ANCC AGCNS-BC Certification Sample Questions

The ANCC Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification Sample Question Set on this page is designed to familiarize you with the actual ANCC AGCNS-BC exam format and question types. These sample questions help you understand how questions are structured and what to expect on test day. While they provide a useful starting point, they represent only a limited preview of the real exam experience.

These sample questions are intended for evaluation and familiarization only. To understand exam style, pacing, and reasoning patterns more clearly, we recommend trying our online sample practice environment. If you are preparing for the ANCC Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist-Board Certified (AGCNS-BC) and want to assess your readiness more rigorously, structured, timed, scenario-based practice is recommended. This approach aligns with the cognitive demands and professional expectations typically associated with Clinical nurse specialists, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing leadership and consultation roles working in settings such as Hospitals and health systems, outpatient and specialty clinics, academic and clinical education environments.

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The demo introduces core concepts, while full-length premium simulations provide deeper, scenario-based coverage that more closely reflects the actual cognitive demands of the ANCC Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification exam, particularly in areas such as Advanced clinical assessment and diagnosis, care planning and implementation, outcomes evaluation and systems improvement. You can use these sample questions as a starting point, then progress to the ANCC AGCNS-BC Certification Practice Exam for stronger readiness. Our premium simulations are designed to mirror real exam conditions, helping you refine reasoning, pacing, and decision-making before your official exam attempt.

ANCC AGCNS-BC Sample Questions:

01. Several days after gastrointestinal surgery, a patient begins total parenteral nutrition. In addition to the blood glucose, which laboratory values are most important for the adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist to monitor?
a) Creatinine clearance and magnesium.
b) Potassium and hemoglobin.
c) Serum electrolytes and blood urea nitrogen.
d) Total protein level and serum calcium.

02. A 92-year-old patient with advanced dementia has had three episodes of aspiration pneumonia in five months. The patient has no written advance directives. A speech therapist recommends feeding tube placement.
One of the patient's adult children would like a feeding tube placed, the other adult child is unsure, and the patient's spouse states that the patient would never want a feeding tube.
The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist's next action is to:
a) bring the case to the attention of the ethics committee.
b) emphasize to the family that a feeding tube will decrease recurrent pneumonia.
c) obtain a surgical consultation to schedule a feeding tube placement.
d) organize a family and staff meeting to discuss the risks and benefits and consider the patient's wishes.

03. A staff nurse admits a patient who has overdosed on cocaine to a busy medical unit. A nurse asks the adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist, "Why are we bothering with this patient? They will only wind up being readmitted."
The clinical nurse specialist's response is,:
a) "As nurses, we are responsible for learning to recognize our own feelings when caring for patients whose diagnoses we may find difficult to accept."
b) "As nurses, we need to put the patient first. Our feelings are not supposed to be considered when we care for challenging patients."
c) "I hear what you are saying, but nurses cannot be judgmental of their patients."
d) "I'm going to refer you to the employee health nurse so you can receive some help for your burnout."

04. The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist consults with a local nursing facility to provide nursing staff development. What does the clinical nurse specialist do after meeting with the administrator to identify the nature of the problem necessitating consultation?
a) Create an interprofessional teaching team.
b) Develop outcome measures.
c) Market an educational plan.
d) Utilize a survey to assess educational needs.

05. The caregiver of a patient with Alzheimer disease expresses feeling fatigued and stressed about continuing to care for the patient at home. The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist helps the caregiver to utilize resources that are available to meet their needs by:
a) consulting hospice for guidance on end-of-life care.
b) contacting the Alzheimer's Association to locate adult day care services.
c) providing a list of sitters who care for older adult patients.
d) recommending a transfer to a long-term care facility for patients with Alzheimer disease.

06. The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist plans to ask experienced users of home glucose monitoring to mentor patients new to this procedure. Which theory supports this approach?
a) Behavioral learning theory.
b) Planned behavioral change theory.
c) Psychomotor learning theory.
d) Social cognitive theory.

07. An 88-year-old patient who is often incontinent is reluctant to use the call light for assistance. The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist instructs the staff to praise the patient each time they use the call light.
The clinical nurse specialist's suggestion is based on which theory?
a) Behavioral learning.
b) Cognitive reorganization.
c) Person-environment fit.
d) Social cognitive.

08. A hospital's administration examines the electronic health record (EHR) to improve patient outcomes. The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist recommends a design that:
a) creates a report of the patients' vital signs.
b) aggregates the fall risk factors into a fall risk score.
c) embeds each patient's diagnosis in the nurses' notes.
d) sends nursing notes directly to the interprofessional team members.

09. The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist leads an interprofessional group that is developing a special care unit for people who have dementia. During the second meeting, the nurse manager becomes resistant to the idea and negative about its implementation.
This is an important project, and the support of the manager will be needed. The clinical nurse specialist's best response to the situation is to:
a) meet individually with the nurse manager to discuss the perceived resistance.
b) report the situation to the nursing director and ask for administrative intervention.
c) revisit the initial goals of the group at the next meeting and ask for comments.
d) schedule another group meeting since the majority of the group is supportive.

10. The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist is asked to provide a consultation on ways to reduce the use of restraints in a skilled nursing facility. In the initial meeting with the skilled nursing facility administration, the clinical nurse specialist's primary goal is to:
a) complete a written contract for services that covers expected outcomes, time commitments, support systems, and financial arrangements.
b) conduct a force field analysis of the variables in the skilled nursing facility that includes use of existing data on restraint use and staff strengths and weaknesses.
c) discuss the need for consultation, the overall goal of the project, and the working relationship with the staff.
d) plan a review of how the use of restraints has been accomplished elsewhere, and the models used for education and for changing practice.

Answers:

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Note: These sample questions are not official exam questions and are intended only for familiarization and study purposes. If you find any typos or data entry errors in these ANCC Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification (AGCNS-BC) sample questions, please let us know by emailing us at feedback@medicoexam.com