What is the CECE?

The Counselor Education Comprehensive Exam (CECE) is an assessment tool used by graduate counseling programs to evaluate a student’s knowledge across the core areas of counselor education. Developed as an alternative to the CPCE (Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam), the CECE is increasingly adopted by institutions to assess the readiness of students completing their master’s programs.

• The CECE is based on the eight core areas outlined by CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs), which include topics like human development, social and cultural foundations, and group counseling.
• The exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions—15 questions for each of the eight content areas—with no pilot or field-tested questions.
• Many institutions offer the CECE at no cost to students, unlike other standardized exams.

Over 127 counseling programs have adopted the CECE, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a cost-effective and reliable alternative to the CPCE. Since the exam can be administered online via platforms like Blackboard, with monitoring options like Zoom, it offers flexibility for both students and institutions.

The CECE aligns closely with the content of licensure exams like the NCE (National Counselor Examination), making it an excellent preparatory tool. Although the CECE is not a licensure exam, its focus on the same core content areas ensures that students are well-prepared for future credentialing steps.