CBMT Practice Exam Questions and Correct
Answers Updated
Question 1
A music therapist supervises an intern who recently shared with the music therapy
supervisor that he is transgender. The music therapy supervisor was shocked to learn
this and quickly redirected the conversation to a different topic. Since then, there is a
lot of uneasiness between the supervisor and the intern. The supervisor does not
know how to talk to the intern about this as she feels very uncomfortable with
transgender issues. She feels unsure about what gender pronouns to use and just
cannot understand why someone would opt to transition. Which of the following is
the supervisor's BEST action?
A. Inform the intern that it may be best for him to transfer to a different internship
site given the music therapist's discomfort with the situation.
B. Seek supervision from a healthcare professional with expertise in lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) issues.
C. Read articles about LGBTQ issues and learn more about gender transitioning to be
better informed.
D. Meet with the student to assure him that the fact that he is transgender will not
interfere with their supervisory relationship.
Correct Answer
B. As LGBTQ people are of "all ages, cultures, and populations, and from all
geographical areas, it is highly likely that therapists will find themselves working
with LGBTQ clients, coworkers, students, and/or family members, whether they know
it or not. Given this reality, it is essential for music therapists to seek
supervision about working with LGBTQ individuals." (Whitehead-Pleaux et al., 2012,
p 158).
Page 1 of 446
,Question 2
A music therapist working with a premature infant is introducing auditory stimulation.
While the therapist is humming, the infant begins to show signs of distress and
overstimulation. Which of the following should be the music therapist's FIRST
response?
A. Call the nurse.
B. Rock the infant.
C. Stop the humming.
D. Sing a lullaby.
Correct Answer
C. This response immediately addresses the need of the infant and allows the music
therapist to assess whether music was the stressor.
Question 3
Counting the number of verbalizations during a music therapy session is an example
of
A. frequency recording.
B. duration recording.
C. observation recording.
D. interval recording.
Correct Answer
A. Frequency recording counts the number of occurrences of behavior.
Page 2 of 446
,Question 4
A music therapist in a pediatric hospital uses a faces scale to assess the intensity of a
5-year-old girl's pain. Low pain is represented by a smiling face at the lower end and
high pain is represented by a crying face at the upper end of the scale. The girl
verbally tells the therapist that her arm is hurting "so much!" but she is not crying.
When the girl is asked to circle a face on the scale, she circles a face in the middle of
the scale. The BEST interpretation of this pain assessment is that the girl may be
A. exaggerating the verbal description of her pain perception.
B. hesitant to document her true levels of pain intensity on paper.
C. experiencing a lot of pain but may not associate a crying face with her current
feelings.
D. confused by the scale as it is too advanced for pain assessment in young children.
Correct Answer
C. Research has indeed shown that some children may not circle a crying face if they
are not crying themselves. Instead, they may select the frowning face or face with
straight mouth.
Question 5
Which of the following is a preferred use of language in treatment documentation?
A. The client suffered abuse.
B. The client is a victim of abuse.
C. The client experienced abuse.
D. The client was subjected to abuse.
Correct Answer
C. This language acknowledges the event without victimizing the client.
Page 3 of 446
, Question 6
A music therapist has been jointly treating a client with vascular dementia and the
client's daughter, once a week for one hour. Recently, the client has become more
withdrawn, presenting with a reduced emotional response and increased passivity.
Despite changes, the daughter continues to encourage the client to be active and
engaged, yet the client is agitated and combative. Which of the following is the music
therapist's BEST response?
A. Continue treatment using the music to address agitation and combativeness.
B. Discontinue treatment as the client's passivity will increase with disease
progression.
C. Remove the daughter from the music therapy session immediately.
D. Re-evaluate the session length and interventions used during music therapy
sessions.
Correct Answer
D. When working with clients who have vascular dementia, re-evaluation of
treatment length and frequency, as well as type of interventions is an important
aspect of care due to the often sudden onset of symptoms and continued loss of
functioning. While music therapy can be beneficial, music can also, at times, be
over-stimulating, possibly causing distress.
Question 7
In a score, if a Bb trumpet is notated in the key of E, the piano is played in the key of
A. F#.
B. Bb.
C. D.
D. Ab.
Correct Answer
C. Bb trumpet music is written one whole step above concert pitch, so the concert
key of D on the piano corresponds to the notated trumpet key of E.
Page 4 of 446
Answers Updated
Question 1
A music therapist supervises an intern who recently shared with the music therapy
supervisor that he is transgender. The music therapy supervisor was shocked to learn
this and quickly redirected the conversation to a different topic. Since then, there is a
lot of uneasiness between the supervisor and the intern. The supervisor does not
know how to talk to the intern about this as she feels very uncomfortable with
transgender issues. She feels unsure about what gender pronouns to use and just
cannot understand why someone would opt to transition. Which of the following is
the supervisor's BEST action?
A. Inform the intern that it may be best for him to transfer to a different internship
site given the music therapist's discomfort with the situation.
B. Seek supervision from a healthcare professional with expertise in lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) issues.
C. Read articles about LGBTQ issues and learn more about gender transitioning to be
better informed.
D. Meet with the student to assure him that the fact that he is transgender will not
interfere with their supervisory relationship.
Correct Answer
B. As LGBTQ people are of "all ages, cultures, and populations, and from all
geographical areas, it is highly likely that therapists will find themselves working
with LGBTQ clients, coworkers, students, and/or family members, whether they know
it or not. Given this reality, it is essential for music therapists to seek
supervision about working with LGBTQ individuals." (Whitehead-Pleaux et al., 2012,
p 158).
Page 1 of 446
,Question 2
A music therapist working with a premature infant is introducing auditory stimulation.
While the therapist is humming, the infant begins to show signs of distress and
overstimulation. Which of the following should be the music therapist's FIRST
response?
A. Call the nurse.
B. Rock the infant.
C. Stop the humming.
D. Sing a lullaby.
Correct Answer
C. This response immediately addresses the need of the infant and allows the music
therapist to assess whether music was the stressor.
Question 3
Counting the number of verbalizations during a music therapy session is an example
of
A. frequency recording.
B. duration recording.
C. observation recording.
D. interval recording.
Correct Answer
A. Frequency recording counts the number of occurrences of behavior.
Page 2 of 446
,Question 4
A music therapist in a pediatric hospital uses a faces scale to assess the intensity of a
5-year-old girl's pain. Low pain is represented by a smiling face at the lower end and
high pain is represented by a crying face at the upper end of the scale. The girl
verbally tells the therapist that her arm is hurting "so much!" but she is not crying.
When the girl is asked to circle a face on the scale, she circles a face in the middle of
the scale. The BEST interpretation of this pain assessment is that the girl may be
A. exaggerating the verbal description of her pain perception.
B. hesitant to document her true levels of pain intensity on paper.
C. experiencing a lot of pain but may not associate a crying face with her current
feelings.
D. confused by the scale as it is too advanced for pain assessment in young children.
Correct Answer
C. Research has indeed shown that some children may not circle a crying face if they
are not crying themselves. Instead, they may select the frowning face or face with
straight mouth.
Question 5
Which of the following is a preferred use of language in treatment documentation?
A. The client suffered abuse.
B. The client is a victim of abuse.
C. The client experienced abuse.
D. The client was subjected to abuse.
Correct Answer
C. This language acknowledges the event without victimizing the client.
Page 3 of 446
, Question 6
A music therapist has been jointly treating a client with vascular dementia and the
client's daughter, once a week for one hour. Recently, the client has become more
withdrawn, presenting with a reduced emotional response and increased passivity.
Despite changes, the daughter continues to encourage the client to be active and
engaged, yet the client is agitated and combative. Which of the following is the music
therapist's BEST response?
A. Continue treatment using the music to address agitation and combativeness.
B. Discontinue treatment as the client's passivity will increase with disease
progression.
C. Remove the daughter from the music therapy session immediately.
D. Re-evaluate the session length and interventions used during music therapy
sessions.
Correct Answer
D. When working with clients who have vascular dementia, re-evaluation of
treatment length and frequency, as well as type of interventions is an important
aspect of care due to the often sudden onset of symptoms and continued loss of
functioning. While music therapy can be beneficial, music can also, at times, be
over-stimulating, possibly causing distress.
Question 7
In a score, if a Bb trumpet is notated in the key of E, the piano is played in the key of
A. F#.
B. Bb.
C. D.
D. Ab.
Correct Answer
C. Bb trumpet music is written one whole step above concert pitch, so the concert
key of D on the piano corresponds to the notated trumpet key of E.
Page 4 of 446
