CBT-I Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CBT-I 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.
📋 CBT-I Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CBT-I Topics to Study (38)
✍️ Sample CBT-I Questions & Answers
1. A patient's two-week sleep diary shows a highly variable sleep schedule with bedtimes ranging from 10 PM to 2 AM. What does this pattern primarily suggest for treatment planning?
Highly variable sleep timing indicates a disrupted circadian anchor, so consistent wake time is established first in CBT-I to stabilize the sleep-wake cycle.
2. When a CBT-I client discloses that their insomnia is partly due to caring for a terminally ill spouse, the practitioner should:
Competent ethical practice involves recognizing comorbid psychosocial stressors and facilitating appropriate adjunct referrals while continuing evidence-based sleep treatment.
3. Which component of CBT-I is most challenging to implement in a group format?
Sleep restriction requires individually calculated sleep windows based on each patient's sleep diary data, making it more complex to manage simultaneously across 6-10 patients.
4. A patient states: 'I've had insomnia my whole life — nothing will fix it.' Which CBT-I intervention BEST addresses this hopelessness?
Cognitive restructuring examines the accuracy and utility of hopeless beliefs, helping patients generate evidence-based, more adaptive expectations about treatment.
5. Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to improve insomnia by:
Exercise reduces anxiety, improves mood, and increases slow-wave sleep, all of which benefit insomnia patients.
6. EMG biofeedback in insomnia patients typically targets which muscle group(s)?
The frontalis (forehead) and trapezius (neck/shoulder) muscles are commonly monitored as proxies for overall body tension.