NBRC TMC Certification Sample Questions

The NBRC Respiratory Therapist Certification Sample Question Set on this page is designed to familiarize you with the actual NBRC TMC 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 NBRC Respiratory Therapist (TMC) 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 Certified Respiratory Therapists, respiratory therapists, respiratory care practitioners working in settings such as Inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics and free-standing diagnostic centers, device manufacturing 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 NBRC Respiratory Therapist exam, particularly in areas such as Patient information evaluation, device troubleshooting and respiratory procedures, therapeutic intervention implementation. You can use these sample questions as a starting point, then progress to the NBRC TMC 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.

NBRC TMC Sample Questions:

01. Which effect is produced by an inhaled anticholinergic agent used in obstructive lung disease?
a) Thinning of retained secretions by breaking disulfide bonds
b) Stabilization of mast cells in the airway wall to prevent mediator release
c) Relaxation of airway smooth muscle through blockade of parasympathetic tone
d) Improvement in diaphragmatic contractility during a sustained effort

02. Midway through a nebulizer treatment on a general ward, a patient stiffens, loses consciousness and develops generalized jerking movements of all four limbs. The mouthpiece falls from the mouth, the patient is lying in a bed with the rails up and the head of the bed elevated, and there is a bedside table with equipment on it close to the patient's head. Oxygen and suction are available at the wall.
What should the therapist do?
a) Insert a bite block or oral airway between the teeth
b) Restrain the limbs to stop the movements
c) Suction the airway continuously throughout the convulsive movements
d) Stop the treatment, protect the patient from injury and position for airway protection

03. An indirect calorimetry study is performed on a mechanically ventilated patient.
What does this measurement provide?
a) Energy expenditure and the ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed
b) The volume of gas trapped behind closed airways
c) The volume of carbon dioxide the ventilator clears with each breath
d) The proportion of each tidal breath that ventilates dead space rather than perfused lung

04. A toddler has had a barking cough and hoarseness for two days and now has mild inspiratory stridor at rest. The child is drinking normally, is not drooling, and has a normal-sounding voice between coughing spells. The physician wants imaging to support the clinical impression.
Which study should the therapist recommend?
a) A high-resolution computed tomography study of the chest
b) Flexible laryngoscopy performed under sedation
c) A barium swallow examination
d) An anteroposterior radiograph of the neck

05. A therapist is preparing the drainage system while a physician inserts a chest tube for a pneumothorax.
Which preparation step is essential before the tube is connected?
a) Connect the system to wall suction at the maximum available setting.
b) Fill the water-seal chamber to the marked level so it acts as a one-way valve.
c) Position the collection chamber above the level of the patient's chest.
d) Clamp the tubing so that no air can move through the system during insertion.

06. A previously stable ventilated patient suddenly becomes agitated with a high-pressure alarm sounding, falling saturation, and unequal breath sounds. The therapist has already confirmed that the circuit is connected and that the tube is at its marked depth.
Which action should the therapist take next?
a) Disconnect and manually ventilate while assessing for an acute intrathoracic cause.
b) Increase the sedation to reduce the patient's agitation.
c) Switch the mode from volume control to pressure control.
d) Increase the high-pressure alarm limit so that ventilation is not interrupted further.

07. A patient with chronic obstructive lung disease takes an oral methylxanthine at home. The record shows a reported serum drug level above the stated therapeutic range, and the patient now has nausea, tremor and a rapid heart rate.
How should the therapist interpret these findings?
a) The symptoms reflect an allergic reaction to the drug
b) The findings are consistent with toxicity from this drug
c) The level is subtherapeutic and the dose should be increased
d) The symptoms are expected and require no communication

08. A patient using a home oxygen concentrator reports increasing breathlessness. An analyzer at the outlet shows the delivered oxygen concentration is far below the device specification, the flow setting is unchanged, and the unit is running with an audible alarm intermittently sounding.
Which cause is most consistent with these findings?
a) The nasal cannula prongs are too small for the patient's nares.
b) The prescribed flow setting is too low for the patient's current requirement.
c) The patient's increased minute ventilation is diluting the delivered gas before it reaches the airway.
d) A degraded sieve bed or intake filter has left the unit unable to separate nitrogen effectively.

09. A patient has retained secretions localized to the right middle lobe on imaging, and gravity-assisted drainage of that region has been ordered. The patient tolerates position changes well and has no contraindication to a head-down position.
How should the therapist position this patient?
a) Lying on the left side, rotated slightly backward, with the foot of the bed raised
b) Lying on the right side with the head of the bed raised
c) Sitting upright and leaning forward over a table
d) Prone with the abdomen supported by several pillows and the bed left flat throughout

10. A department has just implemented a new therapist-driven protocol across all adult units after several months of preparation and staff education. The protocol replaces a practice that had been in place for years, and the medical director has asked the department to report back within six months on whether the change was worth making. The department keeps routine records on the units involved.
Which step is essential to determine whether the change has actually helped patients?
a) Collect outcomes after implementation and compare them with published figures from other centers
b) Survey the staff about whether the new protocol feels easier to follow than the practice it replaced
c) Measure defined patient outcomes before and after implementation and review them at set intervals
d) Audit whether the protocol was followed correctly on each patient

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 NBRC Respiratory Therapist (TMC) sample questions, please let us know by emailing us at feedback@medicoexam.com