NCE-ABE Exam Dumps : National Counselor Examination

In the Human Growth and Development core area, middle adulthood (approximately 40–65) is commonly associated with life review, reappraisal, and concerns about time and life goals. Theories such as Erikson’s generativity vs. stagnation and life-span models emphasize:

Awareness that time is finite,

Reflection on accomplishments vs. unfulfilled goals,

A possible sense that some earlier aspirations may no longer be realistic or attainable.

This makes Option A consistent with core developmental theory for this age range.

Option B is inaccurate because men and women often experience different developmental stressors, roles, and expectations (e.g., caregiving, menopause, occupational shifts).

Option C overgeneralizes; while peer deaths may trigger grief and reflection, severe distress and heightened spirituality are not universal or predicted outcomes.

Option D is not characteristic specifically of ages 40–65; significant memory decline is more commonly associated with older adulthood, and even then, it tends to be more complex than “short-term down, long-term up.”

Therefore, A best reflects what human development theory tells us about midlife adults.

Client-centered (person-centered) counseling, based on Carl Rogers’ theory, is grounded in a fundamentally positive view of human nature. People are seen as having an innate actualizing tendency—a built-in drive to grow, develop, and move constructively toward fulfillment when provided with appropriate conditions such as empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard from the counselor.1

Because of this, client-centered counselors view people as essentially:

Forward moving – oriented toward growth, change, and self-improvement.

Capable of realistic perception when not distorted by conditions of worth or external pressures.1

This aligns directly with Option A: forward moving and realistic.

Why the other options are incorrect:

B. Incongruent in most aspects of their lives.While Rogers acknowledges that incongruence (a mismatch between self-concept and experience) can occur and lead to distress, he does not define people primarily as incongruent in “most aspects” of their lives. Rather, incongruence is seen as a condition that can be reduced in a supportive therapeutic relationship.1

C. Incapable of unassisted change.Person-centered theory emphasizes that clients possess their own resources for growth. The counselor’s role is to provide facilitative conditions, not to act as the expert who “changes” the client. People are not viewed as fundamentally incapable of change without a counselor.1

D. Seeking to purge the evil from their lives.This reflects a moral or theological framing, not the humanistic, nonjudgmental stance of client-centered counseling. Rogers did not conceptualize people as evil; he saw them as basically trustworthy and constructive.1

In the Core Counseling Attributes area, NBCC emphasizes that counselors hold attitudes that respect the client’s inherent capacity for growth, autonomy, and self-direction—exactly the view reflected in Option A.

In the Assessment and Testing core area, counselors must understand standard scores, including normalized scores with a specified mean and standard deviation (like 50,10).

Step 1: Compute the z-score.

Raw score = 56

Mean = 42

Standard deviation = 7

Compute the difference:

56 − 42 = 14

Compute z:

14 ÷ 7 = 2

So, z = 2.

Step 2: Convert the z-score to a standard score with mean = 50 and SD = 10.

Formula:

Standard score = (z × new SD) + new mean

Compute:

z × new SD = 2 × 10 = 20

20 + 50 = 70

So the f-score (50,10) is 70, which corresponds to Option D.