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Get a feel for the Oncology Certified Nurse exam before you buy. These sample questions match
the ONCC OCN style — scenario-based, single best answer, with a rationale
that explains the reasoning. Work each one before reading the answer.
Unlock 3,000+ OCN practice questions across 15 full-length simulators — $19.99 lifetime →
How close are these to the real OCN?
The OCN is 165 questions (145 scored, 20 unscored) over 3 hours, spanning oncology nursing
practice — treatment, symptom management, oncologic emergencies, and survivorship. The
samples below reflect that range.
Sample OCN questions
- A neutropenic patient (ANC 350) develops a temperature of 38.5°C. What is the priority?
- A. Recheck the temperature in one hour
- B. Obtain blood cultures and begin antibiotics promptly
- C. Administer acetaminophen and observe
- D. Restrict visitors only
Answer: B. Febrile neutropenia is an oncologic emergency. With an ANC under
500 and a fever, draw cultures and start broad-spectrum antibiotics quickly — delays cost
lives. Masking the fever with acetaminophen (C) is unsafe. - Lab results show high potassium, high phosphate, high uric acid, and low calcium after
chemotherapy. This is consistent with:- A. Hypercalcemia of malignancy
- B. Tumor lysis syndrome
- C. SIADH
- D. Spinal cord compression
Answer: B. That electrolyte pattern is classic tumor lysis syndrome. Manage
with aggressive hydration and a hypouricemic agent (allopurinol or rasburicase), watching renal
function and cardiac rhythm. - A vesicant chemotherapy agent is infiltrating at the IV site. The nurse’s first action is to:
- A. Flush the line with saline
- B. Stop the infusion and leave the needle in place to aspirate
- C. Apply firm pressure and remove the IV
- D. Increase the infusion rate
Answer: B. Stop the infusion immediately and leave the device in place to
aspirate residual drug and give an antidote if indicated — vesicant extravasation can cause
severe tissue damage. - A patient with metastatic cancer reports new, worsening back pain with leg weakness.
This may indicate:- A. Routine bone pain
- B. Spinal cord compression — an oncologic emergency
- C. Anxiety
- D. Constipation
Answer: B. New or worsening back pain with neurologic changes suggests spinal
cord compression. Prompt imaging and treatment (corticosteroids, radiation/surgery) can preserve
function, so escalate immediately. - When is the neutrophil nadir typically expected after most chemotherapy?
- A. Within 24 hours
- B. About 7–14 days after treatment
- C. About 30 days after treatment
- D. It does not occur
Answer: B. The nadir — the lowest blood-count point — usually
falls around 7 to 14 days after chemotherapy, the window of greatest infection risk.
How did you do?
If the emergencies felt fuzzy, that’s what practice is for. Our bank has 3,000+ OCN questions
across 15 timed simulators with rationales like these, plus a free sample test.
Unlock 3,000+ OCN practice questions across 15 full-length simulators — $19.99 lifetime →
Sources & references
The exam facts on this page are drawn from official certifying-body materials, reviewed 2026-06-18 by the DrCertifications exam-prep team (10+ years in exam preparation and publishing).