Ethical and Professional Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real CEP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethical and Professional Standards flashcards as text
A CEP is working with a student whose parents are divorced and have conflicting instructions about the college search. How should the planner proceed?
Answer: Clarify at the outset who the authorized decision-makers are and document the agreement
Establishing clear client authority at the start of an engagement prevents ethical conflicts and protects all parties.
Which scenario represents an appropriate boundary for a CEP in the application process?
Answer: Reviewing a completed application and providing specific, actionable feedback to the student
Planners may review and advise on applications but must not complete or submit them on a student's behalf, as that undermines student ownership.
A CEP who specializes in college admissions is asked to provide financial aid appeal advice. The ethical approach is to:
Answer: Acknowledge the limits of their expertise and refer the family to a qualified financial aid professional
CEPs must recognize the boundaries of their competence and refer clients to appropriate specialists when needed.
How should a CEP respond when a college admissions officer asks the planner to discourage a student from applying because the student appears to be a weak fit?
Answer: Decline and continue to counsel the student based solely on the student's best interests
CEPs owe primary loyalty to their student clients and cannot allow college officials to improperly influence their advice.
What is the ethical implication of a CEP accepting a contingency fee — payment only upon a student's admission to a specific college?
Answer: It is prohibited because it creates pressure to engage in inappropriate advocacy or misrepresentation
Contingency fees tied to admissions outcomes are prohibited by IECA standards because they incentivize unethical behavior.
A CEP's client list is considered:
Answer: Confidential information that must be protected even after the engagement ends
Client identity and engagement details are confidential and cannot be disclosed without explicit client permission.
An ethical CEP making a college recommendation should base it primarily on:
Answer: The student's individual academic profile, personal characteristics, and stated goals
Ethical recommendations are grounded in each student's unique profile and goals, not rankings, planner relationships, or institutional metrics.