exam

Understanding biology, brain function and anatomy, medication, and various forms of brain impairment are important areas of the exam with which to feel comfortable. Although this material is not the most emphasized area of the exam, it surfaces enough that you should plan to spend a considerable amount of time reviewing the material and increasing your knowledge and comfort with concepts in these domains. If you map what AATBS study sections encompass biological bases of behavior, it would include material from the following domains: psychopharmacology, physiological psychology, lifespan, and abnormal psychology. When you approach this material, know that many of the questions will be straightforward, relaying on memorization of concepts, terms, and theories.

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:

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.

Changes to the National MFT Exam in 2020 

Our team at AATBS is committed to keeping you up to date on changes to the National MFT Exam, in order to help you study most effectively to get your license. For 2020, the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) has made some changes to how they score this test.