Free Rehabilitation Psychology Practice Questions

Question 1

'I can walk for half an hour, but bending to pick up a sock will damage my back.' A patient with persistent low-back pain has completed a medical reassessment: there are no new neurological findings or movement restrictions. He follows a pacing plan and has improved his endurance, yet still avoids bending. Which addition most directly targets the remaining barrier?

Accepted Answer

Develop a graded bending hierarchy and test his prediction of injury through agreed practice.

Answer

Pause movement-based treatment and request repeat imaging before addressing his concern about bending.

Answer

Add scheduled rest periods around household tasks to prevent pain from reinforcing his fear.

Answer

Increase his walking quota until greater endurance makes bending feel safe enough to attempt.

Question 2

An engineer returning to work after a left-hemisphere stroke obtains a very low score on a timed paper-and-pencil task. She understands the instructions and makes few errors, but her dominant right hand remains markedly paretic. The available norms assume dominant-hand responding. The referral specifically asks about cognitive processing speed. How should the psychologist address the motor confound?

Accepted Answer

Use a validated measure with minimal hand demands and document the interpretation's remaining limitations.

Answer

Repeat the task with her left hand and interpret the score using the original norms.

Answer

Remove the time limit and compare her accuracy with the published processing-speed norms.

Answer

Interpret the low timed score as cognitive slowing because her accuracy on the task is preserved.

Question 3

Midway through an outpatient interview, a man with a chronic T4 spinal cord injury develops a pounding headache and facial flushing. His usual blood pressure is 94/60 mmHg; it is now 132/78 mmHg, with a pulse of 52/min. His urinary drainage bag has remained empty since morning. What should the psychologist do immediately?

Accepted Answer

Sit him upright, loosen restrictive clothing, and summon nursing for urgent assessment.

Answer

Recline his wheelchair with legs elevated, and call nursing to assess possible orthostatic intolerance.

Answer

Arrange a same-day medical review after completing the interview.

Answer

Coach slow breathing, then reassess after the presumed anxiety subsides.

Question 4

A child sustained a severe traumatic brain injury at age 4 and later met early reading and arithmetic expectations. At 12, she struggles with multistep assignments, organizing materials, and changing classes. There has been no new injury or abrupt neurological change. Her parents ask how the old injury could matter after years of acceptable school performance. The most accurate explanation is:

Accepted Answer

Increasing executive demands can expose injury-related limitations that were less apparent when school tasks were simpler.

Answer

The new difficulties indicate progressive tissue loss at the original injury site despite the stable examination.

Answer

The delayed timing points primarily to emotional adjustment rather than residual cognitive effects of the injury.

Answer

The earlier academic performance makes an unrelated learning disorder more likely than injury-related limitations.

Question 5

A patient completing cognitive rehabilitation wants to resume managing medications alone. Memory testing yielded these data:
Initial score: 42
Retest score: 58
Expected practice gain: 4 points
Standard error of change: 5 points
Higher scores are better, and both administrations were valid. Using the measure's validated practice-adjusted reliable change index (RCI) and a two-sided 95% criterion, what do these results establish?

Accepted Answer

An RCI of 2.4 supports reliable improvement, but daily independence still requires functional assessment.

Answer

An RCI of 3.2 supports reliable improvement, but medication self-management still requires functional assessment.

Answer

An RCI of 0.8 indicates no reliable improvement after accounting for practice effects.

Answer

An RCI of 2.4 establishes clinically meaningful recovery, making further observation of daily functioning unnecessary.

Question 6

Across five sessions after traumatic brain injury, a patient with severe anterograde amnesia learns a new sequence on an electronic organizer. He needs progressively fewer cues during performance but still cannot describe the steps before starting, recognize the therapist, or recall previous practice. This pattern most strongly supports preservation of:

Accepted Answer

Procedural learning despite impaired conscious recollection of the practice sessions.

Answer

Semantic knowledge of calendar conventions compensating for difficulty remembering specific therapy encounters.

Answer

Prospective memory sufficient to initiate appointments without external reminders.

Answer

Recognition memory that is stronger than free recall of the therapy sessions.

Question 7

At discharge planning, a woman with tetraplegia chooses to return home. She accurately explains her care needs, compares home and facility risks, and consistently communicates her preference. A home visit confirms accessibility; funded attendants and backup coverage can provide the required assistance. A team member objects that she cannot dress or transfer herself and therefore is 'not independent enough to decide.' Which position should the psychologist advocate?

Accepted Answer

Support her informed choice and implement the agreed home-assistance and backup plan.

Answer

Recommend a facility trial before reconsidering community discharge.

Answer

Defer to family preferences about placement because backup care might eventually fall to relatives.

Answer

Delay home discharge until she can transfer independently.

Question 8

An occupational therapist requests a behavior plan for a burn survivor who repeatedly ends stretching sessions. Joint observation shows that distress peaks during painful movement, often before prescribed analgesia has taken effect. The patient completes less painful exercises and wants to preserve hand function. The therapist has confirmed the movement precautions. Which consultation recommendation best addresses this pattern?

Accepted Answer

Arrange co-treatment timed with prescribed analgesia, with coping support during therapist-directed movement.

Answer

Reward completed sessions without changing analgesia timing or movement demands.

Answer

Postpone movement treatment until psychotherapy reduces anticipatory distress.

Answer

Recommend completing the planned stretches before offering a break so that distress does not shorten the treatment session.

Question 9

During follow-up after a traumatic brain injury, a patient says, 'Beer helps me feel normal with my friends. But last weekend I was unsteady and missed work the next day. I don't want another lecture.' Which response most directly evokes his own reasons for changing his drinking?

Accepted Answer

'Keeping your friendships matters, and drinking is creating problems. What would you like to change?'

Answer

'Let's set alcohol aside until you decide whether you want treatment.'

Answer

'These balance problems make abstinence necessary. When will you stop?'

Answer

'Alcohol can interfere with recovery. I'll explain those neurological risks first, and then we can discuss your concerns.'

Question 10

Three days after a medically evaluated concussion, a 15-year-old has a mild headache and becomes tired after about 25 minutes of reading. Symptoms are improving, with no red flags. The school can provide shorter assignments, rest breaks, and a reduced workload. His father proposes keeping him in a dark room until he has no symptoms. Which return-to-learning recommendation is appropriate now?

Accepted Answer

Resume school with symptom-based supports and adjust demands as tolerated, while avoiding contact-risk activities.

Answer

Resume the full timetable and usual testing load so that normal academic demands restore endurance.

Answer

Obtain formal neuropsychological clearance before allowing classroom attendance, even if accommodations are available.

Answer

Continue home rest until he tolerates a full school day's reading without headache or fatigue.

Free Rehabilitation Psychology Practice Questions

Domain 1: Foundational Competencies

Question 1

Question 2

Domain 2: Functional Competencies: Assessment/Evaluation

Question 3

Question 4

Domain 3: Functional Competencies: Intervention

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Domain 4: Functional Competencies: Consultation

Question 8

Domain 5: Functional Competencies: Advocacy

Question 9

Domain 6: Functional Competencies: Consumer Protection

Question 10

The rest of the Rehabilitation Psychology blueprint

That's 10 of 1,030