ANCC GERO-BC Certification Sample Questions

The ANCC Gerontological Nursing Certification Sample Question Set on this page is designed to familiarize you with the actual ANCC GERO-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 Gerontological Nursing-Board Certified (GERO-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, gerontological nurses, specialty care nurses working in settings such as acute care hospitals, long-term care settings, ambulatory and community care.

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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 Gerontological Nursing Certification exam, particularly in areas such as geriatric assessment, care planning, professional practice. You can use these sample questions as a starting point, then progress to the ANCC GERO-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 GERO-BC Sample Questions:

01. A 68-year-old man attending a shelter-based clinic has swollen, discolored lower legs and open areas on both shins. He tells the nurse he walks most of the day, sleeps sitting upright in a chair when a bed is not available, and keeps his boots on at night because footwear goes missing.
Which assessment should the nurse prioritize?
a) Determine where and how he is able to sit, sleep, and remove his footwear on a typical day
b) Assess the wounds in detail, describe the tissue and the exudate, and determine the dressing regimen his shin ulcers will require
c) Screen him for the substance use and mental health conditions that commonly accompany prolonged homelessness in older adults
d) Establish his eligibility for housing assistance and begin the referral, since his living situation is the root cause of the leg findings

02. A 91-year-old woman with advanced heart failure and limited mobility is due for a routine cancer screening test. The test would require a journey, preparation she finds difficult, and would only alter her care if a further procedure were undertaken.
Which nursing action is most appropriate?
a) Advise her that the test is no longer appropriate given her age and the severity of her heart failure
b) Discuss with her what the test could and could not change for her, and support the decision she reaches
c) Encourage her to attend, since screening is recommended, and she remains eligible for the program
d) Defer the decision to her prescriber, since the appropriateness of screening is a medical judgment

03. A nurse in a skilled nursing facility notes that an 87-year-old resident has become quiet and withdrawn over two days. She is drowsy during the day, answers slowly and sometimes not at all, and has left her meals. Staff describe her as settled and easy to care for at present.
Which interpretation should guide the nurse's next action?
a) The staff's description of her as settled is the most reliable evidence, and it indicates that her comfort has improved rather than deteriorated
b) Her presentation is most consistent with depression, given the withdrawal, the reduced speech and the loss of interest in her meals
c) An acute confusional state can present as withdrawal and drowsiness rather than agitation
d) The changes reflect progression of her underlying cognitive impairment and a review of her care plan is the appropriate response

04. A nurse works in a remote monitoring program for older adults with heart failure. So many alerts arrive that she and her colleagues now review only a fraction of them, most turn out to require no action, and two genuine deteriorations were noticed late.
Which action is most appropriate?
a) Provide additional training so that staff understand the importance of reviewing every alert
b) Work through every alert herself, on each shift, so that none of them goes unreviewed
c) Ask patients to transmit their readings less often, so that fewer alerts arrive
d) Take the pattern to the group that sets the alert thresholds, so that the ones that fire are the ones needing a response

05. An 82-year-old veteran becomes agitated during a procedure in a small treatment room. He is asked to lie still with his face covered by a drape and becomes distressed, pushes the drape away, and asks to leave.
Which nursing action is most appropriate?
a) Stop, uncover his face, let him sit up, and agree with him how the procedure can be done differently
b) Postpone the procedure and refer him for a mental health assessment before it is attempted again
c) Ask a colleague to assist in holding the drape steady so that the procedure can be completed safely
d) Reassure him that the procedure is nearly finished, that it is safe, and that he need only stay still a little longer

06. An 84-year-old woman is being considered for a hospital-at-home program rather than an inpatient admission. She lives alone in a third-floor apartment with an unreliable elevator, has mild cognitive impairment, and has intermittent internet service.
Which consideration is most important in the decision?
a) Whether a family member could stay with her for the duration of the treatment
b) Whether the program's monitoring and visits can actually be delivered in her home as it is
c) Whether she is willing and content to receive her treatment at home rather than in the hospital
d) Whether her clinical condition is one that the program is designed to treat

07. An 86-year-old woman with no living family is being discharged after a fall. She lives alone in a rented apartment, has no one to check on her, cannot yet carry shopping, and has declined a residential placement.
Which discharge plan is most appropriate?
a) Assemble a package of practical supports and a named contact who will check on her, and confirm each element is in place before she leaves
b) Provide her with written information about the community services in her area, and the numbers to call
c) Delay her discharge until she is able to manage all of her usual activities independently
d) Arrange daily telephone contact from the clinic, and send someone out if a call identifies deterioration

08. An older man being admitted to a care facility asks the nurse whether it is safe to say that the man visiting him each day is his partner of forty years. He says he has not told staff at previous facilities and has been treated as though he had no family.
Which nursing response is most appropriate?
a) Reassure him that the facility does not discriminate, that its staff are trained, and that he may share whatever he wishes
b) Advise him that disclosure is a personal decision and that he need not share anything he prefers to keep private
c) Record his partner as a visitor and revisit the question once he has settled into the facility
d) Record the relationship as he directs, support him in formally naming his health care agent, and address any treatment he meets

09. Over four months an 81-year-old man has moved house, been bereaved of his brother, had a hospital admission, and had his driving license surrendered. He has managed each event and says none of them alone was too much, but he now looks exhausted and has stopped his usual routines.
Which conclusion should guide the nurse's assessment?
a) The accumulation of demands has exceeded his capacity to adapt, even though each one was manageable alone
b) He is showing a delayed grief reaction to his brother's death, which is the most significant of the four events
c) His exhaustion most likely reflects incomplete recovery from the hospital admission and its physical effects
d) He has coped successfully with each event and needs no further intervention at this stage

10. Two women in their late seventies receive the same serious diagnosis on the same day. One begins researching treatment options and organizing her appointments. The other talks at length with her sister and finds comfort in her faith community. Both say they are managing.
Which conclusion should guide the nurse's approach?
a) The woman relying on her sister and her faith community is avoiding the diagnosis and will need support to engage with it
b) The woman who is researching her options is coping more effectively, since active problem-solving produces better outcomes
c) Both are using recognized coping strategies, and the nurse's role is to support what each is already using
d) Both are in an early stage of adjustment and their coping should be reassessed once the initial reaction has settled

Answers:

For full-length, timed, scenario-based practice aligned with the official exam framework - and to build pacing, consistency, and confidence - explore our Premium ANCC GERO-BC Certification Practice Exam.

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