10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free NCS questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Neurologic Physical Therapy Specialist blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A therapist uses continuous visual feedback to train accurate foot placement over an obstacle after stroke. Errors decrease during practice. Which finding most directly demonstrates retention of the practiced task, rather than an immediate effect of the feedback?
Correct answer: A - Accurate foot placement on the practiced task the next day, without visual feedback or corrective cues.
A patient referred for persistent right-leg weakness generates little force when asked to press the right heel into the examination table. When he flexes the left hip against resistance, strong right-hip extension is felt beneath the therapist's hand. The finding is reproducible, painless, and obtained with clearly understood instructions. What does this discrepancy contribute to the differential diagnosis?
Correct answer: B - It supports functional weakness with preserved automatic activation, not proof of intentional symptom production.
During a transfer assessment after a left hemispheric stroke, a patient speaks fluently but gives unrelated answers and does not follow spoken directions. Hearing is adequate. She correctly imitates a demonstrated hand movement, but her yes/no responses are inconsistent. To explain the next transfer step and establish that she understands it, the therapist should:
Correct answer: D - Demonstrate one transfer action, then ask her to show it back before proceeding.
A woman with Alzheimer disease is learning to lock her rollator brakes before sitting. During supervised spaced-retrieval practice, she recalls and performs the step after 30 seconds and again after one minute. After a two-minute delay, she reaches to sit without locking the brakes; the therapist prevents the transfer. How should the teaching sequence continue?
Correct answer: B - Supply the correct step, return to a one-minute interval, and lengthen it after successful retrieval.
Eleven months after a stroke, a man walks independently with a cane but cannot keep up with his spouse or reach the neighborhood shop without resting. Six weeks of strengthening have improved his leg strength without changing walking speed or distance. Sessions include less than five minutes of walking. He is medically stable and cleared for monitored aerobic exercise. Which revision most directly addresses the stalled walking outcomes?
Correct answer: C - Increase repetitive walking at moderate to high aerobic intensity, with appropriate physiologic monitoring.
A woman reports brief spinning when rolling in bed. Dix-Hallpike testing produces horizontal rather than torsional-upbeating nystagmus. During a supine roll test with the head flexed approximately 30 degrees, each head turn produces geotropic horizontal nystagmus lasting about 25 seconds; the response is distinctly stronger with the right ear down. There are no other neurologic findings or positioning contraindications. Which treatment matches this pattern?
Correct answer: A - A Lempert roll for the right horizontal canal, rotating toward the left.
A complete, reliable ISNCSCI examination establishes a single neurological level of injury of C6, with a right motor level of C7 and a left motor level of C6. Sacral pin-prick sensation and deep anal pressure are present; voluntary anal contraction is absent. Voluntary movement is present in both lower limbs. Ten of the 16 bilateral key muscle functions below C6 have strength of at least 3/5. There are no non-SCI conditions affecting the scores. How should the injury be classified?
Correct answer: B - AIS D: motor incomplete.
A patient with multiple sclerosis develops a familiar increase in leg heaviness after exercising in a warm therapy room. The therapist pauses the session and helps her cool down. Her usual strength and walking pattern return within 15 minutes. She has no fever, infection symptoms, or new neurologic deficit, and previous heat-related episodes have followed the same course. What should the next exercise session emphasize?
Correct answer: C - Use a cooler environment and shorter exercise bouts, progressing according to her response.
An ambulatory patient recovering from stroke improves from 18/30 to 23/30 on the Functional Gait Assessment using the same device and standardized testing conditions. The therapist has selected a relevant stroke reliability study reporting a minimal detectable change of 6 points. The patient also reports greater confidence on the route to the mailbox. Which interpretation should guide the progress note?
Correct answer: D - The increase is below this measurement-error threshold; the patient's functional progress still warrants assessment.
Doorways and tight turns repeatedly trigger freezing in a man with Parkinson disease, including during his predictable medication 'on' period. Straight-path walking remains stable, and there is no recent deterioration or orthostatic hypotension. With close guarding, he takes a larger first step when given a transverse visual floor target. Which home strategy should the therapist develop from this finding?
Correct answer: A - Practice visually cued steps through doorways and wider turning arcs, rehearsing the strategy with appropriate guarding.
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