This NCAC I cheat sheet distills the National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level I exam into a printable rundown of the addiction-counseling facts NCC AP tests most. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free NCAC I toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
NCAC I exam at a glance
- Certifying body: NAADAC / NCC AP (National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals)
- Questions: 150 multiple-choice
- Time: 3 hours (180 minutes)
- Passing score: Scaled score set by cut-score study — roughly 67% correct (about 100 of 150)
- Delivery: Computer-based via Kryterion — onsite test center or online (distance) proctoring
- Eligibility: HS diploma/GED, current state SUD-counselor credential, 6,000 supervised hours, and 270 education hours
What’s on the NCAC I cheat sheet
- Ongoing Treatment Planning & Implementation (25%) — collaborative SMART goals, SOAP documentation, service coordination, referral, co-occurring care, and continuing care — the largest domain.
- Assessment (23%) — biopsychosocial assessment, the mental status exam, screening tools (CAGE, AUDIT, ASI), DSM-5-TR criteria, and the six ASAM dimensions and levels of care.
- Addiction Counseling Practices & Skills (21%) — pharmacology and withdrawal danger by drug class, MAT medications, motivational interviewing, CBT, contingency management, and relapse prevention.
- Professional Practices (17%) — the NAADAC/NCC AP Code of Ethics, scope of practice, informed consent, and confidentiality under 42 CFR Part 2.
- Orientation to the Treatment Process (14%) — screening vs. assessment, intake and engagement, and matching the intervention to the client's stage of change.
How to use it in your final week
- Lead with the two heaviest domains — Ongoing Treatment Planning & Implementation (25%) and Assessment (23%) are nearly half the exam, so give the sheet's treatment-plan, SOAP, and ASAM rows the most reps.
- Drill the memory anchors cold: DSM-5-TR severity (2–3 mild, 4–5 moderate, 6+ severe), the six ASAM dimensions, and which MAT medication matches which disorder.
- Do a final morning-of pass on the two life-safety facts — CNS depressant (alcohol/benzo/barbiturate) withdrawal can be fatal, and naloxone reverses an opioid overdose.
- Pair each review pass with a short timed practice set (150 questions in 180 minutes ≈ 72 seconds each) so the clock and the scenario format feel routine.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your NCAC I practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
NCAC I cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the NCAC I cheat sheet is 100% free to download as a PDF, with no sign-up required. It sits alongside Career Employer's free NCAC I practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole addiction-counselor prep stack costs nothing.
It condenses the highest-yield NCC AP facts into a fast reference: the stages of change, DSM-5-TR substance use disorder criteria, the six ASAM dimensions and levels of care, drug-class withdrawal danger, MAT medications, and confidentiality under 42 CFR Part 2 — organized by the five scored domains NAADAC weights the exam around.
It's built from the current NCC AP content outline, the SAMHSA TAP 21 competencies, DSM-5-TR, and the ASAM Criteria, and we review it against NAADAC's published materials regularly so the facts match the exam you'll sit.
No — it's a last-week cram and review layer, not a full course. The NCAC I is 150 questions in 3 hours with a scaled passing standard around 67% correct, so use the sheet to lock in facts and the practice test to prove you're ready across all five domains.
Click the download button (or the preview card) at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark the page so it's one tap away the morning of your NCC AP exam.
References
- 1.National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP). “National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level I (NCAC I).” naadac.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. “NCC AP Credentials, Eligibility & Distance Proctoring.” naadac.org. ↑
- 3.NAADAC / NCC AP. “NAADAC/NCC AP Code of Ethics.” naadac.org. ↑
- 4.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “TAP 21: Addiction Counseling Competencies.” samhsa.gov. ↑
- 5.American Society of Addiction Medicine. “About the ASAM Criteria.” asam.org. ↑
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