Darius, an eleventh grader, tells his school counselor he will become a pharmacist like both of his parents. When asked what other careers he has looked into, he says he has never considered anything else because the decision was made years ago. Darius's identity status is most consistent with which of Marcia's categories?

Foreclosure, because he has committed without exploring alternatives

Moratorium, because he is still in the middle of an identity crisis

Achievement, because he has made a firm occupational commitment

Diffusion, because he has not explored any career alternatives

Andre, a sixth grader, has been sent to the office three times for fighting during lunch. His counselor is using solution-focused brief counseling. Which question is an example of an exception question?

"Tell me about a lunch this week when you were annoyed but didn't fight."

"Suppose you woke up tomorrow and lunch problems had magically vanished."

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how well are you handling lunch these days?"

"It sounds like lunchtime leaves you feeling angry and outnumbered."

A fourth-grade teacher reports that many students lose assignments and run out of time on projects. The counselor plans a lesson series on organizing materials and managing time. Which category of the ASCA Student Standards does this series primarily address?

Behavior standards: learning strategies

Behavior standards: social skills

Behavior standards: self-management skills

Mindset standards: sense of belonging

Survey item (8 participants) Pre-group agree (%) Post-group agree (%) I can tell when I am getting angry 38 88 I use a calming strategy when upset 25 75 I can talk through a conflict 38 63 Based on the data above, which conclusion is BEST supported?

Students' reported use of coping strategies increased after the group

The group caused participants' grades to improve during the semester

Participants no longer need any support for managing their anger

The group was ineffective because no item reached 100 percent

A fourth-grade teacher asks the counselor for ideas to help Liam, who shuts down during math. The counselor meets with the teacher, and the teacher implements the agreed strategies in class. In this triadic consultation model, who is the consultee?

The teacher who will carry out the classroom strategies

Liam, the student whose behavior is the focus of concern

The school counselor who facilitates the problem solving

The principal who oversees the classroom instruction

When his counselor asks about plans after graduation, Ethan, a twelfth grader, shrugs and says, "I don't know, and I don't really care. I haven't thought about it." He has not researched any options and shows little interest in doing so. Ethan's identity status is best described as

diffusion, because he shows neither exploration nor commitment

moratorium, because he has not yet committed to any future path

foreclosure, because he has stopped exploring his career options

achievement, because he is comfortable with his current situation

Using solution-focused brief counseling, a counselor asks Aaliyah, an eighth grader, to rate her test anxiety from 1 (worst) to 10 (no problem). Aaliyah answers 3. Which follow-up is most consistent with this approach?

"What would be different on a day when you were at a 4?"

"What do you think first caused your test anxiety to start?"

"Why do you think you're only at a 3 instead of a higher number?"

"What thoughts go through your mind when a test is handed out?"

A district is moving from a traditional guidance services model to a comprehensive school counseling program. Which practice BEST reflects this shift?

Planning activities from data and aligning them to annual goals

Responding mainly to students who come to the office with problems

Spending most of the day scheduling courses and processing forms

Serving primarily the students whom teachers refer for help

Activity Percent of time Direct student services 48 Indirect student services 15 Testing coordination 22 Program management 10 Fair-share duties 5 A high school counselor tracked her time for six weeks. Based on the data above, which recommendation is BEST supported by ASCA guidance?

Reassign testing coordination so student services reach 80 percent

Reduce indirect services so more time is available for direct services

Increase program management to support the testing coordination work

Keep the current schedule because direct services exceed 40 percent

A community agency opens a mental health clinic inside the high school, staffed by licensed therapists. What is the school counselor's MOST appropriate role in relation to the clinic?

Coordinate referrals and communication with proper consent

Transfer all responsive services to the clinic's therapists

Supervise the clinic therapists' treatment decisions directly

Avoid contact with the clinic to protect student privacy

GACE School Counseling (722)

Free GACE School Counseling (722) Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the GACE School Counseling (722), with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.

Sections covered on the exam: Knowledge of Learners and Foundations of School Counseling, The Comprehensive School Counseling Program, Roles and Responsibilities of the School Counseling Profession.

Question 1 · Knowledge of Learners and Foundations of School Counseling
Darius, an eleventh grader, tells his school counselor he will become a pharmacist like both of his parents. When asked what other careers he has looked into, he says he has never considered anything else because the decision was made years ago. Darius's identity status is most consistent with which of Marcia's categories?
- A.Moratorium, because he is still in the middle of an identity crisis
- B.Foreclosure, because he has committed without exploring alternatives
- C.Achievement, because he has made a firm occupational commitment
- D.Diffusion, because he has not explored any career alternatives
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Foreclosure, because he has committed without exploring alternatives
Marcia defined foreclosure as commitment made without a period of exploration, often adopting parents' choices. Achievement is tempting because Darius is committed, but achievement requires that the commitment follow active exploration, which he has not done.
Question 2 · Knowledge of Learners and Foundations of School Counseling
Andre, a sixth grader, has been sent to the office three times for fighting during lunch. His counselor is using solution-focused brief counseling. Which question is an example of an exception question?
- A."Suppose you woke up tomorrow and lunch problems had magically vanished."
- B."Tell me about a lunch this week when you were annoyed but didn't fight."
- C."On a scale of 1 to 10, how well are you handling lunch these days?"
- D."It sounds like lunchtime leaves you feeling angry and outnumbered."
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. "Tell me about a lunch this week when you were annoyed but didn't fight."
Exception questions ask about times when the problem was absent or less severe so the student can identify what already works. The miracle question is tempting because it is also a signature solution-focused technique, but it asks the student to imagine a future without the problem rather than recall actual exceptions.
Question 3 · The Comprehensive School Counseling Program
A fourth-grade teacher reports that many students lose assignments and run out of time on projects. The counselor plans a lesson series on organizing materials and managing time. Which category of the ASCA Student Standards does this series primarily address?
- A.Behavior standards: social skills
- B.Behavior standards: learning strategies
- C.Behavior standards: self-management skills
- D.Mindset standards: sense of belonging
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Behavior standards: learning strategies
Using time-management, organizational, and study skills falls under the learning strategies category of the behavior standards. Self-management skills is tempting because it sounds related to managing oneself, but that category addresses responsibility, perseverance, and coping rather than study and organizational techniques.
Question 4 · The Comprehensive School Counseling Program
Survey item (8 participants) Pre-group agree (%) Post-group agree (%)
I can tell when I am getting angry 38 88
I use a calming strategy when upset 25 75
I can talk through a conflict 38 63
Based on the data above, which conclusion is BEST supported?
- A.Students' reported use of coping strategies increased after the group
- B.The group caused participants' grades to improve during the semester
- C.Participants no longer need any support for managing their anger
- D.The group was ineffective because no item reached 100 percent
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Students' reported use of coping strategies increased after the group
The table shows pre-post Mindsets & Behaviors data, and every item rose substantially, supporting the conclusion that students report using coping strategies more. The grades conclusion is tempting, but no outcome data such as grades or referrals were collected, so impact on achievement cannot be claimed.
Question 5 · Roles and Responsibilities of the School Counseling Profession
A fourth-grade teacher asks the counselor for ideas to help Liam, who shuts down during math. The counselor meets with the teacher, and the teacher implements the agreed strategies in class. In this triadic consultation model, who is the consultee?
- A.Liam, the student whose behavior is the focus of concern
- B.The school counselor who facilitates the problem solving
- C.The teacher who will carry out the classroom strategies
- D.The principal who oversees the classroom instruction
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. The teacher who will carry out the classroom strategies
In triadic consultation, the consultant (counselor) works with a consultee (teacher), who then works directly with the client (Liam). Liam is the client, not the consultee, because the counselor helps him indirectly through the teacher.
Question 6 · Knowledge of Learners and Foundations of School Counseling
When his counselor asks about plans after graduation, Ethan, a twelfth grader, shrugs and says, "I don't know, and I don't really care. I haven't thought about it." He has not researched any options and shows little interest in doing so. Ethan's identity status is best described as
- A.moratorium, because he has not yet committed to any future path
- B.foreclosure, because he has stopped exploring his career options
- C.diffusion, because he shows neither exploration nor commitment
- D.achievement, because he is comfortable with his current situation
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. diffusion, because he shows neither exploration nor commitment
Marcia's diffusion status involves an absence of both exploration and commitment, often with apparent apathy. Moratorium is tempting because Ethan is uncommitted, but moratorium requires active exploration, which Ethan is not doing.
Question 7 · Knowledge of Learners and Foundations of School Counseling
Using solution-focused brief counseling, a counselor asks Aaliyah, an eighth grader, to rate her test anxiety from 1 (worst) to 10 (no problem). Aaliyah answers 3. Which follow-up is most consistent with this approach?
- A."What do you think first caused your test anxiety to start?"
- B."What would be different on a day when you were at a 4?"
- C."Why do you think you're only at a 3 instead of a higher number?"
- D."What thoughts go through your mind when a test is handed out?"
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. "What would be different on a day when you were at a 4?"
Solution-focused scaling follow-ups focus on small, concrete next steps toward the goal, such as what a one-point improvement would look like. Asking about the cause of the anxiety is tempting because it seems thorough, but SFBT deliberately avoids problem-origin exploration in favor of solutions.
Question 8 · The Comprehensive School Counseling Program
A district is moving from a traditional guidance services model to a comprehensive school counseling program. Which practice BEST reflects this shift?
- A.Responding mainly to students who come to the office with problems
- B.Spending most of the day scheduling courses and processing forms
- C.Serving primarily the students whom teachers refer for help
- D.Planning activities from data and aligning them to annual goals
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Planning activities from data and aligning them to annual goals
Comprehensive programs are proactive and data-driven, with activities planned to address identified needs and measurable goals. Responding to students who walk in is tempting because responsive services remain part of the program, but a reactive model alone characterizes the older services approach.
Question 9 · The Comprehensive School Counseling Program
Activity Percent of time
Direct student services 48
Indirect student services 15
Testing coordination 22
Program management 10
Fair-share duties 5
A high school counselor tracked her time for six weeks. Based on the data above, which recommendation is BEST supported by ASCA guidance?
- A.Reduce indirect services so more time is available for direct services
- B.Reassign testing coordination so student services reach 80 percent
- C.Increase program management to support the testing coordination work
- D.Keep the current schedule because direct services exceed 40 percent
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Reassign testing coordination so student services reach 80 percent
Direct and indirect services total 63% of her time, below ASCA's recommended 80%, and testing coordination, an inappropriate duty, takes 22%. Reducing indirect services is tempting because direct contact seems most valuable, but indirect services also count toward the 80% and would not fix the shortfall.
Question 10 · Roles and Responsibilities of the School Counseling Profession
A community agency opens a mental health clinic inside the high school, staffed by licensed therapists. What is the school counselor's MOST appropriate role in relation to the clinic?
- A.Coordinate referrals and communication with proper consent
- B.Transfer all responsive services to the clinic's therapists
- C.Supervise the clinic therapists' treatment decisions directly
- D.Avoid contact with the clinic to protect student privacy
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Coordinate referrals and communication with proper consent
School-based partnerships work best when counselors coordinate referrals, share information with consent, and integrate services with the school counseling program. Transferring all responsive services is tempting but abandons the counselor's school-based role with students.

Survey item (8 participants)	Pre-group agree (%)	Post-group agree (%)
I can tell when I am getting angry	38	88
I use a calming strategy when upset	25	75
I can talk through a conflict	38	63

Activity	Percent of time
Direct student services	48
Indirect student services	15
Testing coordination	22
Program management	10
Fair-share duties	5

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