EEG BOARD EXAM
ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED CORRECT ANSWERS - FULLY
UPDATED
2026-2027
100 Questions
100% VERIFIED
Introduction
The EEG Board Examination measures the scientific knowledge, technical mastery, and professional
judgment required of electroencephalographic technologists seeking national board certification.
This verified question bank reflects the official EEG Board domain blueprint and systematically
covers its core areas: Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology; EEG Instrumentation and Electronics;
Electrode Placement and Montages; Artifact Recognition and Troubleshooting; Normal and
Abnormal EEG Patterns; Seizure Semiology and Epilepsy Syndromes; and Patient Safety, Infection
Control, and Professional Ethics. Every item pairs a verified correct answer with a concise rationale
that reinforces the underlying principle and clarifies why the remaining options fail, converting
each question into a targeted study point. Mastery of this content supports professional
certification readiness and strengthens the sound judgment demanded in neurodiagnostic clinical
execution, from precise measurement and amplifier troubleshooting to pattern recognition,
emergency response, and the ethical standards that protect every patient studied.
1. Which groove separates the temporal lobe from the frontal and parietal lobes?
A. The lateral sulcus, also called the Sylvian fissure
B. The central sulcus
C. The calcarine sulcus
D. The longitudinal fissure
Correct Answer: A. The lateral sulcus, also called the Sylvian fissure
Rationale: The lateral sulcus runs along the upper border of the temporal lobe, separating it from
the frontal and parietal lobes above. The central sulcus divides frontal from parietal, the calcarine
sulcus lies in the occipital lobe, and the longitudinal fissure separates the two hemispheres.
2. Wernicke's area, important for language comprehension, is located in the:
A. Inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere
B. Posterior superior temporal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere
C. Precentral gyrus
D. Occipital pole
Correct Answer: B. Posterior superior temporal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere
Rationale: Wernicke's area lies at the back of the superior temporal gyrus; damage produces fluent
but meaningless speech with poor comprehension. The inferior frontal gyrus houses Broca's
expressive area, the precentral gyrus controls movement, and the occipital pole processes vision.
3. The postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe contains the:
, A. Primary somatosensory cortex, which processes touch and body sensation
B. Primary motor cortex
C. Primary visual cortex
D. Broca's speech area
Correct Answer: A. Primary somatosensory cortex, which processes touch and body
sensation
Rationale: The postcentral gyrus receives body sensation from the thalamus in a mapped
arrangement. Motor control sits in the precentral gyrus, vision in the occipital cortex, and
expressive speech in the inferior frontal region.
4. The thalamus is best described as:
A. The major relay station directing sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex
B. The center that controls breathing rhythm
C. The main organ of balance
D. The storehouse of long-term memories
Correct Answer: A. The major relay station directing sensory and motor signals to the
cerebral cortex
Rationale: Nearly all ascending information passes through thalamic nuclei before reaching the
cortex. Breathing belongs to the brainstem, balance to the cerebellum and vestibular system, and
memory consolidation chiefly to the hippocampus.
5. The hippocampus plays a central role in:
A. Color perception
B. Sound localization
C. Swallowing coordination
D. Forming new memories and is commonly the site of origin in temporal lobe epilepsy
Correct Answer: D. Forming new memories and is commonly the site of origin in temporal
lobe epilepsy
Rationale: The hippocampus encodes new declarative memories, and its sclerosis is the most
common pathology in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Vision, hearing, and swallowing belong to
other structures entirely.
6. The basal ganglia are a group of deep nuclei primarily involved in:
A. Filtering blood like the kidneys
B. Regulating the initiation and smoothness of voluntary movement
C. Producing cerebrospinal fluid
D. Relaying smell sensations
Correct Answer: B. Regulating the initiation and smoothness of voluntary movement
Rationale: The caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus modulate motor programs, and their
degeneration causes movement disorders such as parkinsonism. Blood filtration, CSF production,
and smell relay belong to other systems.
7. The resting membrane potential of a typical neuron is approximately:
, A. Plus 30 millivolts
B. Minus 70 millivolts
C. Exactly zero volts
D. Minus 10 millivolts
Correct Answer: B. Minus 70 millivolts
Rationale: At rest, the neuron holds an interior about 70 millivolts negative relative to the outside,
maintained by ion pumps and leak channels. The positive value describes the action potential peak,
and the smaller values are unphysiologic.
8. During the repolarization phase of an action potential:
A. Potassium ions flow out of the cell, restoring the negative interior
B. Sodium ions rush into the cell
C. Calcium exits through the sodium channels
D. Chloride pumps reverse the membrane instantly
Correct Answer: A. Potassium ions flow out of the cell, restoring the negative interior
Rationale: After depolarization, sodium channels close and voltage-gated potassium channels open,
letting potassium leave and restore the resting charge. Sodium influx causes depolarization, and the
other exchanges do not produce repolarization.
9. Saltatory conduction refers to the way action potentials:
A. Cross synapses chemically
B. Travel continuously and slowly along bare axons
C. Split into two directions permanently
D. Jump between nodes of Ranvier along myelinated axons, greatly increasing speed
Correct Answer: D. Jump between nodes of Ranvier along myelinated axons, greatly
increasing speed
Rationale: Myelin insulates the axon, so the impulse regenerates only at the exposed nodes, hopping
rapidly from one to the next. Chemical transmission and continuous bare-axon conduction describe
different processes.
10. An excitatory postsynaptic potential is:
A. A hyperpolarizing change that inhibits firing
B. The full action potential itself
C. A permanent change in DNA
D. A small depolarizing change that makes the neuron more likely to fire an action
potential
Correct Answer: D. A small depolarizing change that makes the neuron more likely to fire an
action potential
Rationale: EPSPs are graded depolarizations from excitatory input that summate toward threshold.
Hyperpolarizing changes are inhibitory, the action potential is an all-or-none event, and genetic
change plays no role.
11. Occlusion of the anterior cerebral artery most characteristically causes weakness of:
ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED CORRECT ANSWERS - FULLY
UPDATED
2026-2027
100 Questions
100% VERIFIED
Introduction
The EEG Board Examination measures the scientific knowledge, technical mastery, and professional
judgment required of electroencephalographic technologists seeking national board certification.
This verified question bank reflects the official EEG Board domain blueprint and systematically
covers its core areas: Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology; EEG Instrumentation and Electronics;
Electrode Placement and Montages; Artifact Recognition and Troubleshooting; Normal and
Abnormal EEG Patterns; Seizure Semiology and Epilepsy Syndromes; and Patient Safety, Infection
Control, and Professional Ethics. Every item pairs a verified correct answer with a concise rationale
that reinforces the underlying principle and clarifies why the remaining options fail, converting
each question into a targeted study point. Mastery of this content supports professional
certification readiness and strengthens the sound judgment demanded in neurodiagnostic clinical
execution, from precise measurement and amplifier troubleshooting to pattern recognition,
emergency response, and the ethical standards that protect every patient studied.
1. Which groove separates the temporal lobe from the frontal and parietal lobes?
A. The lateral sulcus, also called the Sylvian fissure
B. The central sulcus
C. The calcarine sulcus
D. The longitudinal fissure
Correct Answer: A. The lateral sulcus, also called the Sylvian fissure
Rationale: The lateral sulcus runs along the upper border of the temporal lobe, separating it from
the frontal and parietal lobes above. The central sulcus divides frontal from parietal, the calcarine
sulcus lies in the occipital lobe, and the longitudinal fissure separates the two hemispheres.
2. Wernicke's area, important for language comprehension, is located in the:
A. Inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere
B. Posterior superior temporal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere
C. Precentral gyrus
D. Occipital pole
Correct Answer: B. Posterior superior temporal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere
Rationale: Wernicke's area lies at the back of the superior temporal gyrus; damage produces fluent
but meaningless speech with poor comprehension. The inferior frontal gyrus houses Broca's
expressive area, the precentral gyrus controls movement, and the occipital pole processes vision.
3. The postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe contains the:
, A. Primary somatosensory cortex, which processes touch and body sensation
B. Primary motor cortex
C. Primary visual cortex
D. Broca's speech area
Correct Answer: A. Primary somatosensory cortex, which processes touch and body
sensation
Rationale: The postcentral gyrus receives body sensation from the thalamus in a mapped
arrangement. Motor control sits in the precentral gyrus, vision in the occipital cortex, and
expressive speech in the inferior frontal region.
4. The thalamus is best described as:
A. The major relay station directing sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex
B. The center that controls breathing rhythm
C. The main organ of balance
D. The storehouse of long-term memories
Correct Answer: A. The major relay station directing sensory and motor signals to the
cerebral cortex
Rationale: Nearly all ascending information passes through thalamic nuclei before reaching the
cortex. Breathing belongs to the brainstem, balance to the cerebellum and vestibular system, and
memory consolidation chiefly to the hippocampus.
5. The hippocampus plays a central role in:
A. Color perception
B. Sound localization
C. Swallowing coordination
D. Forming new memories and is commonly the site of origin in temporal lobe epilepsy
Correct Answer: D. Forming new memories and is commonly the site of origin in temporal
lobe epilepsy
Rationale: The hippocampus encodes new declarative memories, and its sclerosis is the most
common pathology in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Vision, hearing, and swallowing belong to
other structures entirely.
6. The basal ganglia are a group of deep nuclei primarily involved in:
A. Filtering blood like the kidneys
B. Regulating the initiation and smoothness of voluntary movement
C. Producing cerebrospinal fluid
D. Relaying smell sensations
Correct Answer: B. Regulating the initiation and smoothness of voluntary movement
Rationale: The caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus modulate motor programs, and their
degeneration causes movement disorders such as parkinsonism. Blood filtration, CSF production,
and smell relay belong to other systems.
7. The resting membrane potential of a typical neuron is approximately:
, A. Plus 30 millivolts
B. Minus 70 millivolts
C. Exactly zero volts
D. Minus 10 millivolts
Correct Answer: B. Minus 70 millivolts
Rationale: At rest, the neuron holds an interior about 70 millivolts negative relative to the outside,
maintained by ion pumps and leak channels. The positive value describes the action potential peak,
and the smaller values are unphysiologic.
8. During the repolarization phase of an action potential:
A. Potassium ions flow out of the cell, restoring the negative interior
B. Sodium ions rush into the cell
C. Calcium exits through the sodium channels
D. Chloride pumps reverse the membrane instantly
Correct Answer: A. Potassium ions flow out of the cell, restoring the negative interior
Rationale: After depolarization, sodium channels close and voltage-gated potassium channels open,
letting potassium leave and restore the resting charge. Sodium influx causes depolarization, and the
other exchanges do not produce repolarization.
9. Saltatory conduction refers to the way action potentials:
A. Cross synapses chemically
B. Travel continuously and slowly along bare axons
C. Split into two directions permanently
D. Jump between nodes of Ranvier along myelinated axons, greatly increasing speed
Correct Answer: D. Jump between nodes of Ranvier along myelinated axons, greatly
increasing speed
Rationale: Myelin insulates the axon, so the impulse regenerates only at the exposed nodes, hopping
rapidly from one to the next. Chemical transmission and continuous bare-axon conduction describe
different processes.
10. An excitatory postsynaptic potential is:
A. A hyperpolarizing change that inhibits firing
B. The full action potential itself
C. A permanent change in DNA
D. A small depolarizing change that makes the neuron more likely to fire an action
potential
Correct Answer: D. A small depolarizing change that makes the neuron more likely to fire an
action potential
Rationale: EPSPs are graded depolarizations from excitatory input that summate toward threshold.
Hyperpolarizing changes are inhibitory, the action potential is an all-or-none event, and genetic
change plays no role.
11. Occlusion of the anterior cerebral artery most characteristically causes weakness of:
