DaVita – Patient Care Technician (PCT) Practice
Exam
120 Multiple-Choice Questions with Answers and Rationales
1. The functional unit of the kidney responsible for filtering blood is the:
A. Nephron
B. Ureter
C. Bladder
D. Renal cortex
Answer: A. Nephron
Rationale: The nephron, consisting of the glomerulus and tubules, is the basic
structural and functional unit that filters blood and forms urine.
2. Blood enters the glomerulus through the:
A. Efferent arteriole
B. Afferent arteriole
C. Renal vein
D. Ureter
Answer: B. Afferent arteriole
Rationale: The afferent arteriole carries blood into the glomerulus, where filtration
begins; the efferent arteriole carries blood away.
3. Which of the following is NOT a normal function of the healthy kidney?
A. Regulating fluid balance
B. Producing erythropoietin
C. Producing insulin
D. Activating vitamin D
Answer: C. Producing insulin
Rationale: Insulin is produced by the pancreas, not the kidneys. Healthy kidneys
regulate fluids, produce erythropoietin, and activate vitamin D.
,4. Erythropoietin (EPO), produced by healthy kidneys, primarily stimulates:
A. White blood cell production
B. Red blood cell production in the bone marrow
C. Platelet destruction
D. Bile production
Answer: B. Red blood cell production in the bone marrow
Rationale: EPO signals the bone marrow to produce red blood cells; reduced EPO
production in kidney failure leads to anemia.
5. The kidneys help regulate blood pressure primarily through the:
A. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
B. Respiratory system
C. Digestive enzymes
D. Skeletal muscle contraction
Answer: A. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
Rationale: The kidneys release renin, which activates the
renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, a key regulator of blood pressure and fluid
balance.
6. One of the primary waste products removed by the kidneys, and monitored in
dialysis patients, is:
A. Glucose
B. Urea (BUN)
C. Hemoglobin
D. Insulin
Answer: B. Urea (BUN)
Rationale: Urea, measured as blood urea nitrogen (BUN), is a waste product of protein
metabolism that healthy kidneys filter out and that dialysis removes in kidney failure.
,7. In end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the kidneys have lost function to the point
that they:
A. Work slightly less efficiently but need no treatment
B. Can no longer adequately filter waste and fluid without dialysis or transplant
C. Only affect urine color
D. Function normally except for blood pressure regulation
Answer: B. Can no longer adequately filter waste and fluid without dialysis or
transplant
Rationale: ESRD is the final stage of chronic kidney disease, where kidney function is
insufficient to sustain life without renal replacement therapy such as dialysis or
transplant.
8. Which electrolyte, when elevated in kidney failure, poses a significant risk of
dangerous cardiac arrhythmias?
A. Sodium
B. Potassium
C. Chloride
D. Calcium
Answer: B. Potassium
Rationale: Hyperkalemia (high potassium) is a serious and potentially life-threatening
complication of kidney failure due to its effect on cardiac electrical activity.
9. Healthy kidneys help maintain calcium and phosphorus balance partly by
activating:
A. Vitamin C
B. Vitamin D
C. Vitamin K
D. Vitamin B12
Answer: B. Vitamin D
Rationale: The kidneys convert vitamin D into its active form, which is essential for
calcium absorption and bone health; this function declines in kidney failure.
, 10. A common early sign of declining kidney function that a PCT should
recognize in patient history is:
A. Improved appetite
B. Decreased urine output and fluid retention
C. Increased energy levels
D. Lower blood pressure
Answer: B. Decreased urine output and fluid retention
Rationale: Declining kidney function often leads to reduced urine output and fluid
retention (edema), reflecting impaired filtration and fluid regulation.
11. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is generally staged based primarily on:
A. Patient's age alone
B. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
C. Blood type
D. Dialysis machine settings
Answer: B. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
Rationale: CKD staging (Stage 1 through 5) is based primarily on eGFR, which
estimates how well the kidneys are filtering blood.
12. Stage 5 CKD (kidney failure) generally corresponds to an eGFR of
approximately:
A. Above 90
B. 60-89
C. 30-59
D. Below 15
Answer: D. Below 15
Rationale: Stage 5 CKD, also called kidney failure or ESRD, is generally defined as an
eGFR below 15 mL/min/1.73m^2.
Exam
120 Multiple-Choice Questions with Answers and Rationales
1. The functional unit of the kidney responsible for filtering blood is the:
A. Nephron
B. Ureter
C. Bladder
D. Renal cortex
Answer: A. Nephron
Rationale: The nephron, consisting of the glomerulus and tubules, is the basic
structural and functional unit that filters blood and forms urine.
2. Blood enters the glomerulus through the:
A. Efferent arteriole
B. Afferent arteriole
C. Renal vein
D. Ureter
Answer: B. Afferent arteriole
Rationale: The afferent arteriole carries blood into the glomerulus, where filtration
begins; the efferent arteriole carries blood away.
3. Which of the following is NOT a normal function of the healthy kidney?
A. Regulating fluid balance
B. Producing erythropoietin
C. Producing insulin
D. Activating vitamin D
Answer: C. Producing insulin
Rationale: Insulin is produced by the pancreas, not the kidneys. Healthy kidneys
regulate fluids, produce erythropoietin, and activate vitamin D.
,4. Erythropoietin (EPO), produced by healthy kidneys, primarily stimulates:
A. White blood cell production
B. Red blood cell production in the bone marrow
C. Platelet destruction
D. Bile production
Answer: B. Red blood cell production in the bone marrow
Rationale: EPO signals the bone marrow to produce red blood cells; reduced EPO
production in kidney failure leads to anemia.
5. The kidneys help regulate blood pressure primarily through the:
A. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
B. Respiratory system
C. Digestive enzymes
D. Skeletal muscle contraction
Answer: A. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
Rationale: The kidneys release renin, which activates the
renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, a key regulator of blood pressure and fluid
balance.
6. One of the primary waste products removed by the kidneys, and monitored in
dialysis patients, is:
A. Glucose
B. Urea (BUN)
C. Hemoglobin
D. Insulin
Answer: B. Urea (BUN)
Rationale: Urea, measured as blood urea nitrogen (BUN), is a waste product of protein
metabolism that healthy kidneys filter out and that dialysis removes in kidney failure.
,7. In end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the kidneys have lost function to the point
that they:
A. Work slightly less efficiently but need no treatment
B. Can no longer adequately filter waste and fluid without dialysis or transplant
C. Only affect urine color
D. Function normally except for blood pressure regulation
Answer: B. Can no longer adequately filter waste and fluid without dialysis or
transplant
Rationale: ESRD is the final stage of chronic kidney disease, where kidney function is
insufficient to sustain life without renal replacement therapy such as dialysis or
transplant.
8. Which electrolyte, when elevated in kidney failure, poses a significant risk of
dangerous cardiac arrhythmias?
A. Sodium
B. Potassium
C. Chloride
D. Calcium
Answer: B. Potassium
Rationale: Hyperkalemia (high potassium) is a serious and potentially life-threatening
complication of kidney failure due to its effect on cardiac electrical activity.
9. Healthy kidneys help maintain calcium and phosphorus balance partly by
activating:
A. Vitamin C
B. Vitamin D
C. Vitamin K
D. Vitamin B12
Answer: B. Vitamin D
Rationale: The kidneys convert vitamin D into its active form, which is essential for
calcium absorption and bone health; this function declines in kidney failure.
, 10. A common early sign of declining kidney function that a PCT should
recognize in patient history is:
A. Improved appetite
B. Decreased urine output and fluid retention
C. Increased energy levels
D. Lower blood pressure
Answer: B. Decreased urine output and fluid retention
Rationale: Declining kidney function often leads to reduced urine output and fluid
retention (edema), reflecting impaired filtration and fluid regulation.
11. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is generally staged based primarily on:
A. Patient's age alone
B. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
C. Blood type
D. Dialysis machine settings
Answer: B. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
Rationale: CKD staging (Stage 1 through 5) is based primarily on eGFR, which
estimates how well the kidneys are filtering blood.
12. Stage 5 CKD (kidney failure) generally corresponds to an eGFR of
approximately:
A. Above 90
B. 60-89
C. 30-59
D. Below 15
Answer: D. Below 15
Rationale: Stage 5 CKD, also called kidney failure or ESRD, is generally defined as an
eGFR below 15 mL/min/1.73m^2.
