ANCC CV-BC Certification Sample Questions

The ANCC Cardiac-Vascular Nursing Certification Certification Sample Question Set on this page is designed to familiarize you with the actual ANCC CV-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 Cardiac-Vascular Nurse-Board Certified (CV-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 Registered Nurses, Cardiac or Cardiovascular Nurses, Acute Care and Specialty Care Nurses working in settings such as Hospitals and cardiac units, Cardiology clinics and outpatient care, Cardiac rehabilitation and specialty care settings.

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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 Cardiac-Vascular Nursing Certification exam, particularly in areas such as Cardiovascular patient assessment, Cardiac disease management and interventions, Cardiovascular nursing care coordination. You can use these sample questions as a starting point, then progress to the ANCC CV-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 CV-BC Sample Questions:

01. A cardiovascular screening program has been running for a year in a neighborhood with high rates of untreated hypertension. Attendance has been steady, but review of the records shows that almost everyone attending already has a regular clinician, while the groups the program was set up to reach are barely represented.
Which conclusion should guide the program's next step?
a) The program is reaching people who already have access and its outreach needs to change
b) The program should add more screening tests, so that attendees receive a greater benefit from each visit they make
c) The program should require proof of residence so that only local people can use the service
d) The program is succeeding, since steady attendance shows the community values the service

02. A patient in cardiogenic shock has a nursing diagnosis of decreased cardiac output. With appropriate interventions, the anticipated outcome is for the patient to achieve:
a) an ejection fraction that returns to its pre-illness value.
b) reduced anxiety, more restful sleep, and a calmer affect during nursing care and procedures.
c) adequate tissue perfusion, shown by improved mentation, warm dry skin, and urine output.
d) a baseline activity level with independent ambulation on the unit.

03. On the first day after cardiac surgery the nurse plans to begin discharge teaching. The patient is drowsy from analgesia, uncomfortable when he moves, and asks the nurse to come back another time.
Which action is most appropriate?
a) Proceed with a shortened session now, and repeat it later, so that the teaching has at least been started
b) Leave the written material at the bedside for him to read when he feels able
c) Ask his wife to receive the teaching now and pass the information on to him afterwards
d) Respect his request and return later, at a specific time when he is more rested

04. When caring for a patient who has intermittent claudication, the cardiac-vascular nurse advises the patient to:
a) refrain from walking and other exercise until the leg pain has fully resolved.
b) elevate the legs above heart level whenever sitting.
c) walk daily to the point of discomfort, rest until it passes, and then walk again.
d) apply graduated compression stockings before getting out of bed.

05. A patient tells the nurse that the tablets he takes for chest discomfort "do not seem to do anything." When asked to demonstrate, he places the tablet on his tongue and swallows it with a mouthful of water.
Which nursing action is most appropriate?
a) Reassure him that the effect is often subtle and encourage him to persist with the medication
b) Teach him to place the tablet under the tongue and let it dissolve without swallowing it
c) Notify the prescriber to review the dose, since the current one is not relieving his symptoms
d) Suggest he take the tablet with a larger volume of water so it dissolves more completely

06. A nurse assesses a patient on the third day after open repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm who says that one leg feels tight.
Which finding most increases concern for acute deep vein thrombosis rather than chronic edema?
a) Mild ankle edema in both legs after several hours in the bedside chair
b) Long-standing swelling in both legs that is least in the morning and greatest by evening
c) Hyperpigmented skin over both ankles with a thickened leathery texture
d) New calf asymmetry with warmth and tenderness along one leg

07. A patient with negative troponin results and a negative stress test reports recurring chest pain that is similar to the pain on admission.
The cardiac-vascular nurse's next action is to:
a) obtain a 12-lead electrocardiogram.
b) administer the ordered analgesic and reassess in thirty minutes.
c) activate the interventional catheterization laboratory.
d) encourage relaxation techniques and monitor the response.

08. The cardiac-vascular nurse reviews risk-factor reduction with a patient newly diagnosed with a myocardial infarction. The patient says, “I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this stuff. I feel fine, and the doctor said that my heart attack was small.”
The nurse's most effective action is to:
a) present the research on risk-factor reduction after infarction and its effect on survival.
b) review the laboratory values and the angiogram findings with the patient at the bedside.
c) assess the patient's understanding of what the event means with open-ended questions.
d) repeat the discharge teaching on diet, exercise, and medication.

09. A patient with a chronic venous leg ulcer, ankle swelling, and brown discoloration of the skin around the ankle has compression bandaging newly ordered.
Which action should the cardiac-vascular nurse take before the first bandage is applied?
a) Checking the ulcer bed for slough and recording its measurements before the bandage goes on.
b) Checking the pedal pulses and asking about rest pain in the foot before compression goes on.
c) Applying the bandage from the knee down so that the swelling is moved toward the foot.
d) Elevating the leg for the rest of the shift and holding the bandage until the swelling has settled.

10. What is the primary consideration when preparing to administer thrombolytic therapy to a patient experiencing an acute myocardial infarction?
a) Size and location of the infarction.
b) History of previous heart disease.
c) Time since onset of symptoms.
d) Documented sensitivity to aspirin.

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 Cardiac-Vascular Nursing Certification (CV-BC) sample questions, please let us know by emailing us at feedback@medicoexam.com