The short answer: one material per job
| The job | Use | Free option |
|---|---|---|
| Theories and their techniques | A reference that shows what each approach sounds like, not just its terms | Counseling theories cheat sheet, 15 approaches on one screen |
| Diagnosis, differentials, time rules | The DSM-5-TR itself, read for durations, specifiers and what rules a diagnosis out | The time-rules table in the study guide |
| Counseling responses | Full cases where every option is explained, so you learn why the credited reflection beats the other three | Free practice case and 20 sample questions |
| Pacing | Timed full-length exams: 11 cases in 225 minutes with locked parts | None that we know of; the free case shows the 20-minute pace for one case |
| Ethics and law | The ACA Code of Ethics, especially confidentiality limits and consent | 2014 ACA Code of Ethics (PDF) |
| The format itself | NBCC's own documents, read once early | Handbook, content outline, sample case studies |
People who passed describe the exam as applied, not recall, so the case bank is the one you will spend the most hours in.
Start with the free case before you buy anything. One full case, every answer explained, about 20 minutes, no account.
Try the free caseWhat people who passed named: one case bank far more than anything else
Most often named first. This shows what people used, not what made them pass; the most popular product appears on both sides of the result.
We read 267 first-hand accounts from people who described their own NCMHCE result after the format changed in November 2022. 155 named at least one resource. Counts of people who passed, out of the 155 who named any resource. Some named more than one. People who failed and later passed are counted as passed. Full method on the how to pass page.
Free materials worth your time
| Material | What it is for |
|---|---|
| NBCC candidate handbook | The rules: 11 cases, 225 minutes, locked parts, the break, what you may bring, retakes. Read it once. |
| NBCC content outline | The five domains and their weights, with the work behaviors under each. Use it to weight your weeks. |
| NBCC sample case studies | The only official sample of the case format. Short, but it is NBCC's own voice. |
| ACA Code of Ethics | Sections A and B carry most exam ethics: consent, confidentiality and its limits, minors, records. |
| Free practice case | One full case on the clock with locked parts, 14 questions, every option explained. The format, felt. |
| Sample questions | Three more cases and five drills on reflections, theory techniques, time rules, goals and ethics, with answers. |
| Study guide | What shows up most in each domain, the DSM time-rules table, and a printable version. |
| Counseling theories cheat sheet | 15 approaches, each with its signature techniques and what a response in it sounds like. |
| Mental status exam template | The MSE domains with examples, for the assessment items and for writing intake notes. |
| Study plan builder | A dated week-by-week plan from your exam date and hours, weighted like the content outline. |
| Publishers' free samples | CounselingExam.com offers a two-case practice exam, AATBS a test of about 20 minutes, Pocket Prep 30 questions. Use them to compare styles before paying. |
Paid materials, by type
Prices are the publishers' own claims as of August 12, 2026; we did not buy the products.
| Type | Examples and price | What it is for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case banks and online courses | CounselingExam.com $129.95 for 30 days to $239.95 for 90 Licensure Lab $249 for 6 months, 170 cases AATBS self-study from $279 for 3 months Mometrix course $99.99 a month | The bulk of your hours: full cases, explained options, timed exams | How many full cases you get, not the question count; whether every option is explained; whether exams are timed with locked parts |
| Books | Mometrix NCMHCE Study Guide $54.99 print, $49.99 eBook, two practice tests claimed | Content review in one place | Some books still describe the pre-2022 simulation format; check the edition |
| Apps | Pocket Prep $20.99 a month, 700 questions claimed NCMHCE Pocket Study $24.99 a month | Short stand-alone drills in spare minutes | Stand-alone items do not teach the case flow; use them for recall, not as your main practice |
| Live classes and tutoring | AATBS live online from $329 for 3 months Individual tutors by the hour | Structure and accountability, or help after a near miss | In first-hand accounts tutors were named by a few passers and by several people who had failed; they help most when you already know what you keep missing |
| The DSM-5-TR | Sold by the American Psychiatric Association; libraries and programs often lend it | Differentials, durations, specifiers, exclusions | You need the TR text revision; the 2013 DSM-5 lacks prolonged grief disorder and the updated criteria |
All 14 products we found, side by side with prices, question counts, guarantees and free samples, are on best NCMHCE exam prep compared.
What people who passed say about choosing materials
- Judge yourself on cases you have not seen. Practice banks differ a lot in difficulty. Passers mostly scored in the 60s and 70s on practice and still passed; a repeated bank inflates scores.
- Answer by the book, not as you would at your agency. Materials that explain why an option is credited teach that; answer keys alone do not.
- Learn each theory by the technique that belongs to it. "Know the theory trees" is the single most repeated content tip.
- Study diagnoses in depth from the DSM-5-TR: durations, onset, specifiers, differentials. Criterion counts matter less than the shape and timeframe of each disorder.
- Know the common screeners (PHQ-9, GAD-7, C-SSRS, AUDIT, CAGE, DAST) and skip the obscure ones. Assessment items were few on most forms.
- Go light on group, career and development theory. Several people regretted the time spent on it, as it rarely appeared. Youth and family cases appeared often.
- Taper in the final week. Final-week burnout drops scores. Sleep, and take the scheduled break on the day.
A materials plan for nine weeks
People who passed on the first attempt and said how long they studied clustered around nine weeks. A plan that uses the materials above in order:
| Weeks | Materials | Aim |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Content outline, study guide, theories cheat sheet, DSM-5-TR, ACA Code | Know each theory by its techniques and each common diagnosis by its differentials and time rules |
| 4 to 7 | A case bank, two or three cases a day, with your own flashcards of every miss | Learn how the exam credits answers: by the book, safety first, assessment before intervention |
| 8 to 9 | Timed full-length exams, then review; taper in the last three days | Hold 20 minutes a case for 11 cases, and arrive rested |
The study plan builder turns your exam date and weekly hours into dated weeks on this shape.
NCMHCE study materials FAQ
What are the best NCMHCE study materials?
One material per job: a theories reference that shows what each approach sounds like, the DSM-5-TR for differentials and time rules, a bank of full cases with every option explained for counseling responses, timed full-length exams for pacing, and the ACA Code of Ethics. In first-hand accounts, CounselingExam.com was named by 115 of the 155 people who named any prep, Mometrix by 32, and the DSM-5-TR itself by 12.
Are there free NCMHCE study materials?
Yes. NBCC publishes the candidate handbook, the content outline and a sample case studies document free. The ACA Code of Ethics is a free PDF. This site has a free full practice case, 20 sample questions with answers, a theories cheat sheet, a mental status exam template and a study plan builder, none of which need an account. Several publishers offer free samples of their banks.
Is the DSM-5-TR enough to study for the NCMHCE?
No. Intake, assessment and diagnosis together are 25% of the scored questions. The DSM-5-TR is the right source for differentials and durations, and 12 of the people who passed and named a resource used it directly, but counseling skills and interventions are the largest domain, and those are learned from worked cases, not a manual.
Do I need an NCMHCE prep course?
Most people who passed and named their prep used at least one paid bank of practice cases, and many named nothing else paid. A live course or tutor was named far less often. What matters is working many full cases on the clock and reviewing every option; which product supplies them matters less than doing them.
What study materials does NBCC provide for the NCMHCE?
The candidate handbook (format, rules, timing), the content outline (the five domains and their weights) and a sample case studies document, all free. NBCC also runs a 10-minute tutorial with a sample case before the exam starts. NBCC does not sell a question bank.
Are flashcards useful for the NCMHCE?
Self-made flashcards were named by 12 of the people who passed and named a resource, almost always built from their own practice misses: a diagnosis they confused, a technique they could not place, a reflection type they mixed up. Pre-made decks were named less often. The value is in the making.
Sources
- NBCC, Candidate Handbook for State Licensure, NCMHCE; NCMHCE content outline; NCMHCE sample case studies. Accessed September 23 and October 21, 2026.
- American Counseling Association, 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. Accessed August 12, 2026.
- Publishers' own product pages for prices, question counts and free samples, recorded in our competitor pricing file. Accessed August 12, 2026. We did not buy the products; a listed feature is not an endorsement.
- Licensure Lab research into first-hand accounts posted online by 267 people who took the NCMHCE between November 2022 and October 2026 and described their result: resources named, practice scores, and advice. Method on the how to pass page.
The free practice case is one full NCMHCE-style case: 14 questions, about 20 minutes, no account needed.
Try the free case