If an LPCC includes items from tests in a book for popular distribution, which description best captures the ethics?

• A. Clearly unethical because it compromises the usefulness of the tests
• B. It is ethical with permission
• C. It is allowed if paraphrased
• D. It is allowed if published with publisher consent

Answer: (A)

Maintaining the security and integrity of assessment tools is a fundamental ethical obligation. Reproducing actual test items in a book intended for broad public distribution makes those items widely accessible outside the controlled testing context. This exposure changes how the test functions: people may memorize questions and answers, others can share responses, and the test’s validity and fairness across test-takers are undermined. Test content is protected by copyright and licensed for use in specific ways; distributing it beyond authorized administration breaches licensing terms and harms the standardized basis for scoring and interpretation. Because of these reasons, the behavior is clearly unethical since it compromises the usefulness and credibility of the tests. Even notions like permission, paraphrasing, or publisher consent do not resolve the core issues of test security and appropriate use; the proper ethical stance is to keep test items within approved, licensed contexts.