AOCNP Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the AOCNP exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 AOCNP Exam Format at a Glance
📚 AOCNP Topics to Study (80)
✍️ Sample AOCNP Questions & Answers
1. Tobacco cessation counseling is a primary prevention intervention most critically indicated for which cancer risk reduction?
Tobacco is carcinogenic across multiple organ systems — smoking causes 30% of all cancer deaths and cessation reduces risk for at least 12 different cancer types.
2. A colorectal cancer survivor who completed curative resection should receive which surveillance study at 1 year post-surgery?
ASCO/NCCN guidelines for colorectal cancer surveillance recommend colonoscopy at 1 year after surgery (or within 3–6 months if preoperative colonoscopy was incomplete). If normal, repeat at 3 years, then every 5 years, along with CEA monitoring every 3–6 months for 5 years and CT chest/abdomen/pelvis annually for 3–5 years.
3. A patient with metastatic colorectal cancer has a KRAS wild-type, RAS/RAF wild-type tumor. Which targeted therapy is most appropriate?
Anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies (cetuximab, panitumumab) are only effective in metastatic colorectal cancer patients with RAS/RAF wild-type tumors. KRAS mutations cause downstream EGFR-independent activation, rendering anti-EGFR therapy ineffective in mutant patients.
4. A clinical instructor named Barbara is giving a presentation on chemotherapy. Which of the following claims regarding the pace of cell growth and chemotherapy is true?
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are more effective against cells that are growing more quickly.
5. Which biomarker is most predictive of response to olaparib in ovarian cancer?
Olaparib is a PARP inhibitor with the strongest efficacy evidence in BRCA1/2-mutated ovarian cancer due to synthetic lethality.
6. For a patient with head and neck cancer undergoing concurrent chemoradiation who cannot maintain adequate oral intake due to mucositis, which nutritional support route is most appropriate?
When the GI tract is functional, enteral nutrition (via NG tube or prophylactic PEG/RIG) is the preferred route and is supported by ASPEN, ESPEN, and ASCO guidelines for patients who cannot maintain adequate oral intake. Enteral feeding maintains gut integrity, reduces infection risk, and is more physiologic than parenteral nutrition. TPN is reserved for patients with a non-functional GI tract. Oral supplements alone are insufficient if mucositis prevents adequate intake. IV dextrose provides calories but no protein or micronutrients.