ONCC OCN Certification Sample Questions

The ONCC Oncology Certified Nurse Certification Sample Question Set on this page is designed to familiarize you with the actual ONCC OCN 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 Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN) 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 adult oncology registered nurses, oncology nursing administration and education roles, oncology nursing research and consultation roles working in settings such as hospitals and cancer centers, outpatient oncology and infusion settings, community and supportive oncology 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 Oncology Certified Nurse exam, particularly in areas such as adult oncology care continuum and professional practice, treatment modalities and symptom/supportive care, oncologic emergencies and psychosocial care. You can use these sample questions as a starting point, then progress to the ONCC OCN 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 OCN Sample Questions:

01. A neutropenic patient received empiric antibiotics promptly six hours ago. His temperature has settled, but he is more breathless than earlier, his heart rate has climbed, and he has passed very little urine since.
Which conclusion should the nurse reach?
a) The antibiotics are working, since the fever has settled, and he can be observed for now
b) He is deteriorating despite treatment, and that itself is the trigger for urgent review
c) A second infective source should be sought before anything else is changed
d) The breathlessness most likely reflects the volume of intravenous fluid he has received

02. A nurse is preparing to assist with administration of a systemic agent to a patient who also has an order for a different agent by the intrathecal route. Both products have been delivered to the unit together.
Which action by the nurse is most important?
a) Escalate to the prescriber to have both agents given by the same route
b) Administer the systemic agent first and the intrathecal agent afterwards
c) Verify each product against its intended route before either is given
d) Label both products clearly and keep them together for the procedure

03. A patient admitted for treatment of a newly diagnosed cancer tells the nurse that he spent twenty years in a job working around industrial dusts and fumes, and asks whether that is what caused his illness.
How should the nurse respond?
a) Point him to an occupational health lawyer rather than to the oncology team
b) Explain that the origin of an individual cancer can seldom be traced, and redirect him to his treatment plan and its next steps
c) Tell him his years of exposure almost certainly account for the diagnosis he has received
d) Take a detailed occupational and exposure history and pass it to the oncologist for review

04. A patient midway through a myelosuppressive regimen tells the nurse she has booked a deep tissue massage because it helped her back pain before her diagnosis. Her most recent platelet count was low.
Which nursing response is most appropriate?
a) Advise her that massage is safe because it does not involve medication
b) Explain that the pressure used may not be safe while her counts are low
c) Suggest she attend the appointment but ask for a shorter session
d) Tell her to cancel all complementary therapy until treatment finishes

05. A patient tells the nurse that her faith is what is getting her through treatment, and that she has been praying for a cure.
Which nursing response is most appropriate?
a) Ask how her faith supports her
b) Determine whether her beliefs are likely to affect her treatment decisions
c) Gently point out that treatment outcomes cannot be predicted
d) Share your own beliefs so that she feels understood

06. A patient whose oral anticancer therapy has been stopped has most of a bottle of tablets left at home. He asks the nurse what he should do with them.
Which instruction is most appropriate?
a) Empty the tablets into the household waste inside a sealed bag
b) Keep the tablets at home in case the same treatment is restarted later
c) Flush the tablets down the toilet so that nobody in the house can take them
d) Return the remaining tablets to the pharmacy for disposal

07. A study that enrolls patients with one tumor type to determine whether an agent has activity against it, after initial safety and tolerability have already been characterized, is described as a
a) phase II trial.
b) phase IV trial.
c) phase III trial.
d) phase I trial.

08. At the end of a busy shift the nurse is handing over a patient whose blood cultures were sent four hours ago and whose antibiotic is due. The oncoming nurse is being pulled to answer a call bell partway through the handover.
Which action by the nurse takes precedence?
a) Summarize the essentials now, enter the remaining detail in the record, and leave the oncoming nurse to read it
b) Abbreviate the handover to the immediate tasks and give the due antibiotic before leaving
c) Complete the handover using the unit's structured format, including pending results and what should prompt escalation
d) Report the interruption to the charge nurse and repeat the handover once the unit is quieter

09. The family of a patient being treated for SIADH asks the nurse why the sodium is being brought up so gradually when the low level is what is making him confused.
Which explanation is most accurate?
a) His confusion is caused by the underlying cancer, so the speed of the correction is not important here
b) The sodium is corrected slowly so that his kidneys are not damaged by the change
c) A gradual rise is used because the fluid restriction cannot act any faster than this
d) Correcting it too quickly can injure the brain, so the rate matters as much as the destination

10. Two years after completing treatment, a survivor tells the nurse that climbing the stairs at home and carrying groceries have become difficult. She stopped her usual walking routine during treatment and has not restarted it because she is afraid of overdoing things.
Which nursing action is most appropriate?
a) Advise her to rest whenever she feels tired, to pace herself, and to resume activity once her strength has returned
b) Establish her current function and arrange referral for a graded, supervised activity program
c) Report the change urgently and investigate it as a possible sign that her disease has recurred
d) Arrange the stair lift and grocery delivery services available in her area

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 OCN 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 Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN) sample questions, please let us know by emailing us at feedback@medicoexam.com