Peer Support Specialist Practice Test

The Peer Support Specialist Practice Test is a free beginner-level, 15-minute skill test from Science of Apps. Practice for peer support specialist certification exams — recovery principles and sharing lived experience, communication, boundaries and ethics, and crisis support, advocacy and resources — written to SAMHSA's core competencies for peer workers, its recovery principles and trauma-informed guidance for 2026. Score 70% or more on its 15 questions to earn a verifiable Peer Support Specialist certificate (SOA-PEER). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Core competencies for peer workers in behavioral health services (SAMHSA), Recovery and recovery support (working definition and guiding principles) (SAMHSA), Medications for Substance Use Disorders (SAMHSA) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Yes. Science of Apps has a free Peer Support Specialist Practice Test built on the current Science of Apps exam outline for 2026 and 2027. It covers recovery principles, sharing lived experience, and boundaries, scores you instantly and issues a verifiable certificate.

Read the three skill areas on this page, then take the 15-minute test online — no fee, course or sign-up. You see every answer explained when you finish. Score 70% or more and you get a Peer Support Specialist certificate straight away, on screen, as a PDF and by email, with a credential ID anyone can verify.

Yes. The questions are original scenarios written by Science of Apps, and each one is based on a public source you can read: Core competencies for peer workers in behavioral health services (SAMHSA); Recovery and recovery support (working definition and guiding principles) (SAMHSA); Medications for Substance Use Disorders (SAMHSA); 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (SAMHSA); SAMHSA's concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach (SAMHSA). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Three skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Recovery Principles and Lived Experience (Recovery concepts, Sharing your story and Person-centred support); Communication, Boundaries and Ethics (Active listening, Boundaries and Ethics and confidentiality); Crisis Support, Advocacy and Resources (Crisis response, Advocacy and Community resources). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Peer support specialist, Recovery coach, Certified peer recovery specialist candidate, Community mental health worker and Lived-experience advocate. It suits anyone who wants a quick, verifiable way to show Peer Support Specialist knowledge in 2026 and 2027, from students and career switchers to experienced professionals.

Requirements vary by US state but usually include lived experience of mental health or substance use recovery, approved training (often 40+ hours), supervised work hours and a state or IC&RC exam such as the PR (Peer Recovery) exam.

They use their own lived experience of recovery to support others: building hope, helping set goals, connecting people to resources and modelling recovery, while keeping clear, ethical boundaries.

Yes. The test is online, in English and free everywhere — people take it from India, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Your certificate is dated with your own local date and can be verified from anywhere at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/.

15 questions — 5 from each of 3 skill areas — with a 15-minute limit. You need 70% (11 of 15) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Beginner: no experience needed: fundamentals and clear reasoning. It has 15 scenario questions — 5 from each of 3 skill areas — and a 15-minute limit. You need 70% (11 of 15) to pass and 90% for distinction.

Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.

On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.

You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.

No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.

Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.

Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.

No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.