Free NC-BC Practice Questions

Question 1

A client wants to protect 20 minutes after work for an activity that feels restorative. On separate 0-10 scales, the client rates importance as 9 and confidence as 3, where 0 means not at all important or confident and 10 means extremely important or completely confident. The client says, "I know it would help. I just keep setting aside time and then giving it away. I did manage five minutes on Tuesday." Which question most directly addresses the limiting factor?

Accepted Answer

What made Tuesday possible, and how could you build on that?

Answer

What might happen if you keep postponing this goal?

Answer

How would reaching this goal support the things you value most in life?

Answer

Could reminders reinforce why this goal matters to you?

Question 2

An employer funds individual nurse coaching. Each employee has authorized disclosure of attendance, but the agreement excludes individual goals and session content. A manager asks whether one employee is "actually working on the stress problem" and requests a brief progress summary rather than session notes. No safety issue or other disclosure obligation is present. What may the coach provide under the existing authorization?

Accepted Answer

The authorized attendance information, without individual coaching content.

Answer

A general progress judgment that omits diagnoses and the employee's exact words.

Answer

A goal-completion summary, provided the coach keeps the underlying session notes private.

Answer

No information about the employee, because attendance is also confidential health information.

Question 3

During a discussion about sleep, a nurse coach twice returns to reducing evening screen time. The client interrupts: "The phone is how I talk with my partner overseas. You keep deciding what my problem is." Which interpretation and response should guide the coach before further work on behavior change?

Accepted Answer

Discord; acknowledge the coach's role in the tension and renegotiate the focus.

Answer

Sustain talk; explore the advantages of keeping evening screen time unchanged.

Answer

A knowledge gap; clarify how evening screen use can affect sleep.

Answer

Low self-efficacy; negotiate a smaller initial reduction in screen time.

Question 4

A client has walked regularly for nine months but continues to smoke. About smoking, the client says, "I want to quit within the next four months, but I am not ready to set a date or start this month. I still worry about losing my way of coping with stress." For smoking cessation, which stage-and-strategy pairing fits?

Accepted Answer

Contemplation; explore the competing reasons for quitting and continuing.

Answer

Preparation; choose a date and arrange cessation support.

Answer

Action; troubleshoot the behavioral changes already underway.

Answer

Maintenance; strengthen strategies that prevent returning to the previous behavior.

Question 5

A client with progressive lung disease continues prescribed treatment and understands that the illness is advancing. After several coaching conversations, the client reconnects with an estranged sibling and says, "My breathing is no better, but I feel more whole and less alone." A colleague questions whether this counts as a health-related gain. Which interpretation reflects holistic nursing philosophy?

Accepted Answer

Greater connection and wholeness can represent healing without a cure.

Answer

The change represents coping rather than healing until the physical symptoms also improve.

Answer

The improvement suggests a slowing of the underlying disease.

Answer

The client's appraisal should be confirmed by a physiological measure before it is recognized.

Question 6

At a follow-up visit, an adult client's five WHO-5 Well-Being Index item scores are 1, 2, 1, 3, and 2 for the preceding two weeks. The client describes diminished enjoyment but reports no suicidal thoughts or immediate safety concerns. The WHO-5 percentage score is the sum of the item scores multiplied by four. Which score-and-interpretation pair should guide follow-up?

Accepted Answer

36/100; poor well-being warranting further assessment.

Answer

9/100; poor well-being warranting further assessment.

Answer

36/100; sufficient evidence to diagnose a depressive disorder.

Answer

64/100; a result supporting routine monitoring without further assessment.

Question 7

A client with a history of trauma agrees to try a brief centering exercise. When invited to close the eyes, the client opens them again and says, "I feel steadier when I can see the room." The client remains oriented and engaged and asks to continue with eyes open. How can the coach preserve both choice and participation?

Accepted Answer

Offer an eyes-open, externally focused practice and let the client choose.

Answer

Explore the trauma before choosing another technique.

Answer

Defer further coaching exercises until a trauma specialist has assessed the client's readiness.

Answer

Use shorter eyes-closed intervals to build tolerance.

Question 8

Forty family caregivers volunteer for a six-week nurse-coaching program. Thirty complete both the initial and final well-being questionnaires, and their average score improves. The other ten provide no follow-up data, and there is no comparison group. The program director wants a statement for a report to the funding organization. Which conclusion is justified?

Accepted Answer

Respondents reported improved well-being; these data do not establish a coaching effect.

Answer

The program improved well-being in the enrolled caregivers, although the size of the benefit is uncertain.

Answer

The missing questionnaires make the observed improvement uninterpretable.

Answer

Improvement can be attributed to coaching because respondents were their own controls.

Question 9

A client has spent three coaching sessions rehearsing a request for protected lunch breaks but has not approached the supervisor. The client says, "I know what I want to say. Please challenge me when I hide behind more planning." The supervisor has invited staff to propose changes. Which reply offers an appropriate coaching challenge?

Accepted Answer

You're prepared, yet the request remains unmade. What action are you willing to take before we meet again?

Answer

What additional information would help you be certain of the supervisor's response before you make the request?

Answer

We can revisit why lunch breaks matter before deciding whether this goal is important enough to pursue.

Answer

Your assignment is to speak with the supervisor tomorrow; we'll then review how well you followed the plan.

Question 10

A client brings an activity diary supplied by the rehabilitation team and asks, "Please explain how to use this before we plan my week." The nurse coach is familiar with the diary, is competent to teach its use, and finds no ambiguity in the team's instructions. Which response appropriately combines nursing expertise with a coaching role?

Accepted Answer

Explain the diary, check understanding through teach-back, then return to planning.

Answer

Arrange another rehabilitation appointment so the original team can explain the diary.

Answer

Use discovery questions instead of supplying the requested explanation.

Answer

Review the complete rehabilitation education packet, then ask whether everything is clear.

Free NC-BC Practice Questions

Domain 1: Nurse Coach Philosophy, Theories, and Ethics 25% of exam

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Domain 2: Nurse Coaching Process 41% of exam

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Domain 3: Nurse Coach Communication and Coaching Environment 20% of exam

Question 8

Question 9

Domain 4: Education, Research, and Leadership 8% of exam

Question 10

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