A Quick-Start Guide to Passing the Ethics Domain on the NPE

When most provisional psychologists prepare for the National Psychology Exam (NPE), they tend to focus on the areas that feel most familiar—things like assessment tools, intervention strategies, or communication skills.

But what trips up many candidates and often catches provisional psychologists off guard is the Ethics Domain.

At first glance, the Ethics domain looks straightforward. You might think, “I’ll just use my common sense and go with the most professional-sounding answer.” But unfortunately, that’s where many provisional psychologists stumble. What the National Psychology Exam is actually testing is your ability to reason clearly through dilemmas using the APS Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines—not just gut instinct.

In this blog, I want to give you a practical, focused framework for how to approach ethics questions with clarity and confidence—without having to rely only on gut instinct.

What the NPE Is Really Testing in the Ethics Domain

Ethical decision-making on the NPE is about demonstrating that you can:

• Identify the relevant ethical principles,

• Analyse competing duties or risks,

• Justify your decision with a clear, defendable rationale grounded in the APS Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines.

  
  

Even when a case feels obvious, your response needs to show your thinking—not just what you’d do, but why.

Start With the Code, Not the Case

One of the most common traps in the Ethics domain is reacting too quickly to a vignette. We all want to be helpful—it’s instinctive to jump to “What should I do?”

When you see a scenario, pause and ask yourself:

• What are the key ethical principles in conflict here? (e.g. beneficence vs. confidentiality)

• Which specific clauses of the Code might apply?

• Who are the stakeholders, and what are your responsibilities to each?

Focus on Rationale, Not Perfection

There are rarely black-and-white answers in ethical dilemmas. What they’re looking for is thoughtful clinical reasoning.

Before settling on a course of action, ask yourself:

• Am I minimising harm wherever possible?

• Have I considered cultural and contextual factors?

• Does my decision respect the client’s autonomy and safety?

• Would my reasoning hold up if a Board or supervisor reviewed it?

  
  

The best responses reflect a balance between ethical, legal, and clinical considerations.

Practise Using Real-Life Scenarios

Reading the Code is important—but reading alone isn’t enough.

What builds confidence is applying those principles to real, messy examples. This is one of the key strategies I teach inside my NPE Preparation Course. Don’t just read the guidelines—apply them.

Take a tricky moment from your placement or work, or past experience. Then walk through it:

✔ What were the competing principles?

✔ How would you justify your decision?

✔ Would it hold up under supervision or review?

This kind of practice builds the clinical reasoning muscles the Ethics Domain is actually testing.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Be Perfect

The Ethics domain can be tricky. You need to think like a provisional psychologist who’s safe, thoughtful, and committed to doing the right thing—especially when things feel messy or uncertain.

So if you’re preparing for the NPE:

• Spend time revising ethical scenarios and vignettes.

• Practise applying the Code. 

• Practice justifying your decisions. Slow your thinking down.

📚 Want to feel more confident heading into the NPE?

Inside my NPE Prep Course includes:

✔ Targeted ethics revision

✔ Exam-style questions to practise for all 4 domains.

✔ Real case vignettes broken down with reasoning guides

✔ A guided walkthroughs of tricky scenarios.

Whether you're just starting or revising in the lead-up to exam day, this course is designed to help you build the reasoning skills you need to feel calm, clear, and capable on exam day.

Learn More Here!