COTA Exam Example Questions 1 With Complete Solutions
Initial action for developing a discharge group? - (ANSWER)obtain prospective group members'
occupational profile and postdischarge goals and options.
Rationale: when developing any therapeutic group, first get any prospective members OT profile.
Student w/ down syndrome and moderate intellectual disability does not each lunch during lunch hour
due to distractions. You should?
A. Schedule lunch to be in classroom to limit distractions
B. Provide positive feedback for attending to eating at 10-minute intervals
C. Practice role playing lunching conversations in the classroom
D. Seat the student at a lunchroom table with one peer? - (ANSWER)D. seat at table with one peer
Rationale: allows for socialization without too many distractors.
On a bus at community integration group a member falls gets up and laughs says "good thing I bounce
well". you should?
A. cancel and go file an occurrence report
B. Ask the bus driver to radio an ambulance
C. continue activity and file report up return to group home
D. Continue activities and ask client if they are having symptoms - (ANSWER)C. continue and file the
report later upon return to group home.
Rationale: client is not injured and occurrence reports about minor events do not have to be filed
immediately. Reporting symptoms are important but documentation is more important than the client's
symptoms.
Restaurant employee with left humeral fracture. After cast removal Pt received OT. Pt has 3/5 tricep
strength and full elbow rom. To increase elbow function in work-tasks, which activity is most effective
for the OTA to next include during intervention.
A. storing plates and glasses on shelves at chest height.
B. Wiping off a table while standing.
,COTA Exam Example Questions 1 With Complete Solutions
C. Carrying a tray of dishes from the table to the sink.
D. Wiping off a counter at chest height. - (ANSWER)A. storing plates and glasses on shelves at chest
height.
Rationale: Storing plates at chest height is a resistive activity against gravity. This is one of the best ways
to increase strength in a muscle to attain full elbow ROM.
Wiping tables at stomach level is gravity assisted so its wrong. Wiping counter at chest height is gravity
eliminated so yep thats wrong. carrying dishes is an isometric activity. Welcome to the cota exam.
The family is very anxious about surgery, and they ask the OTA what to do. Which is the OTA's best
response?
A. Recommend the family follow surgical recommendations from the doctor.
B. Suggest preoperative course of intensive therapy, and static/dynamic splinting
C. Advice the family to review all of the information to make an educated decision.
D. Encourage the family to get a second opinion from another surgeon. - (ANSWER)C. Advice the family
to review all of the information to make an educated decision.
Pt recovering from lumbar surgery and must remain flat in bed during initial recovery. Pt wants to read
comic books. Which is the best adaptation for OTA to recommend?
A. page magnifier
B. Prism Glasses
C. Audiotapes of books of interest.
D. Large print books of interest. - (ANSWER)B. Prism Glasses
Rationale: Prism glasses bend light 90 degrees which enables a person to lay flat and read anything
resting on his/her lap. This way Pt can read their comics.
Pt with C3 spinal cord injury is participating in a community mobility group at a shopping mall. Client
expresses desire to return to rehab center due to a pounding headache. OTA notices client is sweating
profusely. Which should the OTA do first in response to this observation and request?
,COTA Exam Example Questions 1 With Complete Solutions
A. Escort the client to outside of the mall to cool off in the fresh air.
B. Check the client's urinary catheter and collecting bag.
C. Call the rehab center's transportation department to relay the client's request.
D. Immediately activate the recline feature of the patient's tilt-in-space wheelchair. - (ANSWER)B. Check
the client's urinary catheter and collecting bag.
Rationale: Profuse sweating and headaches are signs of autonomic dysreflexia. This is an extreme rise in
BP caused by a noxious stimuli, which must be treated immediately by removing the stimulus. A blocked
catheter and overfilled urine bag are common precipitants to this complication and could results in a
medical emergency in persons with a spinal cord injury. The patient should also be kept upright to help
manage the rise in blood pressure.
An elementary age kid holds pencil with tightly held static tripod grasp. Which is the best approach to
improve his grasp?
A. perform all written work with a larger pencil and jumbo crayons on a horizontal surface.
B. Take a break every 15 minutes while writing to open and close the hand several times.
C. Practice moving coins from the fingertips to the palm and then from the palm to the fingertips.
D. Write all written work on a vertical surface, such as an easel or classroom wall board. - (ANSWER)C.
Practice moving coins from the fingertips to the palm and then from the palm to the fingertips.
Rationale: incorporation of finger-to-palm and palm-to-finger translations are in-hand manipulation
skills that address the dynamic use of the fingers. Everything else does not address the issue or involves
use of wrist elbow and shoulder movements rather than the needed finger movements to improve the
static tripod grasp to a dynamic tripod grasp.
Hospitilized adult with COPD discharge planning session. Pt says they want to exercise regularly you
should recommend?
A. Hospital wellness program's yoga group
B. Low-impact aerobics at local gym
C. Weight-lifting under direction of personal trainer
D. Jogging with friends at local park - (ANSWER)A. Hospital wellness program's yoga group
, COTA Exam Example Questions 1 With Complete Solutions
Rationale: yoga places least amount of stress on pulmonary and cardiac systems and the hospital
program will likely be overseen by trained professionals.
most effective group leadership style for OTA working acute psychiatric inpatient for clients newly
admitted to the unit?
A. Advisory.
B. Facilitative.
C. Laissez faire.
D. Directive. - (ANSWER)D. Directive
Rationale: Directive leadership involves the provision of structure, clear directions, and immediate and
consistent feedback. These qualities are needed in a group whose members are acutely ill with
psychiatric disorders.
Person has a dry mouth. What is the best suggestion for OTA to give? - (ANSWER)sip water (cuz they will
choke on anything solid like ice or candy)
Patient shows an increase in deficits during intervention session that are not immediately life
threatening. What should the OTA do? - (ANSWER)schedule a reevalution to better treat notably
worsened conditioned
which intervention would better help a toddler with a hyperactive gag reflex to decrease the gag reflex?
A. having child suck through straws of progressively longer lengths
-or-
B. Walking a tongue depressor from the front of the tongue to its back - (ANSWER)B. Walking tongue
depressor from front of the tongue to its back
Rationale: sucking through straw increases the sucking reflex but does not decrease a hyperactive gag
reflex
(Welcome to the COTA exam)
Initial action for developing a discharge group? - (ANSWER)obtain prospective group members'
occupational profile and postdischarge goals and options.
Rationale: when developing any therapeutic group, first get any prospective members OT profile.
Student w/ down syndrome and moderate intellectual disability does not each lunch during lunch hour
due to distractions. You should?
A. Schedule lunch to be in classroom to limit distractions
B. Provide positive feedback for attending to eating at 10-minute intervals
C. Practice role playing lunching conversations in the classroom
D. Seat the student at a lunchroom table with one peer? - (ANSWER)D. seat at table with one peer
Rationale: allows for socialization without too many distractors.
On a bus at community integration group a member falls gets up and laughs says "good thing I bounce
well". you should?
A. cancel and go file an occurrence report
B. Ask the bus driver to radio an ambulance
C. continue activity and file report up return to group home
D. Continue activities and ask client if they are having symptoms - (ANSWER)C. continue and file the
report later upon return to group home.
Rationale: client is not injured and occurrence reports about minor events do not have to be filed
immediately. Reporting symptoms are important but documentation is more important than the client's
symptoms.
Restaurant employee with left humeral fracture. After cast removal Pt received OT. Pt has 3/5 tricep
strength and full elbow rom. To increase elbow function in work-tasks, which activity is most effective
for the OTA to next include during intervention.
A. storing plates and glasses on shelves at chest height.
B. Wiping off a table while standing.
,COTA Exam Example Questions 1 With Complete Solutions
C. Carrying a tray of dishes from the table to the sink.
D. Wiping off a counter at chest height. - (ANSWER)A. storing plates and glasses on shelves at chest
height.
Rationale: Storing plates at chest height is a resistive activity against gravity. This is one of the best ways
to increase strength in a muscle to attain full elbow ROM.
Wiping tables at stomach level is gravity assisted so its wrong. Wiping counter at chest height is gravity
eliminated so yep thats wrong. carrying dishes is an isometric activity. Welcome to the cota exam.
The family is very anxious about surgery, and they ask the OTA what to do. Which is the OTA's best
response?
A. Recommend the family follow surgical recommendations from the doctor.
B. Suggest preoperative course of intensive therapy, and static/dynamic splinting
C. Advice the family to review all of the information to make an educated decision.
D. Encourage the family to get a second opinion from another surgeon. - (ANSWER)C. Advice the family
to review all of the information to make an educated decision.
Pt recovering from lumbar surgery and must remain flat in bed during initial recovery. Pt wants to read
comic books. Which is the best adaptation for OTA to recommend?
A. page magnifier
B. Prism Glasses
C. Audiotapes of books of interest.
D. Large print books of interest. - (ANSWER)B. Prism Glasses
Rationale: Prism glasses bend light 90 degrees which enables a person to lay flat and read anything
resting on his/her lap. This way Pt can read their comics.
Pt with C3 spinal cord injury is participating in a community mobility group at a shopping mall. Client
expresses desire to return to rehab center due to a pounding headache. OTA notices client is sweating
profusely. Which should the OTA do first in response to this observation and request?
,COTA Exam Example Questions 1 With Complete Solutions
A. Escort the client to outside of the mall to cool off in the fresh air.
B. Check the client's urinary catheter and collecting bag.
C. Call the rehab center's transportation department to relay the client's request.
D. Immediately activate the recline feature of the patient's tilt-in-space wheelchair. - (ANSWER)B. Check
the client's urinary catheter and collecting bag.
Rationale: Profuse sweating and headaches are signs of autonomic dysreflexia. This is an extreme rise in
BP caused by a noxious stimuli, which must be treated immediately by removing the stimulus. A blocked
catheter and overfilled urine bag are common precipitants to this complication and could results in a
medical emergency in persons with a spinal cord injury. The patient should also be kept upright to help
manage the rise in blood pressure.
An elementary age kid holds pencil with tightly held static tripod grasp. Which is the best approach to
improve his grasp?
A. perform all written work with a larger pencil and jumbo crayons on a horizontal surface.
B. Take a break every 15 minutes while writing to open and close the hand several times.
C. Practice moving coins from the fingertips to the palm and then from the palm to the fingertips.
D. Write all written work on a vertical surface, such as an easel or classroom wall board. - (ANSWER)C.
Practice moving coins from the fingertips to the palm and then from the palm to the fingertips.
Rationale: incorporation of finger-to-palm and palm-to-finger translations are in-hand manipulation
skills that address the dynamic use of the fingers. Everything else does not address the issue or involves
use of wrist elbow and shoulder movements rather than the needed finger movements to improve the
static tripod grasp to a dynamic tripod grasp.
Hospitilized adult with COPD discharge planning session. Pt says they want to exercise regularly you
should recommend?
A. Hospital wellness program's yoga group
B. Low-impact aerobics at local gym
C. Weight-lifting under direction of personal trainer
D. Jogging with friends at local park - (ANSWER)A. Hospital wellness program's yoga group
, COTA Exam Example Questions 1 With Complete Solutions
Rationale: yoga places least amount of stress on pulmonary and cardiac systems and the hospital
program will likely be overseen by trained professionals.
most effective group leadership style for OTA working acute psychiatric inpatient for clients newly
admitted to the unit?
A. Advisory.
B. Facilitative.
C. Laissez faire.
D. Directive. - (ANSWER)D. Directive
Rationale: Directive leadership involves the provision of structure, clear directions, and immediate and
consistent feedback. These qualities are needed in a group whose members are acutely ill with
psychiatric disorders.
Person has a dry mouth. What is the best suggestion for OTA to give? - (ANSWER)sip water (cuz they will
choke on anything solid like ice or candy)
Patient shows an increase in deficits during intervention session that are not immediately life
threatening. What should the OTA do? - (ANSWER)schedule a reevalution to better treat notably
worsened conditioned
which intervention would better help a toddler with a hyperactive gag reflex to decrease the gag reflex?
A. having child suck through straws of progressively longer lengths
-or-
B. Walking a tongue depressor from the front of the tongue to its back - (ANSWER)B. Walking tongue
depressor from front of the tongue to its back
Rationale: sucking through straw increases the sucking reflex but does not decrease a hyperactive gag
reflex
(Welcome to the COTA exam)
