NCCAOM BIOMEDICINE BOARD EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
VERIFIED BY EXPERT
Question 1
A female patient presents with a thick, white, curdy (cottage cheese-like) vaginal discharge
without a noticeable odor. A wet mount shows hyphae. What is the most likely diagnosis?
A) Bacterial vaginosis
B) Trichomoniasis
C) Candida vulvovaginitis (yeast infection)
D) Chlamydia
E) Gonorrhea
Correct Answer: C) CANDIDA (yeast, fungus) no smell, thick white, curdy texture (cotton
cheese), ph normal, microscope (none), just treat patient
Rationale: The classic presentation of a Candida yeast infection is a thick, white, "cottage
cheese" discharge that is typically odorless and associated with significant itching. The
presence of hyphae on a KOH prep under a microscope confirms the diagnosis.
Question 2
When testing a patient's deep tendon reflexes, a response that is brisker than average would be
graded as:
A) 1+
B) 2+
C) 3+
D) 4+
E) 0
Correct Answer: C) 3 brisker
Rationale: The reflex grading scale is: 0=absent, 1+=decreased, 2+=normal, 3+=brisker than
average, and 4+=hyperactive with clonus. A 3+ reflex is considered more active than
normal but may not be pathological.
Question 3
What is the correct compression-to-ventilation ratio for two-rescuer CPR on a child?
A) 30:2
,[Type here]
B) 15:2
C) 30:1
D) 15:1
E) 5:1
Correct Answer: B) child and infant 15:2 if 2
Rationale: For single-rescuer CPR on any age group, the ratio is 30:2. However, when two
rescuers are present, the ratio for children and infants changes to 15 compressions to 2
breaths to provide more frequent ventilations.
Question 4
A nasopharyngeal culture from a child with a severe hacking cough that ends in a high-pitched
inspiratory sound grows Bordetella pertussis. This is the causative agent of:
A) Croup
B) Epiglottitis
C) Whooping cough
D) Bronchiolitis
E) Diphtheria
Correct Answer: C) whooping cough
Rationale: Bordetella pertussis is the bacterium that causes pertussis, commonly known as
whooping cough. The characteristic "whoop" sound is made during the forceful inhalation
after a severe coughing paroxysm.
Question 5
What is the average lifespan of a normal red blood cell (RBC)?
A) 12 days
B) 30 days
C) 90 days
D) 120 days
E) 180 days
,[Type here]
Correct Answer: D) 120 days
Rationale: Healthy red blood cells circulate in the bloodstream for approximately 120 days
before they are removed by macrophages in the spleen and liver.
Question 6
In a patient with sickle cell anemia, the lifespan of a red blood cell is significantly shorter, often
around:
A) 12 days
B) 30 days
C) 60 days
D) 90 days
E) 120 days
Correct Answer: A) 12 days
Rationale: The abnormal, sickled shape of the red blood cells in this disease makes them
fragile and prone to premature destruction (hemolysis), leading to a much shorter lifespan
and a chronic hemolytic anemia.
Question 7
The Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) is a critical regulator of blood pressure.
Renin is released by which organ?
A) The liver
B) The lungs
C) The adrenal glands
D) The kidneys
E) The heart
Correct Answer: D) renin from kidney
Rationale: Renin is an enzyme that is produced and stored in the juxtaglomerular cells of
the kidneys. It is released in response to low blood pressure, low renal blood flow, or low
sodium levels.
Question 8
Angiotensinogen, the precursor molecule in the RAAS, is produced by which organ?
, [Type here]
A) The kidneys
B) The lungs
C) The liver
D) The adrenal glands
E) The brain
Correct Answer: C) angiotensinogen from liver
Rationale: Angiotensinogen is a protein that is continuously produced and secreted into the
bloodstream by the liver. It is the substrate upon which renin acts.
Question 9
In the RAAS cascade, angiotensin I is converted to the potent vasoconstrictor angiotensin II by
the enzyme ACE, which is primarily found in the:
A) Liver
B) Kidneys
C) Lungs
D) Heart
E) Brain
Correct Answer: C) ACE from lung
Rationale: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) is found on the surface of endothelial
cells, with a particularly high concentration in the rich capillary network of the lungs.
Question 10
The drug lisinopril works to lower blood pressure by inhibiting which component of the RAAS?
A) Renin
B) Angiotensinogen
C) Angiotensin II
D) Aldosterone
E) Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE)
Correct Answer: E) PRIL
Rationale: Drugs ending in "-pril," such as lisinopril, enalapril, and captopril, are all ACE
VERIFIED BY EXPERT
Question 1
A female patient presents with a thick, white, curdy (cottage cheese-like) vaginal discharge
without a noticeable odor. A wet mount shows hyphae. What is the most likely diagnosis?
A) Bacterial vaginosis
B) Trichomoniasis
C) Candida vulvovaginitis (yeast infection)
D) Chlamydia
E) Gonorrhea
Correct Answer: C) CANDIDA (yeast, fungus) no smell, thick white, curdy texture (cotton
cheese), ph normal, microscope (none), just treat patient
Rationale: The classic presentation of a Candida yeast infection is a thick, white, "cottage
cheese" discharge that is typically odorless and associated with significant itching. The
presence of hyphae on a KOH prep under a microscope confirms the diagnosis.
Question 2
When testing a patient's deep tendon reflexes, a response that is brisker than average would be
graded as:
A) 1+
B) 2+
C) 3+
D) 4+
E) 0
Correct Answer: C) 3 brisker
Rationale: The reflex grading scale is: 0=absent, 1+=decreased, 2+=normal, 3+=brisker than
average, and 4+=hyperactive with clonus. A 3+ reflex is considered more active than
normal but may not be pathological.
Question 3
What is the correct compression-to-ventilation ratio for two-rescuer CPR on a child?
A) 30:2
,[Type here]
B) 15:2
C) 30:1
D) 15:1
E) 5:1
Correct Answer: B) child and infant 15:2 if 2
Rationale: For single-rescuer CPR on any age group, the ratio is 30:2. However, when two
rescuers are present, the ratio for children and infants changes to 15 compressions to 2
breaths to provide more frequent ventilations.
Question 4
A nasopharyngeal culture from a child with a severe hacking cough that ends in a high-pitched
inspiratory sound grows Bordetella pertussis. This is the causative agent of:
A) Croup
B) Epiglottitis
C) Whooping cough
D) Bronchiolitis
E) Diphtheria
Correct Answer: C) whooping cough
Rationale: Bordetella pertussis is the bacterium that causes pertussis, commonly known as
whooping cough. The characteristic "whoop" sound is made during the forceful inhalation
after a severe coughing paroxysm.
Question 5
What is the average lifespan of a normal red blood cell (RBC)?
A) 12 days
B) 30 days
C) 90 days
D) 120 days
E) 180 days
,[Type here]
Correct Answer: D) 120 days
Rationale: Healthy red blood cells circulate in the bloodstream for approximately 120 days
before they are removed by macrophages in the spleen and liver.
Question 6
In a patient with sickle cell anemia, the lifespan of a red blood cell is significantly shorter, often
around:
A) 12 days
B) 30 days
C) 60 days
D) 90 days
E) 120 days
Correct Answer: A) 12 days
Rationale: The abnormal, sickled shape of the red blood cells in this disease makes them
fragile and prone to premature destruction (hemolysis), leading to a much shorter lifespan
and a chronic hemolytic anemia.
Question 7
The Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) is a critical regulator of blood pressure.
Renin is released by which organ?
A) The liver
B) The lungs
C) The adrenal glands
D) The kidneys
E) The heart
Correct Answer: D) renin from kidney
Rationale: Renin is an enzyme that is produced and stored in the juxtaglomerular cells of
the kidneys. It is released in response to low blood pressure, low renal blood flow, or low
sodium levels.
Question 8
Angiotensinogen, the precursor molecule in the RAAS, is produced by which organ?
, [Type here]
A) The kidneys
B) The lungs
C) The liver
D) The adrenal glands
E) The brain
Correct Answer: C) angiotensinogen from liver
Rationale: Angiotensinogen is a protein that is continuously produced and secreted into the
bloodstream by the liver. It is the substrate upon which renin acts.
Question 9
In the RAAS cascade, angiotensin I is converted to the potent vasoconstrictor angiotensin II by
the enzyme ACE, which is primarily found in the:
A) Liver
B) Kidneys
C) Lungs
D) Heart
E) Brain
Correct Answer: C) ACE from lung
Rationale: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) is found on the surface of endothelial
cells, with a particularly high concentration in the rich capillary network of the lungs.
Question 10
The drug lisinopril works to lower blood pressure by inhibiting which component of the RAAS?
A) Renin
B) Angiotensinogen
C) Angiotensin II
D) Aldosterone
E) Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE)
Correct Answer: E) PRIL
Rationale: Drugs ending in "-pril," such as lisinopril, enalapril, and captopril, are all ACE
