COF Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the COF 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.
📋 COF Exam Format at a Glance
📚 COF Topics to Study (79)
✍️ Sample COF Questions & Answers
1. Which skeletal maturity indicator is used to determine when bracing for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis can be safely discontinued?
The Risser sign grades iliac apophysis ossification from 0 to 5; grades 4 and 5 indicate skeletal maturity, signifying that spinal growth has ceased and the risk of scoliosis progression is minimal, allowing bracing to be discontinued.
2. A 4-year-old with myelomeningocele at L3–L4 has active hip flexors and quadriceps but no ankle control. What is the most likely appropriate orthosis?
With preserved quadriceps and hip flexors but absent ankle musculature, an AFO providing ankle-foot control while allowing knee function is most appropriate.
3. A patient with a spastic equinovarus foot in cerebral palsy would most likely exhibit which gait deviation during swing phase?
Spastic equinovarus causes foot clearance problems during swing, leading patients to compensate with steppage gait, vaulting on the stance limb, or circumduction of the affected limb.
4. In a child with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, the PRIMARY goal of AFO prescription is to:
AFOs for children with cerebral palsy are prescribed to normalize gait kinematics, reduce energy expenditure, and maximize functional independence in mobility.
5. An orthotist discovers that a colleague has been billing Medicare for custom orthoses but delivering prefabricated devices. The orthotist's primary ethical obligation is to:
Suspected Medicare fraud must be reported to authorities such as the OIG or CMS, as failure to report known fraud may constitute complicity.
6. Which of the following activities would constitute a violation of patient confidentiality by an orthotic fitter?
Sharing patient images or videos on social media without explicit written authorization is a HIPAA violation and breach of confidentiality.