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The CADC-II exam has 150 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free CADC-II questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor II blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
After sharply reducing years of heavy daily drinking, a client develops tremor and sweating. The client is alert and oriented, has a CIWA-Ar score of 8, and has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.06 g/dL. A previous attempt to stop drinking caused a withdrawal seizure. How should these findings be interpreted?
Correct answer: D - Current symptoms are mild, but the seizure history signals risk for complicated withdrawal despite the positive alcohol level.
For years, a client bought cocaine immediately after withdrawing cash from a particular ATM. Four months after stopping cocaine, the sound of that ATM prompts an abrupt craving even though the client has no withdrawal symptoms and does not use. The mechanism that most directly explains this response is:
Correct answer: A - Classical conditioning of cues repeatedly paired with cocaine use
A client presents with depressed mood, anhedonia, fatigue, and increased sleep after stopping a methamphetamine binge. The counselor is gathering history for an integrated mental health assessment. Which additional finding would most strongly favor an independent depressive disorder rather than symptoms caused solely by stimulant use or withdrawal?
Correct answer: B - A similar prolonged depressive episode occurred before the client first used any substances.
A 16-year-old who reports alcohol and cannabis use in the past year scores 3 on the CRAFFT 2.1. There is no current intoxication, withdrawal, or other acute safety concern. The adolescent asks, "Does that score mean I have an addiction?" Which explanation accurately states what the result establishes?
Correct answer: A - It is a positive screen warranting further assessment, not a diagnosis by itself.
Over the same 12-month period, a client repeatedly drinks longer than intended, makes unsuccessful attempts to cut down, experiences strong cravings, repeatedly misses work because of drinking, and continues drinking despite knowing it worsens medically diagnosed gastritis. The assessment identifies no other DSM-5-TR alcohol use disorder criteria, including no tolerance or withdrawal. What diagnostic severity does this pattern support?
Correct answer: D - Moderate alcohol use disorder
"I hate the arguments my drinking causes, but without it I don't know how I'd relax after a shift." The counselor wants to reflect this client's ambivalence without assigning a decision the client has not made. Which response accomplishes that?
Correct answer: B - "Drinking helps you unwind, and the arguments are taking a toll."
At 14 weeks of pregnancy, a client who has been stable on prescribed buprenorphine for nine months says, "I want to stop it so my baby won't have withdrawal." She reports no nonprescribed opioid use and no current cravings. The counselor is preparing information for a discussion with the client and her prenatal and prescribing clinicians. Which point belongs in that discussion?
Correct answer: B - Continuing buprenorphine with coordinated prenatal care is generally preferred to withdrawal during pregnancy.
After four months without alcohol, a client had two drinks at a wedding, stopped, and called a recovery support person. At the next visit, safety assessment reveals no intoxication, withdrawal, or suicidal thoughts. The client says, "I ruined everything. There's no point trying now." Which intervention most directly reduces the risk created by that conclusion?
Correct answer: A - Challenge the all-or-nothing conclusion and use the lapse to revise the coping plan.
A prosecutor serves a federally assisted substance use treatment program with a subpoena for a former client's records to support a criminal case against that client. The records are protected by 42 CFR Part 2. No patient consent or Part 2 court order accompanies the subpoena, and no other exception applies. What is the program's appropriate response?
Correct answer: C - Preserve the records and obtain prompt legal review; the subpoena alone does not authorize disclosure.
Two days after signing a progress note, a counselor realizes it omitted a referral that was made and accepted during that session. The date and details of the referral are known. Which method corrects the omission while preserving the integrity of the clinical record?
Correct answer: C - Add a signed, currently dated addendum identifying the earlier session and the omitted referral, preserving the original entry.
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