Encyclopedia of Counseling: Master Review and Tutorial for the National Counselor Examination, State Counseling Exams, and the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination

The Encyclopedia of Counseling hardcopy book in conjunction with the audio version and Human Services Dictionary are outstanding tools to assist in explanations and thoroughness of concepts. If you are not much for a long explanation, then perhaps, you may benefit from other methods like Rosenthal's You Tube videos. I used the Purple Book along with a Mometrix course review, and Pocket Prep practices. Together, these assisted me significantly. I took the CPCE yesterday and passed it on the first try, glory to God, and thanks to steadfastly studying the materials aforementioned. Rosenthal provides excellent tips as well in his book and videos. Thank you abundantly! I am scheduling the NCE soon and God-willing shall pass on the first try, too. This time I will add the orange book to the purple one.

Wonderfully written and very related to exam material. Taking the sections one-at-a-time over the course of several weeks was essential for understanding NCE topics that were not covered by my program.

Encyclopedia of Counseling: Master Review and Tutorial for the National Counselor Examination is an outstanding resource for anyone preparing for the NCE. The content is thorough yet well-organized, covering all major counseling topics in a clear and concise way. I found the explanations easy to understand, and the practice questions were very helpful for reinforcing knowledge. The book also offers practical tips and strategies that make studying more efficient. It’s like having a complete review guide and tutorial in one volume. Highly recommended for counseling students or anyone needing a solid, reliable study tool for the NCE.

Edit* Someone asked about what app I used as there are quite a few. I can't find it on my phone anymore, but the app tile was purple and I believe it looked like the book and had Howard Rosenthal's name in the app tile as well. I have looked on the play store and I don't see it and I don't see it anymore, so there is the change it has been removed since this review. I'm not sure about apple. So it might be located somewhere else. To start off with, I purchased this book to study for the NCE and used it in conjunction with Rosenthal's app and the end result was that I passed! A short summary of the App: The app goes over almost all the information the book does. It has two modes: a study mode (Multiple choice for each section with instant correct/incorrect responses and a feedback tab to explain why), and a exam mode (you can take each section 3 times) (Multiple choice for each section in one uninterrupted sitting, with percentage scoring and reporting at the end of the last question, and view a stats page that has a bar graph of your scores). Its all the same questions, but I found that even though the questions were all the same, it helped instill those concepts, which in turn helped me to better answer questions on the exam. The book: Rosenthal goes over a wealth of information in the book that covers each section of the exam, a final overview, and tables for the stats section to give a better visual. I hope it goes without saying that the exact questions are not going to show up on the exam. However, there were questions that were very similar to many he went over and while other questions were different, I had adequate enough information from the review that I could still answer them with better judgement and narrow down my answers. Again like the app, the questions and review of answers, helped instill the concepts and information so I could better answer the exam questions. His questions are also set up in the same style as you will see on the exam, which is something I really liked about this book. I wasn't surprised when going into the test and it felt familiar (make no mistake, the exam will be hard, but you will have a good idea how it is structured and the kinds of questions you will see). When taking the exam, if you come across questions that make you go "Um, this wasn't covered even vaguely at all by Rosenthal", then you might have come across some of the 40 experimental questions that are tossed and not scored at the end of the exam. Again his book is a review, so he can't account for everything, but he does thoroughly go over the key concepts that will most likely show up on an exam. How I used the book and app together: I used the app first to test my overall performance and to create a baseline of my scores in each section ( I personally recommend this method so you don't go in blindly studying and feeling like you're getting nowhere). I then started the process of going through the book and reviewing the sections I scored lowest in and worked my way up. After I finished each section, I would go back to the app on study mode and take that section again. I would go through the study mode multiple times too. I had the app on two devices, so I had more opportunities to use the exam mode. You may wonder "well weren't you just remembering your answer each time after you took the practice exam?" Well, yes and no. While I did remember some, going over the review also helped to solidify in my mind why that answer was the correct answer (remember on the exam while some answers are technically correct, the exam is looking for the best correct answer). I also studied for about a month, but had good solid studying for a week before the exam. Things to take into consideration: There are going to be different factors as to how well you do on the NCE (and other exams) though not limited to this list: 1. For myself, my graduate program yields the highest passing rate on the NCE for its graduates in my state (so how well your program has done in your education, and how well you learned/retained info could affect your score) 2. How well you study 3. The length of time you prepare before the exam Well that all I have to say, best of luck on your exams!

This saved me when studying for the CPCE and NCE. There is also an app you could use called Pocket Prep that is so useful HOWEVER, based on the version of the tests I received, the purple book was more helpful. It’s a big, long book BUT the author is very clever and entertaining, and the way he explained reliability and validity using a fruit on a scale? Saved me on test day. I would definitely get this, it was expensive (because imagine the amount of time this author spent gathering all this info???? I was amazed) and so worth it though. Good luck on your exams!

People give The Encyclopedia of Counseling so much credit like it’s the only way to pass these exams. No offense to the author, the information I skimmed through was fine, but this book is not for everyone, and that’s okay. What actually worked for me was Pocket Prep. I passed my CPCE in July, and I also passed my NCE using Pocket Prep, that was it. People need to understand that study materials are subjective. What works amazingly for one person might not help someone else at all. The real “golden rule” for studying for the CPCE and NCE isn’t about which resource you choose, it’s how you study. Whatever material you use, make sure you truly understand what you’re reading. If you see a question and don’t know why an answer is correct, take 10 minutes to research it until you fully understand the concept. That’s what actually prepares you. Research shows that comprehension, not memorization is what leads to long-term retention and better test performance. Actively engaging with the material, analyzing why an answer is correct, and connecting concepts to real-world examples strengthens your understanding far more than simply reading or drilling questions without reflection. So what helped me succeed was my willingness to slow down, understand the answers I didn’t know, and commit to truly learning the material. That strategy made all the difference for me, and it might make the difference for someone else too. Confidence is just as important. I said to myself, "what's the worst that can happen?" Then I told myself, “Well, if I fail, the good news is that test–retest reliability is a real concept!" That's what we learned in the research counseling course.

Used this to study for the NCE and CPCE. Passed both by quite a bit! I also used the audiobook to really help me lock in. The questions are similar to the exams and the explanations are super helpful!

Love the way this book is put together and outlined. Really smart way to study.

This most important book used for preparation has errors such as the one spelled wrong “Ghandi” for Mahatma Gandhi. Saddened to know Rosenthal’s book spells him this way!