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 DACBN exam has 150 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free DACBN questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition (DACBN) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A woman with persistent diarrhea and iron deficiency has negative tissue-transglutaminase IgA serology and a normal total IgA concentration. During the dietary interview, which disclosure would most weaken the reassurance offered by those results?
Correct answer: D - “I excluded wheat, barley, and rye for six weeks before testing.”
A distance runner reports worsening fatigue, increasingly infrequent menstrual periods, and a second bone stress injury in a year. Her BMI is 22 kg/m², and she reports no deliberate dietary restriction. To investigate a nutritional factor linking this pattern, the history should focus first on:
Correct answer: B - Changes in food intake and meal timing as training demands increased.
A patient’s previously controlled blood pressure has risen, and serum potassium is now 3.0 mmol/L (reference 3.5-5.0). There has been no vomiting, diarrhea, diuretic use, or change in prescription medicines. The patient recently began drinking several cups of an herbal preparation each day. Which ingredient is the most important to identify in that product history?
Correct answer: C - Licorice containing glycyrrhizin
Fecal elastase is 72 µg/g in a completely watery specimen from a patient with intermittent diarrhea. Weight is stable, and there is no known pancreatic disease. Before assigning a diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which step best addresses the main limitation of this result?
Correct answer: C - Repeat fecal elastase using a semi-solid or solid stool specimen.
At 23 months, a child’s weight-for-length was near the 50th percentile on a WHO chart using recumbent length. At 25 months, a U.S. clinic records standing height and a CDC BMI-for-age percentile near the 25th. Appetite, development, and weight-for-age trajectory remain stable. Which measurement strategy provides the most appropriate basis for further growth monitoring?
Correct answer: D - Verify weight and standing height, then follow age- and sex-specific CDC BMI-for-age over time.
A food panel obtained during an evaluation for fatigue reports positive peanut-specific IgE. The patient regularly eats ordinary servings of peanuts and peanut butter without symptoms and asks whether every peanut-containing food must now be removed. Which assessment of the laboratory finding is accurate?
Correct answer: A - It indicates sensitization, which alone does not establish clinical peanut allergy.
During chemotherapy, a 64-year-old patient has a positive malnutrition-risk screen. Weight has fallen unintentionally from 80 kg to 70 kg in four months, without edema or diuresis; current BMI is 27.0 kg/m². Intake has been 40% of estimated energy requirements for ten consecutive days. The GLIM classification supported by these findings is:
Correct answer: B - Severe malnutrition, based on qualifying weight loss together with reduced intake.
“Should I stop eating seafood because of mercury?” asks a patient at 18 weeks of pregnancy. Her weekly intake is 10 ounces of commercially purchased salmon and shrimp, measured before cooking and divided among three meals. All seafood is thoroughly cooked. Which recommendation best addresses her concern under FDA/EPA advice?
Correct answer: A - Continue this intake, choosing a variety of lower-mercury seafood.
A 59-year-old with type 2 diabetes has moved from predialysis care to maintenance hemodialysis. He is metabolically stable, consumes adequate energy, and has no acute catabolic illness. His old meal plan supplied 0.8 g protein/kg/day. For this new treatment setting, which KDOQI protein range should the renal nutrition team consider, using its selected ideal body weight?
Correct answer: A - 1.0-1.2 g/kg/day
During an office nutrition visit, a patient develops generalized hives, throat tightness, and audible wheezing minutes after eating a sesame-containing snack. Blood pressure is 118/74 mm Hg. Intramuscular epinephrine is available, and staff can activate emergency medical services. The immediate priority is to:
Correct answer: C - Give intramuscular epinephrine immediately and activate emergency medical services.
The DACBN exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
The full bank has 1,020 more DACBN questions with explanations.
Continue in the free practice test →
View plans