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School Counseling PK to 12

Test Format and Sample Questions

The School Counseling PK to 12 subject area test consists of approximately 80 multiple-choice questions. You will have two and one-half hours to complete the test.

Each question will contain four response options, and you will indicate your answer by selecting A, B, C, or D.

The table below presents types of questions on the exam and directs you to examples of these formats among the sample items that follow.

Table of Question Formats

Type of Question Sample Question
Direct Question
Choose the response option that best answers the question.
Question 1
Scenario
Examine a situation, problem, or case study. Then answer a question, make a diagnosis, or recommend a course of action by selecting the best response option.
Question 3

Sample Questions

The following questions represent both the form and content of questions on the examination. These questions will acquaint you with the general format of the examination; however, these sample questions do not cover all of the competencies and skills that are tested and will only approximate the degree of examination difficulty.


Question 1

Competency 1—Knowledge of counseling

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following principles underlies the Adlerian approach to group counseling?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 2

Competency 1—Knowledge of counseling

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following terms describes the dynamic of a student venting pent-up emotions?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 3

Competency 1—Knowledge of counseling

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A fourth-grade teacher referred a student to the school counselor after the student became distraught during a small-group meeting. The teacher had drawn attention to a few errors in the student's homework. The student tells the school counselor, "Everything I do is wrong; I don't do anything right. All the kids hear the teacher talk about my work and they joke about it. Because of the teacher, nobody likes me! I am so dumb!"

Which of the following responses by the school counselor is most facilitative?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

Question 4

Competency 2—Knowledge of programs and interventions for
addressing current issues in schools

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

When evaluating a specific school counseling program designed to address an identified student need, a school counselor should begin by considering which of the following questions?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 5

Competency 2—Knowledge of programs and interventions for
addressing current issues in schools

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Many students drop out of school at the end of ninth grade due to academic failure. A school counselor wants to develop a dropout prevention program for the school to help address this issue. As the counselor collaborates with partners to develop this program, it is most important to emphasize which of the following goals?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 6

Competency 2—Knowledge of programs and interventions for
addressing current issues in schools

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following steps is most critical in fulfilling the assess component of a school counseling program within the American School Counselor Association's National Model?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Question 7

Competency 3—Knowledge of assessment in promoting student success

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following statements best explains a correlation of .70 between scores on an intelligence test and a reading achievement test?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 8

Competency 3—Knowledge of assessment in promoting student success

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following assessments is used to measure mastery of content?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 9

Competency 3—Knowledge of assessment in promoting student success

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following statements describes the most important reason for maintaining confidentiality when using students' assessment results?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

Question 10

Competency 4—Knowledge of career development and postsecondary opportunities

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

John Holland's theory of career choice is founded on which of the following concepts?

Choose an answer
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Correct Response: A.

Question 11

Competency 4—Knowledge of career development and postsecondary opportunities

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A senior in high school has taken most of the school's business education classes and has a current GPA of 3.7. Recent college admissions test scores indicate that the student would be an excellent candidate for admission to a 4-year college or university. The student has previously expressed a desire to become an officer manager. Which of the following recommendations by the school counselor would be most helpful to the student in exploring postsecondary opportunities?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 12

Competency 4—Knowledge of career development and postsecondary opportunities

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A high school counselor works with a number of students of multiracial heritages. Many students have told the counselor that they are unable to find a box to check on college applications that accurately reflects their heritage. This issue is most likely to contribute to which of the following experiences for the students?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 13

Competency 5—Knowledge of consultation, collaboration, and coordination

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following elements is most essential to an effective middle school program to support the transition for incoming sixth-grade students?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 14

Competency 5—Knowledge of consultation, collaboration, and coordination

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

In which of the following situations would it be most appropriate for a school counselor to consult with the ESOL staff?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

Question 15

Competency 5—Knowledge of consultation, collaboration, and coordination

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A school counselor has been counseling a student who is in involved in a domestic abuse relationship. The school administrator has requested to see the counselor's notes. Which of the following actions by the counselor would be most appropriate?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

Question 16

Competency 6—Knowledge of professional, ethical, and legal considerations

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Frank Parsons's trait and factor theory is significant to the school counseling profession primarily because it had which of the following elements?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Question 17

Competency 6—Knowledge of professional, ethical, and legal considerations

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

According to Florida Statutes, which of the following statements describes the legal threshold for child neglect?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 18

Competency 6—Knowledge of professional, ethical, and legal considerations

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Regulations enacted pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act stipulate that which of the following entities must provide families and eligible students with annual notification of the law?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Question 19

Competency 7—Knowledge of student appraisal and advisement

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A school counselor provides college night and workshop events for families during the first semester of students' senior year. Which of the following information is most important to include in these efforts?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 20

Competency 7—Knowledge of student appraisal and advisement

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A school counselor examines a fourth-grade student's achievement test showing that the student is performing in the ninety fifth percentile across content areas. These data would be most relevant when considering which of the following placement decisions?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

Question 21

Competency 7—Knowledge of student appraisal and advisement

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Participating in dual enrollment at a community college would be most beneficial to a student in which of the following situations?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Question 22

Competency 8—Knowledge of the development and assessment of exemplary comprehensive school counseling programs

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

According to the American School Counselor Association, which of the following activities is an example of direct services to students?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

Question 23

Competency 8—Knowledge of the development and assessment of exemplary comprehensive school counseling programs

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A program assessment for a comprehensive school counseling program is conducted primarily for which of the following purposes?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

Question 24

Competency 8—Knowledge of the development and assessment of exemplary comprehensive school counseling programs

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A school counselor makes a practice of gathering academic and attendance data on a regular basis. These data are most appropriately used for which of the following purposes?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Question 25

Competency 8—Knowledge of the development and assessment of exemplary comprehensive school counseling programs

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following program outcomes would be most appropriate to share with parents or guardians through a school counseling program newsletter?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

Question 26

Competency 9—Knowledge of technology and digital citizenship

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A school counselor is working with eighth-grade students to prepare them for the transition to high school. The counselor decides to use a free organizer application with students as one strategy for achieving this goal. Incorporating this type of technology is likely to benefit students most in which of the following skill areas related to high school success?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Question 27

Competency 9—Knowledge of technology and digital citizenship

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

School counselors in a district will be receiving personal tablets to manage the  I E P  schedule, which is shared with several stakeholders. Which of the following technology solutions would be most appropriate for this task?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Question 28

Competency 10—Knowledge of cultural competence for school counselors

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Recent data reveal a gap in graduation rates for  E L Ells . Which of the following supports is most likely to have a positive impact to increase graduation rates for this population?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 29

Competency 10—Knowledge of cultural competence for school counselors

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A middle school principal suggests that a school counselor attend professional development workshops to help staff develop cross-cultural relationships. This strategy would be most appropriate for supporting the counselor in achieving which of the following goals?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Question 30

Competency 10—Knowledge of cultural competence for school counselors

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A school's student population includes approximately 45 percent of students whose families have recently fled poverty or political unrest in their home countries. A school counselor wants to work closely with teachers to help them develop strategies for building relationships with the students and learning about their backgrounds. This approach is most likely to have which of the following outcomes?

Choose an answer
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.