NCE · National Counselor Examination

Pass the NCE — or get every dollar back. Guaranteed.

Don't pass? Full refund — and Lifetime pays your $150 retake fee

Two hundred questions in three hours and forty-five minutes — the real form's shape. Know what to study, and the moment you're ready.

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From $59 · 7-day, 30-day or Lifetime

  • 1,200 exam-style questions, every one with a written explanation
  • Every flashcard deck on spaced repetition — what you miss comes back sooner
  • A readiness score that tells you when you're actually ready to sit
  • Works offline — study anywhere, no signal needed
The NCE study guide open in the reader on a phone
The NCE cheat sheet — cover

What’s inside your study portal

The full NCE Fast Track Study System.

One system, paced to your exam date. Every practice question, every flashcard deck, full-length mocks, narrated audio, Miles the AI tutor and the whole study guide — every pass opens all of it, backed by the SurePass Guarantee.

  • Every practice question — Tutor, Timed and Quiz modes — and every flashcard deck
  • Full-length mock exams, narrated audio on every chapter, and Miles, the AI tutor
  • Your NCE cheat sheet — the highest-yield facts as a PDF, instant to download
  • The whole study guide — every chapter, not a preview — as the depth behind the questions
  • Your readiness meter and study plan, paced to your exam date, on every device

The Capital Prep Method

What to study, when to study it & the exact moment you're ready.

Cut out the months of studying you don't need. NCE prep that adapts every day — no guessing what to do next.

SurePass readiness

A readiness score built from your own answers — not a progress bar. It moves as you answer, and recent work counts most. On an exam whose passing score is set fresh for every version, it is the only straight answer you get to "am I ready?"

SurePass readiness — NCE

See what's included →

Anywhere Mode · Study from your pocket

Ten minutes of scrolling — or ten minutes closer to passing.

Your phone is already in your hand. Two taps, no signal needed.

  • Quick Ten — One tap. Ten questions, with the rationale on every one.
  • It downloads itself — No button, no setup, nothing to remember.
  • No bars? Still works — Airplane mode, the subway, a cabin in the woods.
  • Nothing gets lost. Ever. — Saves as you tap, syncs when you're back.
Get your exam pass guarantee

Flashcards and practice questions work offline. The study guide, audio and full-length mocks need a connection.

NCE — flashcards that work offline, on a phone

Flashcards that work offline

SurePass Guarantee

Pass the NCE — or get your money back.

  • Every pass: full refund — and you keep Lifetime access, free.
  • Lifetime (SurePass Pro): we also pay your $150 NBCC retake fee.
  • Bundle and every course carries SurePass Pro — refunds plus retake-fee coverage up to your bundle's most expensive exam fee.
Get your exam pass guarantee

From $59 · 7-day, 30-day or Lifetime

What you get with each NCE pass

Every pass includes the full study system. Only the length of access and the guarantee payout change.

Lowest price

7-Day Pass

Fall flash sale
$59$79

one-time · 7 days of access

Less than the NBCC retake fee ($150)

Cram-ready full access for the final week before your exam.

Click any feature to see it.

SurePass Guarantee
  • Retake fee not covered
  • Full refund if you don't pass
  • Keep full access, free, until you do

One payment · no subscription · secure checkout by Stripe

Strong guarantee

30-Day Pass

Fall flash sale
$89$119

one-time · 30 days of access

Less than the NBCC retake fee ($150)

A full month to prep — backed by our pass guarantee.

Click any feature to see it.

SurePass Guarantee
  • Retake fee not covered
  • Full refund if you don't pass
  • Keep full access, free, until you do

One payment · no subscription · secure checkout by Stripe

Most popular

Best guarantee

Lifetime

Fall flash sale
$129$179

one-time · never expires

Less than the NBCC retake fee ($150)

Study at your pace, forever — backed by our pass guarantee.

Click any feature to see it.

SurePass Guarantee ProBest protection
  • We pay your $150 retake fee
  • Full refund if you don't pass
  • Lifetime access already included

One payment · no subscription · secure checkout by Stripe

  • Instant access
  • Full study system with every pass

Don't pass? Full refund. On Lifetime, your retake fee is covered too. Terms apply

Questions before you choose? Ask an advisor →

NCE · Features and Pricing

How Capital Prep compares

Tap any i to learn more about a feature.

How Capital Prep compares with Pocket Prep, Licensure Exams, tests.com, Mometrix
Click an i to learn moreCapital PrepPocket PrepLicensure Examstests.comMometrix
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Competitor prices read 27 Sep 2026 — check before you buy. Trademarks are their owners'; Capital Prep is not affiliated with or endorsed by NBCC.

Worried about how you'll do on the NCE?
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Questions, answered

What's inside the study portal?

The full Fast Track Study System — every practice question, every flashcard deck, full-length mock exams, narrated audio, Miles the AI tutor, and the entire study guide, every chapter readable and highlightable. The cheat sheet — the highest-yield facts as a PDF — is in the study portal on every pass, with instant access to download it. Every pass opens all of it, backed by the SurePass Guarantee.

How does the SurePass Guarantee work?

Score 80%+ on one full-length mock, sit the real exam, and if you don't pass we refund what you paid. On Lifetime, clear two mocks with your readiness meter at "Getting close" or above and we also pay your full $150 retake fee. You file the claim in your study portal with your official score report.

The exam changes in 2027. Which version is this written to?

The one in force now — the 200-question, four-option form built on NBCC's six weighted domains — and NBCC itself says who that is for: "If you plan to take the NCE prior to summer 2027, please refer to the current content outline." From 1 July 2027 NBCC replaces the exam rather than adjusting it. The new form is 170 questions with three answer options instead of four, organized into six new behavioral domains from its 2024-25 work analysis, and scored 100 to 500 with a fixed passing point of 360 in place of a raw score out of 160. So if you are sitting before summer 2027, this is built for your exam item by item, and that is the great majority of people reading this. If you are sitting the new version, that is a different test and we are not going to tell you this is written to it. Nothing on this page promises otherwise, and we would rather say so now than have you find out in July.

How many full-length mocks do I get?

Four scored full-length sittings, each a brand-new 200-question paper weighted across all six domains and timed to the real 3 hours 45 minutes. Practice questions and timed practice are unlimited and never use one. They draw from 1,000 curated items, five full papers' worth, so even after four scored sittings two hundred of them are still ones you have not met. NBCC's own study aid is a printed booklet of 180 practice questions.

Which pass should I buy?

Match it to your test date. Sitting within a week, the 7-Day Pass is built for exactly that. A month out, the 30-Day. No date yet, or you want it still there for a second attempt — Lifetime, and on this exam that is its real argument rather than a vague one: a retake waits at least 30 days, costs the fee again, and on the national certification route you get three attempts inside a two-year application window. One thing to read first, though: the answer above about 2027. The exam itself changes that summer, and we are not going to sell you "forever" without pointing at it.

What does a retake cost, and what else does failing cost?

$150. That number comes from the one NBCC document written only for candidates who did not pass, and it is unambiguous — under its own heading "Cost?" it reads "There is a $150 reregistration fee." Two honest notes. NBCC and CCE publish no figure at all for the state-licensure route; it appears inside your Credentialing Gateway account after you log in. So our Lifetime tier covers your full $150 retake fee and we pay what your receipt actually says up to that ceiling — if your board charges more, the $150 is what comes back. The second note is that the calendar costs more than the money: a retake waits at least 30 days, you may only test once per authorized window, and on the certification route the application closes after a third failed attempt, so a fourth try means a whole new application. Fees are, in NBCC's words, "not refundable nor transferable."

What is on the exam?

200 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours 45 minutes, inside a 4 hour 15 minute session that also holds the agreement, a tutorial and one scheduled 15-minute break after question 100. Of the 200, 160 are scored and 40 are unmarked field-test items jumbled in among them, so you cannot tell which ones count. Six domains carry the weighting: Counseling Skills and Interventions 30%, Areas of Clinical Focus 29%, Professional Practice and Ethics 12%, Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis 12%, Treatment Planning 9%, and Core Counseling Attributes 8%. NBCC also aligns the content to the eight CACREP curriculum areas, but only the six domains carry item counts — which is why our bank, our guide and our mocks are built on the six.

What score do I need to pass?

There is no fixed number, and NBCC explains why rather than leaving you guessing. The passing point is set by a modified Angoff study, then equated for each version of the test: "Passing scores may vary slightly for each version of the examination. To ensure fairness to all candidates, a process of statistical equating is used to determine the cut score for each version." You receive a raw score out of the 160 scored items, and the cut you are measured against is the one for your form. So anybody quoting you a percentage is inventing it. The 80% our mocks score against is OUR bar, stated as ours, and it is deliberately set where a sitting that clears it means something.

Do I need NBCC's own study guide as well?

It is worth having and it is not a study system, which is a fair thing to say out loud. The NBCC Foundation sells a printed guide at $34.95 with 180 practice questions and full explanations, covering all six domains, through CCE Academy's store — nonrefundable, in their terms. It comes from the people who write the exam, and ours cannot claim that. It is also 180 questions in a coil-bound booklet with no scheduling, no readiness measure and no mocks on the real clock. A candidate who buys both is better prepared than one who buys either.

What happens when my pass expires?

Your account stays; the paid features stop. Your notes, highlights and flashcard history are all still there if you come back, and Lifetime never expires.

Are the questions like the real exam?

Every item is written to NBCC's published content outline, weighted across the six domains in NBCC's own shares, with four options and a rationale on each, and every one of the 173 published work behaviors carries at least one question. We also run a construction audit nobody else in this category runs: a reader who cannot see the question, only the options, is measured against pure guessing, and we publish what it scores rather than claiming a result. On this bank that reader gets 30.1% where a coin-flip gives 25% — and the same reader scored 34.3% on a bank we already sell, so this one gives away less than a paper we ship today. That is why it carries our standard 80% bar rather than a stricter one. What we will not suggest is that these questions appear on the real exam. They do not, and NBCC prohibits reconstructing its items in as many words.

My test date moved. Does the plan adjust?

Yes. Change the date and the Game Plan rebuilds around the new one — it works backwards from your date, so a move forward compresses it and a move back spreads it out. Nothing is lost.

Can I use it on my phone, and does it work offline?

Yes to both. Add it to your home screen and it behaves like an app. Your due flashcards and a set of practice questions download automatically, so you can revise with no signal. The whole study guide downloads too, narrated audio included; scored mocks and the tutor still need a connection.

Do you offer refunds if I change my mind?

Yes, separately from the pass guarantee: 24 hours on the 7-Day Pass, 48 hours on the 30-Day Pass, or 72 hours on Lifetime, measured from your purchase (or from your upgrade, if you upgraded) — no questions asked, as long as you haven't sat your exam yet. EEA and UK buyers also keep their 14-day statutory right. The SurePass Guarantee is the other promise — that one is about your exam result, not about changing your mind.

Why are SurePass guarantees limited?

Because we honor them. Every guarantee is a real financial commitment we may genuinely pay out, so a limited number opens for this exam each day. The allocation resets at midnight in your own time zone, and the counter shows how many of today's are still open.

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