NBCOT OT Exam Prep 2026 practice questions and answers. Tap an option to test yourself — you'll see the correct answer and a plain-English explanation for every question. Free, no login.
Q11An OTR is attending an IEP meeting to discuss the transition of a 17-year-old student after graduation from 12th grade. The student has shown an interest in pursuing further education. What would be the BEST recommendation for the OTR to suggest FIRST?
✓ Correct answer: C. A college and career readiness program
A college and career readiness program would be the best recommendation for the OTR to suggest first. This type of program can provide the student with the necessary skills and resources to successfully transition to college or pursue a career. It may include guidance on college admissions, financial aid, academic support, and career exploration. A vocational rehabilitation evaluation, work readiness program, and pre-vocational program would be more suitable for students who are interested in entering the workforce immediately after graduation.
Q12During an occupational therapy evaluation, what information is gathered to create an occupational profile?
✓ Correct answer: D. Client's habits, routines, roles
Creating an occupational profile involves gathering information about the client's habits, routines, and roles. This helps in understanding the client's performance patterns and promoting occupational engagement.
Q13What is the MOST important component of client education for a client with lateral epicondylitis?
✓ Correct answer: C. Learning self-management techniques
Epicondylitis is a form of cumulative trauma disorder where force is applied over the area, in this case, the client's lateral aspect of the elbow joint, repetitively along with overuse of the muscle group, which in this case is the extensor carpi radialis brevis. Learning self-management techniques will allow the client to be mindful of the movements that cause the injury. Self-management also includes the consistent application of techniques that will reduce the pain and inflammation, which involves the other answer choices.
Q14A child with a genetic disorder that impacts muscle control needs seating options in the home. Which is the BEST option for the OTR to recommend?
✓ Correct answer: B. Rock'er Pediatric Chill Out Chair
The Rock'er Pediatric Chill Out Chair is designed to provide an alternative chair option for individuals who are not in their wheelchair or adaptive seating. The chair includes a soothing rocking motion that helps calm the individual. The chair is custom designed for the needs of the user and vary depending on the child’s needs. To promote leisure engagement and relaxation during family movie times, a cozy seating alternative can be recommended to the family. The child’s mobility and positioning needs are individually attended to by using this custom relaxation chair.
Q15An OTR is working with an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit who was born at 25 weeks' gestation. The infant is the first child of young parents without high school diplomas who live about 2 hours from the hospital. Both parents appear unsettled and afraid to touch and hold the child for fear of hurting the infant. What INITAL action should the OTR take when providing developmental care to the infant and family?
✓ Correct answer: A. Provide family education on kangaroo care and explain the benefit of this care for relaxation and caregiver closeness
Family education is essential for new parents to feel confident and comfortable in caring for their infant. In this case, providing education on kangaroo care is the initial action needed to boost the caregiver closeness and ease their fears. They also live far away from the hospital so establishing their bond and attachment through kangaroo care will be essential before they discharge and return home.
Q16Which of the following is a common symptom of ulnar nerve injury?
✓ Correct answer: C. Claw hand deformity
An ulnar nerve injury can result in a claw hand deformity, which is characterized by curling of the 4th and 5th digits. This is due to weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the hand that are innervated by the ulnar nerve. An ape hand deformity is associated with a distal median nerve injury, not ulnar nerve injury. Benediction sign and wrist drop are associated with median and radial nerve injuries, respectively.
Q17Which standardized pediatric developmental assessment covers cognition, language, gross and fine motor skills, social-emotional skills, and self-help for children from birth through three years old?
✓ Correct answer: A. Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 3rd Edition (BSID-III)
The Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 3rd Edition (BSID-III) is a standardized evaluation for ages 1 to 42 months that covers cognition, language, motor skills, social-emotional skills, and adaptive behavior skills. It is used to determine a child's baseline abilities as well as continued progress through treatment. The Hawaii Early Learning Profile, Revised (HELP) is a nonstandardized assessment, while the Denver Developmental Screening Test II focuses on personal-social skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and language. The Neurological Assessment of Pre-term and Full-term Newborn Infant (NAPFI) is a neurological evaluation and scale.
Q18When implementing motivational strategies in skills training, what is an example of an internal reward?
✓ Correct answer: D. Sense of accomplishment
Motivational strategies involve the use of both internal and external rewards. An internal reward refers to a personal sense of accomplishment or satisfaction that comes from achieving a goal or completing a task. Money, recognition, and gift cards are examples of external rewards, as they are tangible items or incentives given to individuals as a form of motivation.
Q19During a cardiac rehabilitation session, the OTR notices that the client's blood pressure drops by more than 10 mm Hg when transitioning from sitting to standing. What symptom of cardiac distress did the OTR observe?
✓ Correct answer: C. Orthostatic
The client's heart rate, blood pressure, and subjective response while performing a task are used to evaluate the cardiovascular system’s response to activity. Orthostatic is a decrease of more than 10 mm Hg in the systolic blood pressure when the client transitions from supine to sitting or sitting to standing.
Q20An occupational therapist is working with an elementary-aged child during a therapy activity. The task provided requires the child to do a fine motor task that is slightly above the child's current skill level. The occupational therapist watches the child engage in problem-solving through trial and error throughout the task. Which method is the occupational therapist implementing to engage this child?
✓ Correct answer: B. Just right challenge
The just right challenge requires grading or adapting an activity so that the activity is not too difficult. The just right challenge encourages achievement with the task using problem-solving skills; it strikes the balance between a task that is too easy and one that is too difficult.
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Theory