CIC PRACTICE EXAM 2026
QUESTIONS ANSWERS GRADED A+
Identify the following as process measures or outcome measures:
SSI rates
Surgical care improvement project compliance
Hand hygiene compliance
MRSA colonization (HAI) A - Outcome measure
B - Process measure
C - Process measure
D - Outcome measure
True or false: Sentinel events are urgent and significant True
True or false: Sentinel events require immediate investigation and response True
The IP team and nursing education team collaborate on educational programs, giving the IP team
the opportunity to develop skills labs. What teaching do skills labs provide?
Cognitive
,Affective
Psychomotor
Reasoning Psychomotor
The IP wants to increase awareness of infection prevention best practices with central lines.
What is the best method to teach this? Simulation
A critical review of methods should include all of the following except:
Time period
Controls compatible to cases
Limitations/weaknesses
Study design designed in detail Limitations/weaknesses
A new infection preventionist (IP) is preparing a report and wants to describe the data. The
simplest and crudest levels of measurements should include which of the following?
A) rates
B) risk ratios
C) nominal scales
D) measures of association C) nominal scales
After collecting 6 months of prospective data on healthcare providers' reasons for failing to clean
their hands, the team wants to evaluate both the barriers to hand hygiene as well as the most
productive way to spend the limited resources provided to improve hand-hygiene practices. The
best tool to use is a
A) Pareto chart.
B) fishbone chart.
C) flow chart.
D) control chart A) Pareto chart
A Pareto chart is a bar graph. The lengths of the bars represent frequency or cost (time or
money), and are arranged with longest bars on the left and the shortest to the right. In this way
the chart visually depicts which situations are more significant.
A student demonstrates appropriate tracheostomy suctioning technique to an instructor. This is
an example of:
a. cognitive learning.
b. psychomotor learning.
c. affective learning.
d. theoretical learning.b. psychomotor learning
An employee is exposed to blood and body fluids from a patient whose baseline testing revealed
positive results in a rapid HIV test. The most appropriate follow-up test for the patient would be:
, a. Western Blot (HIV)
b. Viral Load
c. HIV polymerase chain reaction
d. CD4 A. Western blot
Rationale: Rapid HIV tests can offer a result in 15 minutes. A negative rapid test is reported as a
definitive negative HIV test.
Which of the following is the correct order for disinfecting endoscopes?
a. High-level disinfection, rinse the scope with sterile water, flush the channels with 70 to 90
percent alcohol, dry using forced air
b. Rinse the scope using sterile water, high-level disinfection, flush the channels with 70 to 90
percent alcohol, dry using forced air
c. Flush the channels with 70 to 90 percent alcohol, rinse the scope using sterile water, high-level
disinfection, dry using forced air
d. Dry using forced air, high-level disinfection, flush the channels with 70 to 90 percent alcohol,
rinse the scope using sterile water A. High-level disinfection, rinse the scope with sterile
water, flush the channels with 70 to 90 percent alcohol, dry using forced air
What is the first action HCP should take after a needlestick exposure?
a. Contact the supervisor
b. Contact Occupational Health
c. Squeeze or milk the site
d. Wash the affected area d. Wash the affected area
A patient is admitted to rule out TB. All of the following would be noted as a risk factor for
transmission of infection to the staff except:
a. Improper N95 respirator use by the staff
b. Surgical mask placed on the patient during transport
c. Acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear positive sputum culture from the patient
d. Patient placed in a regular exam room in the emergency room b. Surgical mask placed on
the patient during transport
A patient is admitted to the hospital with severe community acquired pneumonia (CAP). His
symptoms include hemoptysis and a multilobar infiltrate seen on chest radiograph. The patient is
recovering from a recent influenza virus infection. What organism should be suspected?
a. Moraxella catarrhalis
b. Streptococcus pneumoniae
c. MRSA
d.Haemophilus influenzae C. MRSA
QUESTIONS ANSWERS GRADED A+
Identify the following as process measures or outcome measures:
SSI rates
Surgical care improvement project compliance
Hand hygiene compliance
MRSA colonization (HAI) A - Outcome measure
B - Process measure
C - Process measure
D - Outcome measure
True or false: Sentinel events are urgent and significant True
True or false: Sentinel events require immediate investigation and response True
The IP team and nursing education team collaborate on educational programs, giving the IP team
the opportunity to develop skills labs. What teaching do skills labs provide?
Cognitive
,Affective
Psychomotor
Reasoning Psychomotor
The IP wants to increase awareness of infection prevention best practices with central lines.
What is the best method to teach this? Simulation
A critical review of methods should include all of the following except:
Time period
Controls compatible to cases
Limitations/weaknesses
Study design designed in detail Limitations/weaknesses
A new infection preventionist (IP) is preparing a report and wants to describe the data. The
simplest and crudest levels of measurements should include which of the following?
A) rates
B) risk ratios
C) nominal scales
D) measures of association C) nominal scales
After collecting 6 months of prospective data on healthcare providers' reasons for failing to clean
their hands, the team wants to evaluate both the barriers to hand hygiene as well as the most
productive way to spend the limited resources provided to improve hand-hygiene practices. The
best tool to use is a
A) Pareto chart.
B) fishbone chart.
C) flow chart.
D) control chart A) Pareto chart
A Pareto chart is a bar graph. The lengths of the bars represent frequency or cost (time or
money), and are arranged with longest bars on the left and the shortest to the right. In this way
the chart visually depicts which situations are more significant.
A student demonstrates appropriate tracheostomy suctioning technique to an instructor. This is
an example of:
a. cognitive learning.
b. psychomotor learning.
c. affective learning.
d. theoretical learning.b. psychomotor learning
An employee is exposed to blood and body fluids from a patient whose baseline testing revealed
positive results in a rapid HIV test. The most appropriate follow-up test for the patient would be:
, a. Western Blot (HIV)
b. Viral Load
c. HIV polymerase chain reaction
d. CD4 A. Western blot
Rationale: Rapid HIV tests can offer a result in 15 minutes. A negative rapid test is reported as a
definitive negative HIV test.
Which of the following is the correct order for disinfecting endoscopes?
a. High-level disinfection, rinse the scope with sterile water, flush the channels with 70 to 90
percent alcohol, dry using forced air
b. Rinse the scope using sterile water, high-level disinfection, flush the channels with 70 to 90
percent alcohol, dry using forced air
c. Flush the channels with 70 to 90 percent alcohol, rinse the scope using sterile water, high-level
disinfection, dry using forced air
d. Dry using forced air, high-level disinfection, flush the channels with 70 to 90 percent alcohol,
rinse the scope using sterile water A. High-level disinfection, rinse the scope with sterile
water, flush the channels with 70 to 90 percent alcohol, dry using forced air
What is the first action HCP should take after a needlestick exposure?
a. Contact the supervisor
b. Contact Occupational Health
c. Squeeze or milk the site
d. Wash the affected area d. Wash the affected area
A patient is admitted to rule out TB. All of the following would be noted as a risk factor for
transmission of infection to the staff except:
a. Improper N95 respirator use by the staff
b. Surgical mask placed on the patient during transport
c. Acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear positive sputum culture from the patient
d. Patient placed in a regular exam room in the emergency room b. Surgical mask placed on
the patient during transport
A patient is admitted to the hospital with severe community acquired pneumonia (CAP). His
symptoms include hemoptysis and a multilobar infiltrate seen on chest radiograph. The patient is
recovering from a recent influenza virus infection. What organism should be suspected?
a. Moraxella catarrhalis
b. Streptococcus pneumoniae
c. MRSA
d.Haemophilus influenzae C. MRSA
