discuss in the next few paragraphs.

First and foremost, the NBCC uses this test to determine whether you possess the necessary skills to perform as an entry level Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), also known as an entry-level clinical mental health counselor.    You would demonstrate the “ability to identify, analyze, diagnose and develop treatment plans of clinical concerns” by passing this exam.  In addition, you will be scored on six content domains:

Approaching the process of studying for the EPPP a second time around can feel daunting. You may be feeling as though you already studied as hard as you possibly could and doubt your ability to do any better. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with the notion of beginning the study process again, but this time around you have some advantages. Take the following scenario as an example:

One of the most problematic issues for many candidates taking the social work exam is the tendency to use “autopilot”. We all operate on autopilot much of the time and this mode of thinking can be very useful. After all, if you had to think carefully each time you tie your shoes, load the dishwasher or brush your teeth, you’d be mentally exhausted in no time! Autopilot lets us perform these overlearned behaviors with little or no mental effort required. However, autopilot is not a good way to approach your exam, and yet, many people use it much of the time.

While occasionally we will hear of someone who took their exam without studying, the fact of the matter is that this is a VERY rare occurrence! Most people need to study and, on top of studying, they need to practice taking test questions. The two tasks can be combined, but they are not the same thing. The single best thing you can do to prepare for your LCSW exam is to complete lots and lots of test questions! While you’re doing test questions, you are also reviewing material. This does not work the other way around. You can go back and read all of your textbooks and review all of the notes you took in class, but, other than the knowledge review, it will not help you with test taking strategy. The only way you can prepare for taking the test is to practice taking the test.