NBCOT Study guide Exam Questions with Key
Marking Scheme Updated 2025/2026
The client's mother is worried by the fact that he falls down when he tried to
catch a ball thrown to him. The client just loses his balance and falls.
Otherwise, he can sit, stand, and walk well. What areas MOST LIKELY is
the problem the client is having when catching the ball?
A. In development of higher-level balance skills
B. In protective reaction
C. In anticipatory postural control - correct answer C. In anticipatory
postural control
An OTR leads a community integration group for individuals with mild
mental retardation who reside in a group home. During a travel training
session, a member of the group slips while going up the stairs of a bus.
The client picks himself up, pays his fare, sits down and jokingly states,
"Good thing I bounce well." What is the MOST APPROPRIATE action for
the OTR to take after assessing that the person is not injured?
A. Cancel the planned activity and return to the group home to file an
occurrence report.
B. Continue with the activity & ask the individual to report development of
symptoms related to the fall.
C. Continue with the planned activity and file an occurrence report upon
return to the group home. - correct answer C. Continue with the planned
activity and file an occurrence report upon return to the group home.
An individual with a C6 spinal cord injury has been referred to OT 2 days
post-injury. Immobilized with a halo brace, the individual demonstrates fair
plus wrist extension and poor minus finger flexion. Which of the following
interventions should be implemented FIRST?
A. Wrist support with universal cuff to promote independence.
B. Wrist splints to promote development of tenodesis
C. Instruction in bed mobility techniques to prevent decubiti - correct
answer B. Wrist splints to promote development of tenodesis.
,An OTR provides caregiver education to a wife of an 86 year old with
Alzheimer's disease and a secondary diagnosis of left CVA. Her husband is
dependent upon a wheelchair for mobility and has been deemed cognitively
incompetent. The wife reports that her husband becomes restless at meal
times. He consistently undoes his lap belt and tries to get up from his
wheelchair. She reports feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by constantly
having to tell him to sit down. Her reminders often increase his agitation
and frequently neither one eats dinner. What is the MOST APPROPRIATE
recommendation for the OTR to make to advise the wife?
A. Allow the husband to get up when he is restless and provide dinner at a
later time.
B. Use a wheelchair lap tray to serve several smaller meals at intervals
throughout the day
C. Use a wheelchair lap tray to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. -
correct answer B. Use a wheelchair lap tray to serve several smaller
meals at intervals throughout the day.
An individual is 5' 11" and is of average weight for his height. Following a
recent traumatic brain injury he has flaccid hemiparesis and demonstrates
poor righting and equilibrium responses in standing. What would be the
MOST APPROPRIATE wheelchair for the OTR to recommend to this
individual?
A. Power wheelchair
B. Reclining, semi-height wheelchair
C. Light weight, standard size wheelchair - correct answer C. Light
weight, standard size wheelchair
An outpatient who has an acquired brain injury has been making slow and
steady progress toward long-term goals. Over the past several weeks,
there has been a decline in the patient's energy level, ability to concentrate,
and interest in intervention activities. When asked about the change, the
patient replies: "I just can't sleep at night, thinking about the burden I am to
, my family." What INITIAL action should the OTR take based on the
patient's current status?
A. Consult with the patient's primary physician
B. Advise the patient to consult with a psychiatrist
C. Adjust the timeframes for achieving short-terms goals
D. Focus on functional progress to motivate the patient. - correct answer
A. Consult with the patient's primary physician
A student with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease participates in a re-evaluation
session. He reports that he has difficulty keeping his feet on the
wheelchair's footrests. What is the MOST APPROPRIATE recommendation
for the OTR to make?
A. Elevating footrests
B. Ankle strap on the footrests
C. Heel loops on the foot rest - correct answer B. Ankle strap on the
footrests
The manager of a large OT department is planning to expand the inpatient
cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program to include outpatient services. What
is the MOST RELEVANT information to include in the proposal to the
hospital's administrative board?
A. Data on the inpatient rehabilitation program's outcomes
B. Statistics on physicians referrals to the acute unit and the average
inpatient length of stay
C. Literature on cardiopulmonary rehabilitation across the continuum of
care. - correct answer A. Data on the inpatient rehabilitation program's
outcomes
An OTR is teaching stand-pivot transfers to a client who has Stage 2
Parkinson's disease and uses a wheelchair for mobility. After instructing the
client to properly position the chair in relation to the transfer surface, and
asking the client to lock the wheelchair brakes, what should the OTR ask
the client to do NEXT?
A. Come to standing by pushing up on the wheelchair arm rests
B. Position both feet perpendicular to the transfer surface
Marking Scheme Updated 2025/2026
The client's mother is worried by the fact that he falls down when he tried to
catch a ball thrown to him. The client just loses his balance and falls.
Otherwise, he can sit, stand, and walk well. What areas MOST LIKELY is
the problem the client is having when catching the ball?
A. In development of higher-level balance skills
B. In protective reaction
C. In anticipatory postural control - correct answer C. In anticipatory
postural control
An OTR leads a community integration group for individuals with mild
mental retardation who reside in a group home. During a travel training
session, a member of the group slips while going up the stairs of a bus.
The client picks himself up, pays his fare, sits down and jokingly states,
"Good thing I bounce well." What is the MOST APPROPRIATE action for
the OTR to take after assessing that the person is not injured?
A. Cancel the planned activity and return to the group home to file an
occurrence report.
B. Continue with the activity & ask the individual to report development of
symptoms related to the fall.
C. Continue with the planned activity and file an occurrence report upon
return to the group home. - correct answer C. Continue with the planned
activity and file an occurrence report upon return to the group home.
An individual with a C6 spinal cord injury has been referred to OT 2 days
post-injury. Immobilized with a halo brace, the individual demonstrates fair
plus wrist extension and poor minus finger flexion. Which of the following
interventions should be implemented FIRST?
A. Wrist support with universal cuff to promote independence.
B. Wrist splints to promote development of tenodesis
C. Instruction in bed mobility techniques to prevent decubiti - correct
answer B. Wrist splints to promote development of tenodesis.
,An OTR provides caregiver education to a wife of an 86 year old with
Alzheimer's disease and a secondary diagnosis of left CVA. Her husband is
dependent upon a wheelchair for mobility and has been deemed cognitively
incompetent. The wife reports that her husband becomes restless at meal
times. He consistently undoes his lap belt and tries to get up from his
wheelchair. She reports feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by constantly
having to tell him to sit down. Her reminders often increase his agitation
and frequently neither one eats dinner. What is the MOST APPROPRIATE
recommendation for the OTR to make to advise the wife?
A. Allow the husband to get up when he is restless and provide dinner at a
later time.
B. Use a wheelchair lap tray to serve several smaller meals at intervals
throughout the day
C. Use a wheelchair lap tray to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. -
correct answer B. Use a wheelchair lap tray to serve several smaller
meals at intervals throughout the day.
An individual is 5' 11" and is of average weight for his height. Following a
recent traumatic brain injury he has flaccid hemiparesis and demonstrates
poor righting and equilibrium responses in standing. What would be the
MOST APPROPRIATE wheelchair for the OTR to recommend to this
individual?
A. Power wheelchair
B. Reclining, semi-height wheelchair
C. Light weight, standard size wheelchair - correct answer C. Light
weight, standard size wheelchair
An outpatient who has an acquired brain injury has been making slow and
steady progress toward long-term goals. Over the past several weeks,
there has been a decline in the patient's energy level, ability to concentrate,
and interest in intervention activities. When asked about the change, the
patient replies: "I just can't sleep at night, thinking about the burden I am to
, my family." What INITIAL action should the OTR take based on the
patient's current status?
A. Consult with the patient's primary physician
B. Advise the patient to consult with a psychiatrist
C. Adjust the timeframes for achieving short-terms goals
D. Focus on functional progress to motivate the patient. - correct answer
A. Consult with the patient's primary physician
A student with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease participates in a re-evaluation
session. He reports that he has difficulty keeping his feet on the
wheelchair's footrests. What is the MOST APPROPRIATE recommendation
for the OTR to make?
A. Elevating footrests
B. Ankle strap on the footrests
C. Heel loops on the foot rest - correct answer B. Ankle strap on the
footrests
The manager of a large OT department is planning to expand the inpatient
cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program to include outpatient services. What
is the MOST RELEVANT information to include in the proposal to the
hospital's administrative board?
A. Data on the inpatient rehabilitation program's outcomes
B. Statistics on physicians referrals to the acute unit and the average
inpatient length of stay
C. Literature on cardiopulmonary rehabilitation across the continuum of
care. - correct answer A. Data on the inpatient rehabilitation program's
outcomes
An OTR is teaching stand-pivot transfers to a client who has Stage 2
Parkinson's disease and uses a wheelchair for mobility. After instructing the
client to properly position the chair in relation to the transfer surface, and
asking the client to lock the wheelchair brakes, what should the OTR ask
the client to do NEXT?
A. Come to standing by pushing up on the wheelchair arm rests
B. Position both feet perpendicular to the transfer surface
