NBCOT ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES| LATEST
UPDATE 2025/2026 | A+ GRADED
MULTIPLE CHOICES
An OT is preparing to evaluate a toddler who has upper extremity orthopedic
concerns. How will the OT MOST likely obtain the majority of initial assessment data?
A. Measurement tools that assess visual-motor skills
B. Dynamometer and pinch meter readings.
C. Observation of child during activities in the child-care center.
D. Functional independence measures.
C. Observation of child during activities in the child-care center.
Through observation of the child during child-care center activities, the OT can collect
information about the child's motor performance skills and participation in activities that
require upper extremity/hand skill. Naturalistic observation is a method of ecological
assessment, which is "a primary mechanism for obtaining data relevant to the child's
performance context..... Skilled observation of child performing a functional task offers.....
important information about the child's performance". Answers A, B, ad D are all
appropriate choices after the child is old enough for these assessments.
During an initial evaluation, the OT suspects that a child has somatodyspraxia. In what
area should the OT focus the evaluation?
A. Ability to print or write.
B. Reading competency.
1
,C. Math calculations.
D. New motor task planning.
D. New motor task planning.
"Somatodyspraxia is described as a deficit in learning new motor skills, planning new
motor actions, and generalizing motor plans." Inability to print or write (answer A) is termed
"dysgraphia." The term "dyslexia" (answer B) means dysfunction in reading. Inability to
perform mathematics (answer C) is known as "dyscalculia"
An OT working in a long-term care facility needs to evaluate the long-term memory of a
resident. Which of the following methods is BEST for evaluating memory or personally
experienced events (declarative memory)?
A. Show the person a series of objects and ask him to recall the objects within 60 seconds.
B. Ask the individual how he spent New Year's/
C. Have the individual state the place, date, and time.
D. Ask the client to remember to bring a specific item to the next therapy session
B. Ask the individual how he spent New Year's
"Declarative memory is one aspect of long term memory and includes conscious memory
for events, knowledge or facts". It is commonly assessed through verbal interviews and
informal testing such as asking a question about an individual's recall of personal events
(answer B). Working memory refers to "the temporary storage of inforamtion while one is
working with it or attending to it" (answer A). "Prospective memory involves the ability to
remember intentions or activities that will be required in the future" (answer D). Knowing
the date, place, and time is indicative of orientation (answer C).
A child avoids playground equipment that requires her feet to be off the ground. What
does this behavior MOST likely indicate?
2
,A. Difficulty modulating proprioception.
B. Somatodyspraxia
C. Gravitational insecurity
D. Bilateral integration/sequencing deficit.
C. Gravitational insecurity.
Gravitational insecurity is described as "fear response to movement". The child easily
experiences a fear of falling and prefers to keep her feet firmly on the ground. Tactile
defensiveness (answer A) is a term used to describe discomfort with various textures and
with unexpected touch. Somatodyspraxia (answer B) has is "foundation in somatosensory
(e.g. primarily tactile but also proprioceptive) discrimination deficits, which interfere with
the development of body scheme and awareness". Bilateral integration and sequencing
deficits are related to "poor vestibular-propioceptive discrimination, which interferes with
the ability to coordinate, sequence, and execute motor actions quickly and efficiently".
When the OT suspects tactile defensiveness as a rationale for a child's challenges, in
what area of participation should the OT focus on FIRST?
A. Play behavior
B. Dressing habits
C. Social skills
D. Leisure interests
B. Dressing habits
Children with tactile defensiveness are "bothered by tactile aspects of daily living
activities.... specific types of clothing.... specific textures materials". The child may be
bothered by certain textures or avoid wearing turtlenecks, socks, or shoes. Conversely,
some children may never take off their shoes to avoid tactile stimulation. Play behavior
(answer A), social skills (answer C), and the choice of hobbies (answer D) could be affected
3
, secondarily, as a result of intolerance to certain textures or human touch. Knowledge of the
child's dressing habits will give the OT key information at the start of the evaluation
process.
An OT is working with an individual with schizophrenia who is in the process of
preparing to move from a state hospital to a group home. During a baking group, the
client becomes agitated and leaves the room when another client uses the electric
hand mixer to mix the cake batter, and again when two clients begin to argue loudly
about which type of icing to use. How would the OT BEST describe the behavior?
A. Low registration
B. Sensory avoiding
C. Sensation seeking
D. A hearing impairment
B. Sensory avoiding
The individual's actions are indicative of sensor avoiding behavior, characterized by a low
threshold to stimuli perceived as noxious, followed by an active response such as leaving
the room. Individuals with sensory avoiding behavior may "become distressed in situations
in which they cannot control the environment" and "do well in low stimulus situation or
settings that others find dull". An individual with low registration (answer A), sensory
seeking behavior (answer C), or a hearing impairment (answer D) would not have difficult
with the auditory stimulation caused by the roar of the mixer or loud voices.
During a self-care evaluation of an individual who recently sustained a brain injury, the
OT instructs the individual to comb his hair immediately after he washes his face. The
individual washes his face quickly, but then the therapist must give him several
reminders to comb his hair. The OT is MOST likely to identify this as a deficit in what
area?
4
DETAILED ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES| LATEST
UPDATE 2025/2026 | A+ GRADED
MULTIPLE CHOICES
An OT is preparing to evaluate a toddler who has upper extremity orthopedic
concerns. How will the OT MOST likely obtain the majority of initial assessment data?
A. Measurement tools that assess visual-motor skills
B. Dynamometer and pinch meter readings.
C. Observation of child during activities in the child-care center.
D. Functional independence measures.
C. Observation of child during activities in the child-care center.
Through observation of the child during child-care center activities, the OT can collect
information about the child's motor performance skills and participation in activities that
require upper extremity/hand skill. Naturalistic observation is a method of ecological
assessment, which is "a primary mechanism for obtaining data relevant to the child's
performance context..... Skilled observation of child performing a functional task offers.....
important information about the child's performance". Answers A, B, ad D are all
appropriate choices after the child is old enough for these assessments.
During an initial evaluation, the OT suspects that a child has somatodyspraxia. In what
area should the OT focus the evaluation?
A. Ability to print or write.
B. Reading competency.
1
,C. Math calculations.
D. New motor task planning.
D. New motor task planning.
"Somatodyspraxia is described as a deficit in learning new motor skills, planning new
motor actions, and generalizing motor plans." Inability to print or write (answer A) is termed
"dysgraphia." The term "dyslexia" (answer B) means dysfunction in reading. Inability to
perform mathematics (answer C) is known as "dyscalculia"
An OT working in a long-term care facility needs to evaluate the long-term memory of a
resident. Which of the following methods is BEST for evaluating memory or personally
experienced events (declarative memory)?
A. Show the person a series of objects and ask him to recall the objects within 60 seconds.
B. Ask the individual how he spent New Year's/
C. Have the individual state the place, date, and time.
D. Ask the client to remember to bring a specific item to the next therapy session
B. Ask the individual how he spent New Year's
"Declarative memory is one aspect of long term memory and includes conscious memory
for events, knowledge or facts". It is commonly assessed through verbal interviews and
informal testing such as asking a question about an individual's recall of personal events
(answer B). Working memory refers to "the temporary storage of inforamtion while one is
working with it or attending to it" (answer A). "Prospective memory involves the ability to
remember intentions or activities that will be required in the future" (answer D). Knowing
the date, place, and time is indicative of orientation (answer C).
A child avoids playground equipment that requires her feet to be off the ground. What
does this behavior MOST likely indicate?
2
,A. Difficulty modulating proprioception.
B. Somatodyspraxia
C. Gravitational insecurity
D. Bilateral integration/sequencing deficit.
C. Gravitational insecurity.
Gravitational insecurity is described as "fear response to movement". The child easily
experiences a fear of falling and prefers to keep her feet firmly on the ground. Tactile
defensiveness (answer A) is a term used to describe discomfort with various textures and
with unexpected touch. Somatodyspraxia (answer B) has is "foundation in somatosensory
(e.g. primarily tactile but also proprioceptive) discrimination deficits, which interfere with
the development of body scheme and awareness". Bilateral integration and sequencing
deficits are related to "poor vestibular-propioceptive discrimination, which interferes with
the ability to coordinate, sequence, and execute motor actions quickly and efficiently".
When the OT suspects tactile defensiveness as a rationale for a child's challenges, in
what area of participation should the OT focus on FIRST?
A. Play behavior
B. Dressing habits
C. Social skills
D. Leisure interests
B. Dressing habits
Children with tactile defensiveness are "bothered by tactile aspects of daily living
activities.... specific types of clothing.... specific textures materials". The child may be
bothered by certain textures or avoid wearing turtlenecks, socks, or shoes. Conversely,
some children may never take off their shoes to avoid tactile stimulation. Play behavior
(answer A), social skills (answer C), and the choice of hobbies (answer D) could be affected
3
, secondarily, as a result of intolerance to certain textures or human touch. Knowledge of the
child's dressing habits will give the OT key information at the start of the evaluation
process.
An OT is working with an individual with schizophrenia who is in the process of
preparing to move from a state hospital to a group home. During a baking group, the
client becomes agitated and leaves the room when another client uses the electric
hand mixer to mix the cake batter, and again when two clients begin to argue loudly
about which type of icing to use. How would the OT BEST describe the behavior?
A. Low registration
B. Sensory avoiding
C. Sensation seeking
D. A hearing impairment
B. Sensory avoiding
The individual's actions are indicative of sensor avoiding behavior, characterized by a low
threshold to stimuli perceived as noxious, followed by an active response such as leaving
the room. Individuals with sensory avoiding behavior may "become distressed in situations
in which they cannot control the environment" and "do well in low stimulus situation or
settings that others find dull". An individual with low registration (answer A), sensory
seeking behavior (answer C), or a hearing impairment (answer D) would not have difficult
with the auditory stimulation caused by the roar of the mixer or loud voices.
During a self-care evaluation of an individual who recently sustained a brain injury, the
OT instructs the individual to comb his hair immediately after he washes his face. The
individual washes his face quickly, but then the therapist must give him several
reminders to comb his hair. The OT is MOST likely to identify this as a deficit in what
area?
4
