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.
The RNC-OB exam has 175 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free RNC-OB questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Inpatient Obstetric Nursing (RNC-OB) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A patient at 35 weeks' gestation has blood pressures of 146/94 mm Hg and 150/96 mm Hg taken 6 hours apart. Urine protein is negative and the platelet count is 84,000/µL (84 x 10⁹/L). Which condition do these findings MOST likely indicate?
Correct answer: C - Preeclampsia with severe features
A patient maintained on buprenorphine for opioid use disorder is admitted in active labor and reports pain rated 9 out of 10. Which action by the nurse is MOST appropriate?
Correct answer: A - Administer the prescribed analgesia in addition to her maintenance dose
A patient at 29 weeks' gestation is in preterm labor and magnesium sulfate is started. Her blood pressure is 112/68 mm Hg and she has no proteinuria. What is the PRIMARY purpose of the magnesium sulfate at this gestational age?
Correct answer: C - To reduce the risk of cerebral palsy in the preterm newborn
A patient at 39 weeks' gestation in active labor has a fetal heart rate tracing with a baseline of 140 bpm, moderate variability, and late decelerations occurring with 60% of contractions. Using NICHD terminology, this tracing is classified as:
Correct answer: B - Category II, because it is neither Category I nor Category III
A patient at 29 weeks' gestation has a fetal heart rate tracing showing an abrupt increase of 12 bpm above the baseline lasting 14 seconds. How should the nurse document this finding?
Correct answer: C - An acceleration, since criteria for this gestational age are met
During a birth complicated by shoulder dystocia, which action should the nurse avoid?
Correct answer: B - Applying pressure to the uterine fundus
A nulliparous patient at 40 weeks' gestation is 5 cm dilated with ruptured membranes. Contractions have been adequate for the past 4 hours with no cervical change, and the fetal heart rate tracing is Category I. Which statement is MOST accurate?
Correct answer: A - Active-phase arrest cannot be diagnosed because she has not reached 6 cm
A patient receiving an oxytocin infusion has seven contractions in 10 minutes averaged over 30 minutes, with late decelerations following most contractions. Which action should the nurse take FIRST?
Correct answer: B - Discontinue the oxytocin infusion and reposition the patient
A patient who has been taking labetalol throughout her pregnancy gives birth vaginally and develops uterine atony that does not respond to fundal massage and oxytocin. Which prescribed medication should the nurse question?
Correct answer: B - Methylergonovine maleate
A newborn delivered by vacuum extraction has a firm, fluctuant scalp swelling that crosses the suture lines and appears to be increasing in size. The heart rate is 178 bpm. Which condition should the nurse suspect?
Correct answer: D - Subgaleal hemorrhage
The RNC-OB exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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