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The ICCE exam has 150 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free ICCE questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Experienced Childbirth Educator Certification (ICCE) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
During a prenatal class, a participant says, "If labor changes, I may choose an epidural even though my written preferences say no medication." Her partner asks the educator to treat the written preference as a firm commitment. Which principle should guide the educator's response?
Correct answer: D - The participant can revise an informed choice; the written plan supports communication.
A 17-year-old at 22 weeks of pregnancy is planning meals around calcium-fortified plant drinks, tofu, and other foods she enjoys. She asks whether the 1,000-mg calcium target on an adult pregnancy handout applies to her. What daily target should guide her plan?
Correct answer: A - 1,300 mg in total, counting both food and any supplements.
A clinic uses the one-step 75-g oral glucose tolerance test at 24-28 weeks. After an overnight fast, a patient's plasma glucose results are 83 mg/dL fasting, 194 mg/dL at 1 hour, and 136 mg/dL at 2 hours. What is the correct interpretation under this protocol?
Correct answer: A - The 1-hour value establishes gestational diabetes in this one-step test.
A first-time parent at term has remained 5 cm dilated for four hours despite strong, regular contractions. Her membranes are intact, and maternal and fetal assessments are reassuring. She asks whether her labor has arrested. Which explanation fits ACOG's labor-progress criteria?
Correct answer: C - Active-phase arrest criteria do not yet apply at 5 cm.
A term newborn's Apgar scores were 5 at one minute and 8 at five minutes. The infant is now breathing comfortably without assistance. A parent worries that the first score means permanent brain injury. What can the educator accurately explain from these scores?
Correct answer: C - The five-minute score is reassuring; the scores alone cannot predict later neurologic function.
After a pudendal block for an assisted vaginal birth, a patient says that stretching at the vaginal outlet is much less painful, but uterine contractions still hurt. Which explanation best accounts for that difference?
Correct answer: B - Pudendal blockade numbs the perineum; uterine contraction pain travels through other nerves.
'She fed an hour ago-does that mean I have too little milk?' asks the parent of a healthy six-day-old. The baby breastfeeds 10 times daily with audible swallowing, has seven wet diapers and four yellow stools daily, and has begun regaining weight. Feeding is comfortable. Which guidance fits these findings?
Correct answer: B - Continue cue-based feeding, with output and weight reviewed at the planned follow-up.
Six days after birth, a parent describes brief spells of crying and feeling overwhelmed, especially late in the day. She still enjoys her baby, manages daily care with help, and sleeps when her partner takes over. She reports no thoughts of harm, hopelessness, or unusual beliefs. Which follow-up plan fits this pattern?
Correct answer: D - Offer support and reassess; symptoms beyond two weeks, worsening, or impaired functioning warrant clinical review.
An expectant parent accurately explains how to support a newborn's head and neck. When asked to lift a doll, the parent repeatedly lets its head fall backward. There is time for one more teaching activity before class ends. The activity most likely to close this learning gap is:
Correct answer: D - Guided lifting practice followed by an unprompted return demonstration.
A hospital advertises that its childbirth classes lower cesarean births: 14% of attendees and 25% of nonattendees had cesareans. Attendees volunteered for classes and were more often multiparous; nonattendees were more often nulliparous. No adjustment was made for these differences. Which conclusion is justified?
Correct answer: A - These figures show an association, but differences between the groups may explain it.
The ICCE exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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