HCA CORE EXAM 2026 TEST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
SCORED A+
✔✔Get Calm and Balanced - ✔✔Once you have stopped your automatic reaction, the
next step is to calm yourself and get balanced
✔✔Make a Conscious Choice of How You Want to Respond - ✔✔Responding is action
with thought. You are ready to respond when your breathing is normal, you are aware of
yourself, and you have an idea of what to do
✔✔Physical - ✔✔problems, such as pain, discomfort, dehydration, fatigue, constipation,
hunger or thirst
✔✔Environmental - ✔✔issues, such as temperature, noise, lighting, or a lack of privacy
✔✔Emotional - ✔✔triggers, such as a disruption in routine, depression, recent loss, or
difficulties with other people
✔✔Effective Problem Solving - ✔✔1. Understand the problem.
2. Brainstorm possible solutions.
3. Pick a solution, make a plan, and do it!
4. Get feedback about how it worked.
✔✔Step #1 - Understand the Problem - ✔✔What is happening, when, and why
✔✔Things to Avoid - ✔✔Do not try to solve the problem before having a good
understanding of it
Try not to react emotionally
Do not focus on a symptom of the problem
✔✔Step #2 - Brainstorm Possible Solutions - ✔✔f the problem involves others, include
them in the brainstorming process. Together, come up with as many solutions as
possible
✔✔Choosing a Solution Together - ✔✔agree on what criteria will be used to decide
which solution to try
✔✔Step #3 - Pick a Solution, Make a Plan, and Do it! - ✔✔Look at the positives and
negatives of each option before making a decision
✔✔Step #4 - Getting feedback - ✔✔involves getting feedback. Ask yourself and the
people involved how the solution is working. If changes need to be made, look at the
brainstormed options and try a different solution
,✔✔Baseline - ✔✔the client's usual condition and level of ability (physical, emotional,
mental, behavioral and social)
✔✔Disability - ✔✔an impairment that requires modification or assistance with a task or
function. A disability may be temporary or permanent
✔✔Disorder - ✔✔a medical condition that causes an impairment of the mind or body
✔✔Hearing Loss - ✔✔a decrease in the ability to hear sounds; deafness
✔✔Impairment - ✔✔an abnormality, partial or complete loss, or loss of the function of a
body part, organ, or system
✔✔Possible Signs of Hearing Loss or a Change in Condition from Baseline -
✔✔Increase volume level on audio/video devices
• Report ringing in their ears • Speak loudly
• Be non-responsive to sound
• Be unable to hear your voice, or have trouble hearing high-pitched sounds
• Be unable to distinguish sound with background noise, or when two people are talking
at once
✔✔Communicating with a Client who has Difficulty Hearing - ✔✔• Get the client's
attention verbally or by touch (e.g., tap the person gently on the shoulder or arm).
• Face the client directly and keep your hands away from your face. Make sure there is
enough light so the client can easily see your face.
• Speak slowly and carefully form your words.
✔✔Difficulty Speaking - ✔✔• Reduce background noise and distraction.
• Ask questions in a way that lets the client respond with one word, hand gestures, or a
head nod.
• Give clear choices, but not too many choices
• Give them plenty of time to think and understand.
✔✔Cognitive Impairment - ✔✔can affect our ability to send, receive, and understand
messages
,• Speak slowly in a calm, soft, low tone of voice.
• Ask one question at a time and wait for the response. Repeat questions if needed.
• Use concise, positive statements and phrases. Repeating information can be helpful.
✔✔Dementia - ✔✔Is caused by disease, injury, or illness that damages brain cells. As
dementia advances, communication becomes more challenging
✔✔Traumatic Brain Injury - ✔✔Can affect communication skills. No two brain injuries
are the same, and communication challenges may vary. The most common difficulty for
individuals with a brain injury is social communication
✔✔Disability - ✔✔is any condition of the body or mind that requires modification or
assistance for certain activities. There are many types of disabilities, and each person's
experience and needs are unique
✔✔Working with Interpreters - ✔✔• Speak in a normal tone and volume.
• Speak in short phrases and pause to give time for the interpreter to interpret.
• Speak directly to the client, using phrases such as "How are you feeling?" rather than
asking the interpreter "How is she feeling?"
✔✔Adult family home (AFH - ✔✔residential, neighborhood home licensed to care for
two to six people (qualified homes can apply for a capacity up to eight people)
✔✔Assessment - ✔✔gathering information to determine what care and services a client
needs and wants and how and when they want assistance provided
✔✔Assisted living facility (ALF) - ✔✔larger residential facility licensed to care for seven
or more people
✔✔Care setting - ✔✔where a client lives, such as an adult family home, assisted living
facility, enhanced services facility, or their own house or apartment
✔✔Care team - ✔✔everyone who supports a client, including professionals, friends,
family, and the client themselves
✔✔Enhanced services facility (ESF) - ✔✔residential facilities for up to sixteen people
with specialized staff and intensive services that focus on behavioral interventions
✔✔Functional disabilities - ✔✔a physical, cognitive, emotional, or mental condition
caused by disease, developmental disability, or chemical dependency which impairs a
person's ability to live independently
, ✔✔Self-determination - ✔✔the ability of a person to control what they do and what
happens to them
✔✔Service plan or care plan - ✔✔a guide or map of the care and services a client
wants and needs, including how and when services should be offered and who will
provide them
✔✔More than how man Adults receive long-term care - ✔✔70,000
✔✔Terminology: "Client" or "Resident? - ✔✔The Department of Social and Health
Services frequently uses the term "client" for people who receive long-term care
✔✔Care Settings - ✔✔Clients can receive assistance from Home Care Aides in many
different settings, including:
• their individual house or apartment,
• an adult family home,
• an assisted living facility, or
• an enhanced services facility.
✔✔Care Teams - ✔✔• the client's relatives,
• their friends,
• doctors,
• nurses,
• formal representatives,
• social workers, and
• case managers.
✔✔Service Plans - ✔✔The service plan is a detailed explanation of the client's needs
and the services they will receive. In general, a service plan identifies:
1. What tasks the client wants and needs support with;
2. Who will support them with each task; and
SCORED A+
✔✔Get Calm and Balanced - ✔✔Once you have stopped your automatic reaction, the
next step is to calm yourself and get balanced
✔✔Make a Conscious Choice of How You Want to Respond - ✔✔Responding is action
with thought. You are ready to respond when your breathing is normal, you are aware of
yourself, and you have an idea of what to do
✔✔Physical - ✔✔problems, such as pain, discomfort, dehydration, fatigue, constipation,
hunger or thirst
✔✔Environmental - ✔✔issues, such as temperature, noise, lighting, or a lack of privacy
✔✔Emotional - ✔✔triggers, such as a disruption in routine, depression, recent loss, or
difficulties with other people
✔✔Effective Problem Solving - ✔✔1. Understand the problem.
2. Brainstorm possible solutions.
3. Pick a solution, make a plan, and do it!
4. Get feedback about how it worked.
✔✔Step #1 - Understand the Problem - ✔✔What is happening, when, and why
✔✔Things to Avoid - ✔✔Do not try to solve the problem before having a good
understanding of it
Try not to react emotionally
Do not focus on a symptom of the problem
✔✔Step #2 - Brainstorm Possible Solutions - ✔✔f the problem involves others, include
them in the brainstorming process. Together, come up with as many solutions as
possible
✔✔Choosing a Solution Together - ✔✔agree on what criteria will be used to decide
which solution to try
✔✔Step #3 - Pick a Solution, Make a Plan, and Do it! - ✔✔Look at the positives and
negatives of each option before making a decision
✔✔Step #4 - Getting feedback - ✔✔involves getting feedback. Ask yourself and the
people involved how the solution is working. If changes need to be made, look at the
brainstormed options and try a different solution
,✔✔Baseline - ✔✔the client's usual condition and level of ability (physical, emotional,
mental, behavioral and social)
✔✔Disability - ✔✔an impairment that requires modification or assistance with a task or
function. A disability may be temporary or permanent
✔✔Disorder - ✔✔a medical condition that causes an impairment of the mind or body
✔✔Hearing Loss - ✔✔a decrease in the ability to hear sounds; deafness
✔✔Impairment - ✔✔an abnormality, partial or complete loss, or loss of the function of a
body part, organ, or system
✔✔Possible Signs of Hearing Loss or a Change in Condition from Baseline -
✔✔Increase volume level on audio/video devices
• Report ringing in their ears • Speak loudly
• Be non-responsive to sound
• Be unable to hear your voice, or have trouble hearing high-pitched sounds
• Be unable to distinguish sound with background noise, or when two people are talking
at once
✔✔Communicating with a Client who has Difficulty Hearing - ✔✔• Get the client's
attention verbally or by touch (e.g., tap the person gently on the shoulder or arm).
• Face the client directly and keep your hands away from your face. Make sure there is
enough light so the client can easily see your face.
• Speak slowly and carefully form your words.
✔✔Difficulty Speaking - ✔✔• Reduce background noise and distraction.
• Ask questions in a way that lets the client respond with one word, hand gestures, or a
head nod.
• Give clear choices, but not too many choices
• Give them plenty of time to think and understand.
✔✔Cognitive Impairment - ✔✔can affect our ability to send, receive, and understand
messages
,• Speak slowly in a calm, soft, low tone of voice.
• Ask one question at a time and wait for the response. Repeat questions if needed.
• Use concise, positive statements and phrases. Repeating information can be helpful.
✔✔Dementia - ✔✔Is caused by disease, injury, or illness that damages brain cells. As
dementia advances, communication becomes more challenging
✔✔Traumatic Brain Injury - ✔✔Can affect communication skills. No two brain injuries
are the same, and communication challenges may vary. The most common difficulty for
individuals with a brain injury is social communication
✔✔Disability - ✔✔is any condition of the body or mind that requires modification or
assistance for certain activities. There are many types of disabilities, and each person's
experience and needs are unique
✔✔Working with Interpreters - ✔✔• Speak in a normal tone and volume.
• Speak in short phrases and pause to give time for the interpreter to interpret.
• Speak directly to the client, using phrases such as "How are you feeling?" rather than
asking the interpreter "How is she feeling?"
✔✔Adult family home (AFH - ✔✔residential, neighborhood home licensed to care for
two to six people (qualified homes can apply for a capacity up to eight people)
✔✔Assessment - ✔✔gathering information to determine what care and services a client
needs and wants and how and when they want assistance provided
✔✔Assisted living facility (ALF) - ✔✔larger residential facility licensed to care for seven
or more people
✔✔Care setting - ✔✔where a client lives, such as an adult family home, assisted living
facility, enhanced services facility, or their own house or apartment
✔✔Care team - ✔✔everyone who supports a client, including professionals, friends,
family, and the client themselves
✔✔Enhanced services facility (ESF) - ✔✔residential facilities for up to sixteen people
with specialized staff and intensive services that focus on behavioral interventions
✔✔Functional disabilities - ✔✔a physical, cognitive, emotional, or mental condition
caused by disease, developmental disability, or chemical dependency which impairs a
person's ability to live independently
, ✔✔Self-determination - ✔✔the ability of a person to control what they do and what
happens to them
✔✔Service plan or care plan - ✔✔a guide or map of the care and services a client
wants and needs, including how and when services should be offered and who will
provide them
✔✔More than how man Adults receive long-term care - ✔✔70,000
✔✔Terminology: "Client" or "Resident? - ✔✔The Department of Social and Health
Services frequently uses the term "client" for people who receive long-term care
✔✔Care Settings - ✔✔Clients can receive assistance from Home Care Aides in many
different settings, including:
• their individual house or apartment,
• an adult family home,
• an assisted living facility, or
• an enhanced services facility.
✔✔Care Teams - ✔✔• the client's relatives,
• their friends,
• doctors,
• nurses,
• formal representatives,
• social workers, and
• case managers.
✔✔Service Plans - ✔✔The service plan is a detailed explanation of the client's needs
and the services they will receive. In general, a service plan identifies:
1. What tasks the client wants and needs support with;
2. Who will support them with each task; and
