ONCC CBCN Certification Sample Questions

The ONCC Certified Breast Care Nurse Certification Sample Question Set on this page is designed to familiarize you with the actual ONCC CBCN 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 ONCC Certified Breast Care Nurse (CBCN) 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 breast care registered nurses, breast oncology registered nurses, nurse navigation and related breast care RN roles working in settings such as breast care clinical settings, oncology and cancer care settings, nursing administration/education/research/consultation 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 ONCC Certified Breast Care Nurse exam, particularly in areas such as breast health/risk assessment/navigation/survivorship, diagnosis/staging/treatment modalities, nursing practice/symptom management/psychosocial care. You can use these sample questions as a starting point, then progress to the ONCC CBCN 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.

ONCC CBCN Sample Questions:

01. A nurse is explaining what histologic type means on a breast pathology report.
Which statement is most accurate?
a) It names the kind of breast tissue the tumor arose from and the pattern it forms
b) It indicates whether the disease has been detected in more than one area of the same breast at the time of diagnosis
c) It states whether the tumor will respond to endocrine treatment, based on the receptors expressed on the tumor cells
d) It records how quickly the tumor is growing, and how abnormal the cells appear, expressed as the number of dividing cells seen in each field examined

02. A patient about to begin chemotherapy lives alone and has no family nearby. She tells the nurse she has always managed by herself and expects to do so now.
Which nursing action is most appropriate?
a) Suggest she consider delaying treatment until she can arrange for someone to stay with her
b) Work through what each stage of treatment will require, and arrange support for the parts she cannot cover alone
c) Ask whether she has any neighbors or friends who could act as her emergency contact and next of kin
d) Explain that most patients manage treatment independently, and review her situation if difficulties arise

03. A patient partway through radiation asks the nurse whether she can use the swimming pool at her local leisure center during her treatment course.
Which response is most appropriate?
a) Suggest she swim only if she covers the treated area with a waterproof dressing, and showers afterwards, to protect the skin
b) Confirm that swimming has no effect on radiated skin, so she may continue as usual
c) Recommend she check with the radiation team, as chlorinated water may irritate skin in the treated field
d) Tell her that swimming is prohibited for anyone receiving radiation therapy of any kind

04. A patient underwent fine needle aspiration of a breast mass at another facility, and the cytology was reported as showing malignant cells. She arrives at the breast clinic expecting to proceed directly to surgery and asks why a further biopsy has been arranged.
Which explanation is most accurate?
a) Cytology can identify malignant cells; a core sample provides the tissue architecture and receptor information needed to plan treatment
b) The result must be repeated at this facility because outside results cannot be used for treatment planning
c) A core biopsy is needed to determine the size of the tumor before surgery can be scheduled
d) Fine needle aspiration is unreliable, so any positive result must be confirmed by a second sample

05. A patient who is breastfeeding has a tender, warm, wedge-shaped area of redness in one breast and has started antimicrobial treatment for mastitis. She asks whether she should stop feeding from that side until it clears.
Which advice should the nurse give?
a) Advise her that feeding may continue, and to contact the clinic if the area is unchanged in a few weeks or a further course is needed
b) Recommend she stop feeding from the affected side and express only the unaffected breast until the redness resolves
c) Tell her to stop feeding altogether while she is taking treatment, and arrange a lactation review once the course is finished
d) Suggest she continue to drain the affected breast regularly, and report promptly if the redness or fever fails to settle

06. A patient with bilateral breast implants asks whether mammography is still possible for her.
Which explanation should the nurse give?
a) Mammography is possible only after the implants have been assessed by the surgeon who placed them
b) Mammography is still performed, and she should tell the facility about the implants beforehand
c) Mammography is unchanged for her, and there is no need to mention the implants when she attends
d) Mammography is avoided once implants are in place, so ultrasound is used for screening instead

07. A patient's imaging report describes a finding as probably benign with short-interval follow-up recommended, and she asks the nurse what that means for her.
Which explanation is most accurate?
a) The radiologist is uncertain about the finding, so the repeat study is being used to decide whether a biopsy is needed
b) The finding is benign and the repeat study is offered only for her reassurance
c) The finding requires a biopsy, and the follow-up study is scheduled to plan the approach
d) The appearance strongly favors a benign process, and a repeat study sooner than usual confirms it has not changed

08. A transgender man who has been taking gender-affirming hormone therapy for several years has been diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. He tells the nurse he is afraid he will be told to stop his hormone therapy, and that he would rather refuse treatment than lose it.
Which nursing action is most appropriate?
a) Explain that hormone therapy must be stopped before treatment can begin, and offer support with the transition
b) Acknowledge how much the therapy matters to him and ensure the question is discussed with his oncology team as part of his plan
c) Ask him to raise the hormone therapy with the clinician who prescribes it, since that is outside the oncology team's scope
d) Reassure him that his hormone therapy can continue unchanged, since it is unrelated to his breast cancer treatment

09. Four patients telephone the breast health clinic about breast pain. Each is otherwise well and none has a known breast condition.
Which patient's description most warrants diagnostic evaluation rather than reassurance about mastodynia?
a) A patient with bilateral heaviness and tenderness that builds steadily over the week before her period and eases once bleeding starts
b) A patient with aching in both breasts and the upper back that began after she changed to a poorly fitting bra
c) A patient with a persistent ache at one fixed point in one breast that has not varied through two menstrual cycles
d) A patient with soreness across both breasts that started when her hormone-containing medication was changed a month ago

10. While preparing a patient for a breast MRI, the nurse learns that she becomes severely claustrophobic and once abandoned a scan partway through.
Which nursing action is most appropriate?
a) Inform the imaging team in advance and describe to her what she will hear, feel and how long it will take
b) Suggest that the referrer replace the MRI with a study she will find easier, rebook her once that is arranged, and warn her that the scanner is loud, cramped and lengthy
c) Arrange for a family member to remain in the scanner room throughout so that she is not alone
d) Explain that breast MRI is performed lying face down, so the experience is quite different from the scan she previously abandoned

Answers:

For full-length, timed, scenario-based practice aligned with the official exam framework - and to build pacing, consistency, and confidence - explore our Premium ONCC CBCN 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 ONCC Certified Breast Care Nurse (CBCN) sample questions, please let us know by emailing us at feedback@medicoexam.com