FREE NCCAOM TCM Diagnostic Principles Questions and Answers

Question 1

A patient presents with a productive cough with yellow phlegm, a feeling of fullness in the chest, and a pulse that feels smooth, rounded, and rolls under the fingertips like pearls on a plate.
Which pulse quality is this, and what is its primary clinical indication?

Accepted Answer

Slippery (Hua), indicating Phlegm, Dampness, or food stagnation.

Answer

Wiry (Xian), indicating Liver disharmony or pain.

Answer

Choppy (Se), indicating Blood or Qi stagnation or deficiency.

Answer

Floating (Fu), indicating an exterior pattern.

Question 2

A practitioner observes that the tip of a patient's tongue is significantly redder than the rest of the tongue body and has red points. According to TCM tongue diagnosis, this most strongly suggests a pathology in which Zang organ?

Accepted Answer

Heart

Answer

Spleen

Answer

Liver

Answer

Lungs

Question 3

A patient presents with a low-grade fever that is worse in the afternoon, night sweats, a dry mouth, malar flush, and a sensation of heat in the palms and soles. The pulse is thin and rapid. This clinical picture is a classic example of which of the Eight Principles patterns?

Accepted Answer

Interior, Deficiency, Heat

Answer

Interior, Excess, Heat

Answer

Exterior, Deficiency, Cold

Answer

Exterior, Excess, Heat

Question 4

During the 'Asking' portion of the diagnosis, a patient reports being constantly thirsty with a strong desire to drink large amounts of cold water. This specific type of thirst most strongly suggests which underlying pathology?

Accepted Answer

Excess Heat at the Qi Level (Yang Ming)

Answer

Yin Deficiency with Empty Heat

Answer

Damp-Heat Accumulation

Answer

Blood Deficiency

Question 5

Which of the following sets of signs and symptoms is most characteristic of a Liver Blood Deficiency pattern?

Accepted Answer

Dizziness, floaters in the vision, scanty menstruation, and brittle nails.

Answer

Irritability, hypochondriac distention, and a wiry pulse.

Answer

Poor appetite, abdominal bloating after eating, and fatigue.

Answer

Spontaneous sweating, aversion to wind, and a tendency to catch colds easily.

Question 6

An elderly patient presents with a chief complaint of a heavy feeling in the body and limbs, poor appetite, and loose stools. The practitioner observes the patient's tongue is pale and wet with a thick, greasy white coating. This tongue presentation is a classic indicator of what complex pathological condition?

Accepted Answer

Spleen Yang Deficiency with Dampness accumulation

Answer

Kidney Yin Deficiency with Empty Fire

Answer

Liver Qi Stagnation turning to Fire

Answer

Heart Blood and Spleen Qi Deficiency