Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 556 I sincerely hope these exam questions won't appear in real life... Oh well, just thinking about it is fine.
Today, there were many more people coming and going on campus, dressed in various styles.

Many students coming out of the school's dormitories looked relatively relaxed. After all, the exam was being held on their own campus, giving them a home advantage—at least the transportation was convenient, allowing them to sleep in a little longer.

But most of them are people in their thirties and forties dressed for work.

Their expressions, in comparison, were much more serious.

Compared to university students in their ivory towers, working people understand the importance of certificates better.

Moreover, this exam is the final one for the national psychological counselor professional qualification exam. If they fail, all the money and time invested in the early stages will be wasted.

Of course, if you fail the formal exam for counselors in the second half of the year, you will actually have another chance to retake it a few months later.

However, just like the NBA playoffs, if you can sweep the opponent 4-0, don't let it escalate to a 3-3 tie and a decisive Game 7. Although it's more entertaining to watch, it's just too agonizing.

Life has no audience.

If you're someone who enjoys life and likes to push your limits, then that's a different story.

After Chonghui escorted Nan Zhuren to the entrance of the examination hall, he waved goodbye, left with a "good luck" and turned to leave.

The teaching building, which had been temporarily requisitioned as an examination hall, was still cordoned off. About ten minutes later, accompanied by a bell ringing to signal the start of the exam, the cordon was quickly removed.

Nan Zhuren walked to the sign at the entrance, located her examination room according to her examination number, and quickly found the place.

After handing in his admission ticket, signing in, and undergoing a metal detector check, Nan Zhuren sat down in his seat.

Unlike the tense expressions of those around him, Nan Zhuren looked completely relaxed.

As mentioned before, it is actually quite easy for a psychology major to take the professional qualification exam for psychological counselors.

The Level 2 professional examination consists of three parts: [Theoretical Knowledge Examination], [Professional Ability Assessment], and [Comprehensive Review].

Both the theoretical knowledge exam and the professional skills assessment are written tests, conducted in the morning and afternoon of the same day. After the written test results are released and the candidate passes, they will be notified to participate in the comprehensive review.

Currently, Nan Zhuren's exam consists of a theoretical knowledge exam, which mainly tests six areas: Basic Psychology, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology and Health Psychology, Psychometrics, and Counseling Psychology, as well as some additional related skills and knowledge.

This part of the exam consists only of multiple-choice questions, totaling 125 questions: 25 on professional ethics and 100 on professional theoretical knowledge.

Nan Zhuren didn't review this part at all.

Yes, I didn't review, because there was no need.

For professional qualification exams, passing is all that matters. Once you have the certificate, there's no difference between passing with 80 points and passing with 100 points.

Moreover, this exam consists entirely of multiple-choice questions. If it included essay questions, then one would have to memorize the rules and regulations, but with multiple-choice questions—if Nan Zhuren couldn't answer them, then all those years of consulting would have been for nothing.

After the exam papers were handed out, Nan Zhuren immediately glanced at all the questions.

Then he revealed a crooked, dragon-king-like smile.

A high school student sought help, complaining of a significant drop in grades over the past three months, difficulty concentrating, and frequent feelings of mental blankness. He reported feeling immense pressure, worried about failing to get into a good university and letting his parents down. He also experienced heart palpitations, tremors, and insomnia.

Question: What is the most likely cause of the person seeking help's attention difficulties?
A. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

B. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

C. Major depressive episode (MDE)

D. Learning difficulties syndrome

This question is a bit more difficult; it could even be considered the most difficult question on the entire exam. Students who rely solely on rote memorization might be quite confused at first glance.

But for Nan Zhuren, it was a piece of cake.

Read the question stem first; the question has already specifically mentioned the symptom of "difficulty in paying attention."

A single symptom can be a manifestation of many mental illnesses. For example, depression and anxiety are widely present in the diagnostic criteria for a large number of mental illnesses.

Therefore, specific analysis is required, especially the analysis of the etiology.

Nan Zhuren began to think.

Option A [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)]: This is usually a developmental problem, present from childhood rather than appearing recently. The phrase "last 3 months" is key in this case, so it can be eliminated.

Option C [Major Depressive Episode (MDE)]: Depression can indeed cause cognitive impairment such as "slowed thinking," but its core is low mood and loss of interest. Difficulty in paying attention is only part of the primary symptoms, and the high school student in the question does not have any symptoms related to [depression].

Option D [Learning Difficulty Syndrome]: This is not a standard diagnostic term; it's simply a distractor...

Therefore, the correct answer is B [Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)] – characterized by anxiety as its core symptom. Difficulty concentrating is due to excessive worry and overthinking consuming cognitive resources, leading to a feeling of "mental blankness." Furthermore, this attention difficulty is secondary.

The clues to solving the problem lie in the clear cluster of anxiety symptoms such as "great pressure", "worry about not getting into university", and "palpitations and trembling hands", indicating that the attention problem is caused by anxiety.

Of course, in this case, the patient's anxiety is not "extensive," so directly diagnosing him with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is not quite reasonable.

However, compared to other outrageous options, this is the most appropriate answer.

Exams are like that, they're multiple-choice questions.

Nan Zhuren silently assessed the situation: The person who set the questions this time isn't very good; the questions aren't rigorous enough...

Relying on his extensive knowledge and experience, Nan Zhuren answered the questions quickly, completing the 90-minute exam in just one-third of the allotted time.

They didn't even use the "flow state".

After filling in the answers on the answer sheet with a 2B pencil, Nan Zhuren quickly raised his hand and said, "Teacher, I'm handing in my paper."

"..."

"???"

The other test takers, who hadn't even finished half of their answers, were shocked.

Dude, are you here specifically to mess with people's mentality?

I hate people like you the most during exams!
……

Ignoring the reactions of the examinees and invigilators, Nan Zhuren left the examination room on his own after receiving permission.

As he left the teaching building, he felt a little melancholy—it was a pity that the professional qualification exam wasn't like the college entrance exam, and there were no reporters outside.

Otherwise, if a reporter came and interviewed him, the first candidate to leave the exam hall, about his feelings, it would be quite interesting. In a novel, it would probably be considered a minor but satisfying moment.

It's a pity I didn't get a cheat code before the college entrance exam.

Back in his dorm, Nan Zhuren didn't look at his professional qualification exam study materials; instead, he went back to practicing past exam questions for the postgraduate entrance exam. After lunch, he even took a nap.

This is the advantage of playing on home turf. Students from other schools will face more difficulties at this time: because the morning and afternoon exam times are very close, there is not much free time left for commuting after deducting meal time.

Therefore, at this time, you can see all kinds of candidates on the school's deck chairs, in the library, and in the shade of various buildings. They are either holding review materials and muttering to themselves while cramming for the last minute, or they are simply lying down on the ground nearby to replenish their energy.

The scene was comparable to a train station during the Spring Festival travel rush.

These people are either younger working professionals or candidates from other schools—from this perspective, having a strong alma mater is quite good, as it can act as the organizer for large-scale exams, saving a lot of trouble.

Older working professionals seem to have it a bit easier; those who drove can sleep in their cars, while those who didn't can find a nearby coffee shop to sit in for a while.

This has also boosted consumption in the surrounding area.

The short break passed quickly, and ten minutes before the afternoon exam started, Nan Zhuren arrived at the teaching building just in time to check the location.

In the afternoon, the exam rooms will be reassigned, and the invigilators will be changed to prevent cheating.

Nan Zhuren followed the morning's procedures and found her exam room for the afternoon.

I looked inside and laughed.

The proctor was someone I knew.

The young teacher in the classroom, holding a metal detector and about to scan Nan Zhuren, was none other than Good Luck, a senior student in Bai Qinghua's research group.

The postgraduate entrance exam questions that Nan Zhuren was practicing at noon were all compiled by this senior!
"..." Good Luck Senior Brother looked at Nan Zhuren and blinked.

For such large-scale national examinations, after setting up examination venues, the organizers usually recruit a number of invigilators.

Most of the time, a significant portion of these proctoring positions are given to current graduate or doctoral students. They receive a stipend after a day of proctoring, which can be considered a work-study position.

Later, when grading the written exams, students might be asked to help. Usually, these positions are given priority to students from impoverished families. With a performance bonus of a few cents per paper, some grading enthusiasts can earn several thousand yuan a day.

Of course, test takers don't need to worry about invigilators arbitrarily grading their papers for money. Because the exam papers are cross-checked, if a paper is unexpectedly deemed invalid, the invigilator will actually be penalized.

"...Please open your hands and cooperate." Senior Brother Good Luck hadn't expected to see Nan Zhuren here either. He forced himself to keep a straight face and began the procedure.

Nan Zhuren obediently cooperated.

Jingle Bell--

Soon, the exam bell rang, and the exam papers began to be distributed.

Unlike the theoretical knowledge exam in the morning, the professional skills assessment in the afternoon mainly tests clinical reasoning and practical abilities.

In the multiple-choice section, a case study is usually presented first, and then candidates are asked to choose the answer based on the case study—Nan Zhuren had no problem with this part.

Nan Zhuren finished quickly, and soon reached the part about the essay questions.

He stared intently at it—

……

A married male client has expressed strong affection for you (the counselor) and has proposed developing a personal relationship beyond the counseling relationship, promising to pay a high fee.

Based on the "Ethical Code of Clinical and Counseling Psychology Work of the Chinese Psychological Society," please discuss how you would handle this situation and analyze the potential ethical issues involved.

……

It was just a problem-solving exercise, so Nan Zhuren kept a straight face and began to organize his thoughts on the problem.

Although the short answer and essay questions are also based on case studies, it is not acceptable to simply answer questions directly related to the case studies.

For example, if a case involves antisocial personality disorder, test takers should first memorize the characteristics and diagnostic criteria of antisocial personality disorder before analyzing the question, and then analyze which criteria the patient in the material meets; subsequently, when giving their own treatment intervention ideas, they should also first memorize the relevant theoretical basis from the book.

For example, with the question about Nan Zhuren, you first need to recite the "Code of Ethics for Clinical and Counseling Psychology Work of the Chinese Psychological Society" related to this question...

Who in their right mind would carry this thing?

Let alone such rules, even the diagnostic criteria for specific illnesses are rarely memorized by ordinary counselors. They usually consult books after the consultation, based on their judgment during the consultation, and then formulate diagnostic criteria.

"Pfft..."

Suppressed laughter suddenly came from the stage.

The proctors also had extra exam papers, and they would glance at them when they were bored. It was clear that they couldn't hold back when they saw this question.

The "Code of Ethics for Clinical and Counseling Psychology Work of the Chinese Psychological Society" is actually beyond the scope of the syllabus, and the original intention of this question may have been to increase the score.

Even the most experienced consultant—even someone like Bai Qinghua—would probably lose half the points on this question.

Nan Zhuren is considered a general consultant; he actually took the exam without any preparation.

He didn't study for the professional qualification exam at all; he got this far entirely based on his professional experience.

But in another sense, he is not a "general consultant".

His abilities far exceed what most people imagine.

After glancing at the questions at the back of the paper and confirming that this was the only question on the entire paper that was this difficult, I decided to give a quick answer.

Nan Zhuren calmed himself down.

[Emotional readjustment], [Emotional readjustment], [Emotional readjustment], [Emotional readjustment]...

"Boom"

The lucky senior student who was watching the fun on the stage looked up and saw Nan Zhuren, who had been motionless since hitting his head on the table.

He was suddenly confused. What was this junior brother doing?
I haven't been sleeping well due to the pressure of studying lately, which caused me to faint during the exam?
It's not impossible... He's still preparing for graduate school entrance exams. Getting this qualification certificate should be the teacher's responsibility, right? The teacher is just making things up...

The candidates sitting behind Nan Zhuren were somewhat panicked, unsure whether Nan Zhuren was asleep or suffering from some kind of sudden illness.

Just as the student was about to raise his hand to report, and Senior Brother Good Luck was about to go down to check on Nan Zhuren,
The next second, Nan Zhuren sprang up as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

Then his eyes showed a look of confusion, and his pupils briefly went unfocused.

[Flow state], activated
Nan Zhuren immediately picked up a pen and wrote with divine inspiration.

The examinees behind Nan Zhuren, the lucky senior student who was about to come down from the stage, and another invigilator in the examination room who noticed the commotion all showed puzzled expressions.

"...???"

(End of this chapter)