Practice school counselor exam test 5

Practice School Counselor Exam Test
TEST 5
1.

Four-year-old children are most likely to exhibit which of the following
cognitive abilities?
A.
B.
C.
D.

2.

During middle childhood, a child’s use of language is most likely to be
enhanced as a result of developed:
A.
B.
C.
D.

3.

industry vs. inferiority
integrity vs. despair
trust vs. mistrust
intimacy vs. isolation

A seventh grade social studies teacher has observed that students in one
class are having difficulty learning the capitals of the fifty states. According
to behavioral learning theory, the teacher could most effectively promote
student mastery of the material by:

A.
B.
C.
D.

5.

attending skills.
auditory discrimination.
conceptual abilities.
auditory memory.

According to Erikson, which of the following represents the major socialemotional development crisis for young adults?
A.
B.
C.
D.

4.

adding three or four single-digit numbers
interpreting simple graphs
understanding the difference between fantasy and reality
following two-step direction

requiring students who fail to attain mastery to attend after-school
sessions.
promising a special class field trip if all students in the class
demonstrate mastery.
assigning extra homework to students who fail to attain mastery.

awarding special privileges to students who demonstrate mastery.

In developing a procedure to assess the word attack skills of third graders,


it would be most appropriate to have students:
A.
B.
C.
D.

pronounce nonsense words.
answer comprehension questions on a passage written at grade level.
match words with objects.
identify word pairs as same or different.

6.
Results of a language assessment show that a student has difficulty
repeating
three nonconsecutive numbers presented verbally. These results indicate
that the student most likely has problems in which of the following areas?
A.
B.
C.
D.
7.

Which of the following classroom interventions would be most appropriate
for a third grader who has been diagnosed as having an attention-deficit
disorder with hyperactivity?

A.
B.
C.
D.

8.

Limit distractions in the environment and engage the student in a
highly structured curriculum.
Create a more visually and auditorily stimulating environment to
increase the student’s interest in learning.
Encourage the student to work together with one or more classmates
when he or she seems unmotivated to work independently.
Seat the student next to a classmate who can model more focused
behavior.

Which of the following program modifications would be most appropriate
for a ninth grade student enrolled in a regular classroom who has been
diagnosed as having a writing disorder?
A.

9.

auditory association
verbal expression
auditory sequential memory
syntactic structure

Provide the student with concrete reinforcement for progressive
improvement in handwriting legibility.

B.
Have the student substitute handwriting practice for some English
class instruction.
C.
Allow the student to record on tape class notes and rough drafts
of reports.
D.
Provide the student with extra physical education time to improve
motor coordination.
A classroom teacher consults with the school psychologist concerning the
most appropriate approach to use for meeting the needs of a culturally


different student who is about to enter the class. Which of the following
would be most appropriate for the school counselor to recommend to the
teacher?
A.
B.
C.
D.
10.

In a standardized assessment administered to graduating seniors, the
inclusion of a question about which of the following topics would most
likely result in test bias?
A.
B.
C.
D.

11.

Cognitive Abilities Test
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Standford-Binet Intelligence Scale
Slosson Intelligence Test for Children and Adults

In evaluating a distribution of student test scores, the mode is determined by
identifying the score that:
A.
B.
C.
D.

13.

effect of war on a nation’s economy
relationship of drought to food prices
correct use of stock market terminology
calculation of the cost of grocery purchases

A school counselor who wishes to assess the intellectual abilities of a large
number of fifth graders efficiently and inexpensively would most likely use
which of the following assessment instruments?
A.
B.
C.
D.

12.

Reward students in the class who assist and support the new student.
Adhere to current instructional programs and standards to accelerate
the new student’s classroom assimilation.
Provide the student with instruction in the social and cultural values
of the United States.
Investigate the student’s culture to better understand cultural
differences that may affect classroom learning and interactions.

is earned by the greatest number of students who took the test.
represents the average of all scores earned on the test.
is midway between the highest and lowest scores earned on the test.
represents the 50th percentile of all scores in the set of test scores.

Use the evaluation results below to answer the question that follows:

Student’s Age: 8-7

Grade: 3.6


Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-III)
Verbal IQ
Performance IQ
Full Scale IQ
Subtest
Information
Similarities
Arithmetic
Vocabulary

Comprehension
Digit Span

97
121
109

Scaled Score
10
9
9
10
8
8

Subtest
Scaled Score
Picture Completion
12
Picture Arrangement
11
Block Design
15
Object Assembly
16
Coding
11
Mazes
14

Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery Part II:Achievement
Subtest

Standard Score

Reading
Mathematics
Written Language
Knowledge

91
103
93
98

According to these test results, this student exhibits a relative strength in the area
of:
A.
B.
C.
D.

14.

Word recognition
Spatial reasoning
Verbal conceptual skills
Quantitative skills

Social modeling and desensitization are techniques associated with which

of the following counseling approaches?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Gestalt therapy
behavioral counseling
transactional analysis
psychodynamic counseling


15.

Which of the following responsibilities is most likely to assigned to a school
counselor.
A.
B.
C.
D.

16.

With regard to student interactions, TCA guidelines indicate that school
counselors have an ethical obligation to:
A.
B.
C.
D.

17.

obtain student approval for release of information to a parent.
explain to students how assessment data will be used.
release the names of individuals who refer students for evaluation.
describe criteria used in the selection of assessment instruments.

Which of the following would be considered unethical behavior by a school
counselor?
A.
B.
C.
D.

18.

Evaluate a teacher’s classroom management practices.
Arrange class schedules for students identified as having a behavior
disorder.
Evaluate a student’s learning style.
Design curricula for students identified as having a learning disability.

sharing counseling results with the school principal
arranging separate meetings with a student’s divorced parents to
discuss the student’s school or behavioral difficulties
citing summary statistics in a professional journal article to describe
a class’s assessment results
sending counseling summary results to a child’s physician before
obtaining parental permission

Which of the following federal laws prohibits discrimination against
individuals with disabilities in any program or agency receiving federal
financial assistance?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1983
Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974


19.

In special education, a major function of a multidisciplinary team is to:
A.
B.
C.
D.

20.

A school counselor who wishes to evaluate the effectiveness of a behavior
management program used by some special education staff would most
likely use which of the following techniques to collect data?
A.
B.
C.

D.

21.

serve as community advocates for special education.
review comprehensive student assessment data.
conduct screenings of high-risk students.
evaluate a school’s special education services.

work samples
student interviews
classroom observations
case studies

In meeting social and emotional needs, children between the ages of seven
and eleven typically exhibit an increasing reliance on their interactions

with:
A.
B.
C.
D.
22.

According to Piaget, which of the following types of thought is most likely
to begin developing during adolescence?
A.
B.
C.
D.

23.

preoperational
concrete operational
sensorimotor
formal operational

Which of the following is most likely to characterize an elementary school
student who is physically abused at home?
A.
B.
C.
D.

24.

individuals in their peer group.
parents.
nonparent adult role models.
siblings.

hostility toward parents
academic overachievement
emotional withdrawal
excessive dependence on peers

In a school setting, a child with an avoidant disorder is most like to
experience difficulties in which of the following areas?

A.
B.
C.
D.
25.

A student’s cultural background is most likely to be an important factor in
determining the:
A.
B.
C.
D.

26.

Texas Department of Public Aid
Texas State Board of Education
Texas Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
Texas Department of Child Protection and Regulatory Services

A school counselor who has been designated as a supervisor would most
likely provide leadership in:
A.
B.
C.
D.

28.

academic areas in which the student is most likely to excel.
type of educational environment in which the student feels most
comfortable.
sequence of stages in cognitive development exhibited by the student.
ease of the student’s transition from childhood to adolescence.

An elementary school teacher who learns that a young child has been left
unattended overnight should immediately contact which of the following
Texas agencies?
A.
B.
C.
D.

27.

social interactions
language development
academic achievement
psychomotor development

developing in-service training programs on effective school social
work practices.
managing a school’s special education program.
creating standard assessment instruments to identify children’s
special needs.
raising funds for school counseling programs.

Which of the following populations would most likely be given priority in
the school counselor’s delivery of services?

A.
B.
C.
D.

29.

A school district has identified a number of students who are experiencing
difficulties as a result of parental divorce. As a first step in establishing a
support group for them, the pupil personnel services administrator has asked
the school counselor to conduct a needs assessment. Which of the following
questions should be addressed in a needs assessment developed for this
purpose?
A.
B.
C.
D.

30.

teachers requesting a classroom presentation on the social effects
of alcohol abuse
a community service organization seeking assistance in assessing the
need for summer youth activities.
students requesting assistance following the loss of their family’s
home as the result of fire
a team of educational specialists planning a program to decrease the
school drop-out rate

How much funding is available to finance such a support group?
Have such groups been successful in other school districts?
How well do such support groups meet the needs of their members?
Is there sufficient student motivation to participate in such a group?

A sixth grade student attains a grade equivalent score of 8.6 on a sixth grade
standardized reading achievement test administered in February. A correct
interpretation of this score is that the sixth grader:
A.
B.
C.
D.

achieved a score that eighth graders would be expected to achieve on
a grade-appropriate standardized reading test administered in April.
can do eighth grade work as well as the average eighth grade student
in the sixth month.
performed as well as students at grade level 8.6 would perform if they
took the same test that the sixth grader took.
reads as well as 80 percent of eighth graders.


31. An elementary student has been referred to the school counselor for
behavior
indicative of a possible attention deficit disorder. Which of the following
best describes the first step the school counselor should take in meeting the
needs of this student?
A.
B.

C.
D.
32.

According to legal and ethical guidelines, in which of the following
situations should the school counselor maintain the confidentiality of
information received from a student?
A.
B.
C.
D.

33.

Contact the student’s parents to set up an appointment to begin
a social-developmental study.
Ask the student’s teachers to describe the student’s behavior and
classroom strategies used to remediate the behavior.
Interview the student to determine his or her attitudes and
perspectives regarding the problem behavior.
Obtain parental permission to perform a complete evaluation
of the student’s behavior.

A student discloses that a relative physically abuses the student’s
young brother.
A student repeatedly threatens to kill his stepfather for abusing
his mother.
A student describes a detailed suicide pact she has made with a friend.
A student admits an increasing frequency of sexual activity with her
boyfriend.

Which of the following responses would be most appropriate for a school
counselor who has been told by a 14-year-old student that she is considering
dropping out of school to care for her chronically ill mother?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Help the family identify alternative family or community resources
to help with the mother’s care.
Arrange for the student to be tutored at home while she cares for
her mother.
Provide the student with information about programs available for
students at risk of dropping out of school.
Discuss with the student state legal guidelines related to school
attendance for students under the age of 16.

34. A sixth grade teacher refers a student to the school social worker,
explaining


that the student has recently begun exhibiting periods of tearfulness each
day
when she enters her third period class. The teacher notes that although the
student is continuing to progress academically and gets along well in the
classroom, she refuses to respond to any questions about her tearful
behavior. Upon interviewing the student, the school counselor finds a
similar lack of willingness to discuss her behavior. Which of the following
would be the most appropriate step for the school social worker to take next

in order to more fully assess the situation?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Interview the student’s friends to determine their perspective on
the problem.
Refer the student for a full case study.
Make arrangements for a home visit to evaluate factors outside of
the school which may impact on the student’s behavior.
Observe the student in various school settings, including other
classrooms, the lunchroom, and playground.

35. A third grade student has been referred for an evaluation because the
student
has exhibited a marked increase in violent and aggressive behaviors in the
classroom over time. In this situation, the school counselor would most
likely use a social-developmental study to determine which of the
following?
A.
B.
C.
D.

which community resources could best provide assistance for the
student and his or her family
how school personnel can best help the student cope emotionally
and educationally with a specific problem
whether it is necessary to develop a staff in-service program about

dealing with aggressive classroom behavior
whether the student meets required criteria for being classified as
having a specific social-emotional disorder


36.
At

A 17-year-old student discloses that her parents have a drinking problem.

her coach’s suggestion, the student agrees to meet with the school
counselor.
She does not show up for her scheduled appointment, however. In this case,
the school counselor should respond by doing which of the following?
A.
B.
C.
D.

calling the student to the counselor’s office to ask her why she did
not show up for her appointment
arranging with the coach to send the student to the counselor’s office
the following day
sending a note to the student indicating the counselor’s continued
availability if the student wishes to meet in the future
sending the student literature about the benefits of school social
work programs

37. Which of the following would be the most appropriate source of
information

to use for evaluating a school counseling program designed to decrease
truancy among previously truant youngsters?
A.
B.
C.
D.

38.

Placement in a community-based sheltered workshop would most likely be
appropriate for an adolescent student who:
A.
B.
C.
D.

39.

student report card grades
structured questionnaires
school attendance records
open-ended interviews with students

has a learning disability that causes problems in reading.
has a severe cognitive disability.
is confined to a wheelchair because of a spinal injury.
has a severe hearing disability.

Which of the following steps would be most appropriate for the school
counselor to take in dealing with a 15-year old student who confides that

she thinks she is pregnant?


A.
B.
C.
D.
40.

Refer the student to the school nurse for confirmation of the
pregnancy.
Provide the student with literature about preventing teenage
pregnancy.
Call the parents/guardians to arrange a meeting in which they, the
student, and the school counselor can discuss the problem.
Counsel the student about the kind of help she may need, and where
and how to get it.

The main purpose of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is to:
A.
B.
C.
D.

define the rights of parents and guardians in determining how best
to education their children.
prescribe standards for public school personnel to follow in handling
student records.
prohibit discrimination in public schools on the basis of a student’s
family background.

establish due process procedures related to student discipline in
public schools.


1.D
2.C
3.D
4.D
5.A
6.C
7.A
8.C
9.D
10.C
11.A
12.A
13.B
14.B
15.C
16.B
17.D
18.B
19.B
20.C
21.A
22.D
23.C
24.A
25.B
26.D

27.A
28.C
29.D
30.A
31.B
32.D
33.A
34.D
35.B
36.C
37.C
38.B
39.D
40.B