Published September 6, 2026

Assessment and Testing for the NCE: Test Categories, Reading a Score, the DSM, and Section E Ethics

By David Zimmerman · 9 min read · Clinical content

Assessment and testing is 20 topics and scores mostly under the NBCC domain Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis[1]. Items ask what a named test measures, how a score should be read, what a reliability figure implies, and what the ethics code requires. The psychometrics half overlaps with the research post; this post covers the tests themselves, score interpretation, the DSM, and testing ethics, with a test-category sorter and an eight-item quiz. References: Rosenthal and ACA Section E[2, 3].

Sort the tests

Which category?

Tap an item, then tap the bucket it belongs to. Tap a placed item to send it back.

Items (14 left)

Intelligence

    Achievement

      Aptitude

        Personality (objective)

          Personality (projective)

            Interest

              Test categories and the names to know

              CategoryMeasuresNamed tests
              IntelligenceGeneral cognitive ability (g); verbal, performance, working memory, processing speedWechsler (WAIS, WISC, WPPSI), Stanford-Binet, Kaufman (KABC), Peabody Picture Vocabulary (receptive vocabulary), culture-fair tests (Raven's)
              AchievementWhat has been learnedWoodcock-Johnson, WRAT, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, state assessments
              AptitudePotential to learn or performASVAB, DAT, GRE/SAT/ACT (scholastic aptitude), GATB
              Personality, objectiveTraits and clinical patterns by structured self-reportMMPI-3 (and MMPI-2-RF), 16PF, NEO-PI, MBTI (typology; weak psychometrics), CPI, Millon (MCMI)
              Personality, projectiveDynamics inferred from responses to ambiguous stimuliRorschach, TAT, sentence completion, House-Tree-Person, Bender-Gestalt (visual-motor; also neuro screen)
              Interest and valuesVocational interests; work valuesStrong, SDS, Kuder; Work Values Inventory
              Symptom and screeningSeverity of a specific constructBDI-II, PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, AUDIT, C-SSRS, MoCA (see the instruments cheat sheet)

              Reading a score

              • Norm-referenced (compared with a group): percentile ranks, z, T (M 50/SD 10), deviation IQ (M 100/SD 15), stanines (1–9). Criterion-referenced: compared with a mastery standard.
              • Percentiles are not equal-interval: the distance from the 50th to the 60th percentile is smaller than from the 90th to the 99th.
              • Standard error of measurement widens as reliability falls; report bands, not points.
              • Standardization means uniform administration and scoring and a norm group; check the norm group’s age, culture, and date (the Flynn effect).
              • Practice effects and regression to the mean affect retesting.

              The DSM-5-TR in exam terms

              Categorical diagnoses with specifiers and severity, non-axial since DSM-5, cross-cutting symptom measures, the WHODAS for disability, and cultural material including the Cultural Formulation Interview. The ICD (WHO) supplies the billing codes. Counselors diagnose within their scope and training (ACA E.5), consider cultural factors in diagnosis, and may refrain from diagnosing when it would harm the client.

              Testing ethics (ACA Section E)

              • Competence to select, administer, and interpret (E.2); no use of tests beyond training.
              • Informed consent for assessment: purpose, use of results, who receives them (E.3).
              • Release of data only to qualified professionals with client consent (E.4).
              • Multicultural issues in selection, norming, language, and interpretation (E.8).
              • Conditions of administration and technology-assisted testing (E.7); test security (E.10); obsolete tests (E.11).
              • Forensic evaluation: informed consent, no dual role as therapist and evaluator (E.13).

              Objective vs. projective is the item

              “Structured, self-report, norm-referenced, validity scales” = objective (MMPI). “Ambiguous stimuli, clinician interpretation, psychodynamic assumptions” = projective (Rorschach, TAT). The Bender-Gestalt is the odd one out: a visual-motor test also used as a neuropsychological screen.

              20 assessment topics with cheat sheets and questions

              Test categories, psychometrics, the DSM, and Section E ethics, each a topic in CaseSavvy's NCE library. Free sample topic; full library from $19/month.

              See NCE prep

              Quick check

              Interactive

              Assessment and testing on the NCE

              1 of 8

              A client scores at the 84th percentile on a norm-referenced test with M = 100, SD = 15. Her approximate score is:

              Related

              Sources

              1. NBCC — National Counselor Examination (NCE) overview, candidate handbook, and content outline
              2. Rosenthal, H. (2017). Encyclopedia of Counseling (4th ed.). Routledge.
              3. American Counseling Association — ACA Code of Ethics (2014) and ethics resources
              4. American Psychiatric Association — Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR)

              Frequently asked questions

              What is the difference between objective and projective personality tests?

              Objective tests (MMPI, 16PF, NEO) use structured self-report with norms and validity scales; projective tests (Rorschach, TAT, drawings) present ambiguous stimuli and rely on clinician interpretation under the projective hypothesis.

              Is the DSM-5-TR still multiaxial?

              No. DSM-5 dropped the five-axis system. DSM-5-TR is non-axial and uses specifiers, severity ratings, cross-cutting measures, and cultural material including the Cultural Formulation Interview.

              Ready to practice?

              Start drilling NCMHCE-style questions for free — no credit card required.

              Start Free Practice →