NBCE BOARDS EXAM SCRIPT 2025 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Dugas' Test - ✔✔The patient places the hand of the affected shoulder on the
opposite shoulder and attempts to touch the elbow to the chest.
Positive: unable to perform -> Shoulder Dislocation (Active & Acute)
✔✔Yergason's Test - ✔✔The patient flexes their elbow to 90 degrees while seated. The
doctor palpates the biceps tendon and actively resists the patient's attempt to actively
supinate the hand and flex the elbow.
Positive: Audible click or snap in bicipital groove -> Bicipital Tendon Instability
✔✔Dawbarn's Sign - ✔✔The doctor palpates the subacromial bursa and elicits pain.
The doctor passively abducts patient's shoulder without moving his/her fingers off of the
subacromial bursa.
Positive: Reduction of pain in second maneuver -> Subacromial Bursitis
✔✔Impingement Sign - ✔✔The patient slightly abducts their arm and the doctor
passively moves their arm through a full flexion. This causes a jam of the greater
tuberosity against the lacrimal surface.
Positive: Pain -> Tendonitis (overuse of tendons)
✔✔Supraspinatus Press Test AKA - ✔✔Empty Can Test
✔✔Empty Can Test Performed - ✔✔Patient abducts shoulders to 90degrees and the
doctor apple resistance. The patient flexes shoulders to 30 degrees and points thumbs
downward and resistance is applied again. (Hold & push the proximal elbow).
Positive: Weakness -> Supraspinatus Tear
✔✔Speed's Test - ✔✔Patient is seated with elbow slightly flexed and palm up. The
doctor resists the patient's attempt to flex shoulder while extending and supinating the
forearm.
Positive: Pain -> Bicipital Tendonitis
✔✔Subacromial Push Button Test - ✔✔Doctor applies a deep pressure over the
subacromial bursa.
Postive: Pain -> Supraspinatus degeneration OR Subacromial bursitis
,✔✔Passive Shoulder Approximation - ✔✔Patient is standing and the doctor asks
patient to lift shoulders up and back (squeeze the shoulder blades together).
Positive: Pain in scapular region -> T1 or T2 Nerve Root problem on side of pain
✔✔Bryant's Test - ✔✔Doctor observed patient standing and notes the heights of axillary
folds.
Positive: lower axillary fold on involved side -> Shoulder Dislocation
✔✔Brachial Plexus Tension Test - ✔✔Patient is seated. Patient places both hands
behind his/her head and pulls elbows posteriorly.
Positive: Pain -> C5 Nerve Root Lesion and/or TOS
✔✔Lateral Epicondylitis AKA - ✔✔Radiohumeral Bursitis
✔✔Radiohumeral Bursitis AKA - ✔✔Tennis Elbow
✔✔Lateral Epicondylitis Affects - ✔✔Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis
Pain in extension of wrist and pronation of elbow (overhand swing)
✔✔Medial Epicondylitis AKA - ✔✔Little Leaguer's Elbow
or
Golfer's Elbow
✔✔Medial Epicondylitis Affects - ✔✔Flexor Carpi Ulnaris
Pain at elbow with flexion of the wrist
✔✔Cozen's Test
(C6 Biker Chicks) - ✔✔Patient's elbow is flexed to 90degrees with forearm pronated and
fist dorsiflexed. Doctor stabilizes patient's elbow and resists patient's dorsiflexed wrist.
Postive: Pain in the lateral elbow-> Lateral Epicondylitis
✔✔Reverse Cozen - ✔✔Same except arm is supinated and doctor pulled on flexed
wrist.
Positive: Pain in medial elbow->Medial Epicondylitis
, ✔✔Mill's Test - ✔✔Doctor passively flexes patient's fingers, wrist, elbow and the brings
elbow around and into max pronation and extension.
Positive: Pain in Lateral Elbow -> Lateral Epicondylitis
✔✔Reverse Mill's - ✔✔Patients hand is flat, patient flexes and doctor resists.
Postive: Pain in Medial Elbow -> Medial Epicondylitis
✔✔Tinel's Sign (wrist) - ✔✔Percuss over the flexor retinaculum (anterior portion of the
wrist where a watch would sit) and the Tunnel of Guyon (most medial portion of above)
Postive: Tingling in the lateral 3 fingers (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) of medial two fingers
(Ulnar Impingement)
✔✔Phalen's Sign - ✔✔The patient flexes writs maximally and holds position for one
minute, pushing hands together.
Positive: tingling into lateral 3 fingers of hand -> Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
✔✔Pinch Grip Test - ✔✔Ask the patient to put the tip of their thumb to the tip of their
index finger.
Positive: if they put the pads of their thumb and forefinger together -> Ant. Interosseous
N. Syndrome -> Median N. Lesion
✔✔Froment's Paper Sign - ✔✔Doctor places a piece of paper between the patient's
thumb and index finger (all other fingers too) and attempts to pull it out.
Positive: Cannot hold paper-> Ulnar N. Palsy
✔✔Finkelstein's Test - ✔✔Patient makes a fist with thumb inside fist; then fist is
passively ulnar deviated.
Positive: Pain over the anatomical snuff box -> DeQuervain's Disease AKA Stenosing
Tenosynovitis.
✔✔Stenosing Tenosynovitis - ✔✔
✔✔Bracelet Test - ✔✔Doctor applies compression around patient's wrist like a bracelet.
Positive: Pain -> RA (if bilateral) or Strain/Sprain (if unilateral)
✔✔Straight Leg Test - ✔✔Patient is supine. Doctor places one hand under heel and the
other over the knee and slowly, passively raises patient's leg.
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Dugas' Test - ✔✔The patient places the hand of the affected shoulder on the
opposite shoulder and attempts to touch the elbow to the chest.
Positive: unable to perform -> Shoulder Dislocation (Active & Acute)
✔✔Yergason's Test - ✔✔The patient flexes their elbow to 90 degrees while seated. The
doctor palpates the biceps tendon and actively resists the patient's attempt to actively
supinate the hand and flex the elbow.
Positive: Audible click or snap in bicipital groove -> Bicipital Tendon Instability
✔✔Dawbarn's Sign - ✔✔The doctor palpates the subacromial bursa and elicits pain.
The doctor passively abducts patient's shoulder without moving his/her fingers off of the
subacromial bursa.
Positive: Reduction of pain in second maneuver -> Subacromial Bursitis
✔✔Impingement Sign - ✔✔The patient slightly abducts their arm and the doctor
passively moves their arm through a full flexion. This causes a jam of the greater
tuberosity against the lacrimal surface.
Positive: Pain -> Tendonitis (overuse of tendons)
✔✔Supraspinatus Press Test AKA - ✔✔Empty Can Test
✔✔Empty Can Test Performed - ✔✔Patient abducts shoulders to 90degrees and the
doctor apple resistance. The patient flexes shoulders to 30 degrees and points thumbs
downward and resistance is applied again. (Hold & push the proximal elbow).
Positive: Weakness -> Supraspinatus Tear
✔✔Speed's Test - ✔✔Patient is seated with elbow slightly flexed and palm up. The
doctor resists the patient's attempt to flex shoulder while extending and supinating the
forearm.
Positive: Pain -> Bicipital Tendonitis
✔✔Subacromial Push Button Test - ✔✔Doctor applies a deep pressure over the
subacromial bursa.
Postive: Pain -> Supraspinatus degeneration OR Subacromial bursitis
,✔✔Passive Shoulder Approximation - ✔✔Patient is standing and the doctor asks
patient to lift shoulders up and back (squeeze the shoulder blades together).
Positive: Pain in scapular region -> T1 or T2 Nerve Root problem on side of pain
✔✔Bryant's Test - ✔✔Doctor observed patient standing and notes the heights of axillary
folds.
Positive: lower axillary fold on involved side -> Shoulder Dislocation
✔✔Brachial Plexus Tension Test - ✔✔Patient is seated. Patient places both hands
behind his/her head and pulls elbows posteriorly.
Positive: Pain -> C5 Nerve Root Lesion and/or TOS
✔✔Lateral Epicondylitis AKA - ✔✔Radiohumeral Bursitis
✔✔Radiohumeral Bursitis AKA - ✔✔Tennis Elbow
✔✔Lateral Epicondylitis Affects - ✔✔Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis
Pain in extension of wrist and pronation of elbow (overhand swing)
✔✔Medial Epicondylitis AKA - ✔✔Little Leaguer's Elbow
or
Golfer's Elbow
✔✔Medial Epicondylitis Affects - ✔✔Flexor Carpi Ulnaris
Pain at elbow with flexion of the wrist
✔✔Cozen's Test
(C6 Biker Chicks) - ✔✔Patient's elbow is flexed to 90degrees with forearm pronated and
fist dorsiflexed. Doctor stabilizes patient's elbow and resists patient's dorsiflexed wrist.
Postive: Pain in the lateral elbow-> Lateral Epicondylitis
✔✔Reverse Cozen - ✔✔Same except arm is supinated and doctor pulled on flexed
wrist.
Positive: Pain in medial elbow->Medial Epicondylitis
, ✔✔Mill's Test - ✔✔Doctor passively flexes patient's fingers, wrist, elbow and the brings
elbow around and into max pronation and extension.
Positive: Pain in Lateral Elbow -> Lateral Epicondylitis
✔✔Reverse Mill's - ✔✔Patients hand is flat, patient flexes and doctor resists.
Postive: Pain in Medial Elbow -> Medial Epicondylitis
✔✔Tinel's Sign (wrist) - ✔✔Percuss over the flexor retinaculum (anterior portion of the
wrist where a watch would sit) and the Tunnel of Guyon (most medial portion of above)
Postive: Tingling in the lateral 3 fingers (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) of medial two fingers
(Ulnar Impingement)
✔✔Phalen's Sign - ✔✔The patient flexes writs maximally and holds position for one
minute, pushing hands together.
Positive: tingling into lateral 3 fingers of hand -> Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
✔✔Pinch Grip Test - ✔✔Ask the patient to put the tip of their thumb to the tip of their
index finger.
Positive: if they put the pads of their thumb and forefinger together -> Ant. Interosseous
N. Syndrome -> Median N. Lesion
✔✔Froment's Paper Sign - ✔✔Doctor places a piece of paper between the patient's
thumb and index finger (all other fingers too) and attempts to pull it out.
Positive: Cannot hold paper-> Ulnar N. Palsy
✔✔Finkelstein's Test - ✔✔Patient makes a fist with thumb inside fist; then fist is
passively ulnar deviated.
Positive: Pain over the anatomical snuff box -> DeQuervain's Disease AKA Stenosing
Tenosynovitis.
✔✔Stenosing Tenosynovitis - ✔✔
✔✔Bracelet Test - ✔✔Doctor applies compression around patient's wrist like a bracelet.
Positive: Pain -> RA (if bilateral) or Strain/Sprain (if unilateral)
✔✔Straight Leg Test - ✔✔Patient is supine. Doctor places one hand under heel and the
other over the knee and slowly, passively raises patient's leg.
