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.
These 10 free FNC questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Fitness Nutrition Coach blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Regular cow's milk repeatedly causes a client bloating, gas, and loose stools within a few hours. An equal serving of lactose-free cow's milk with the same fat content causes no symptoms. Which mechanism best accounts for this difference?
Correct answer: C - Insufficient lactase activity in the small intestine.
In a discussion of fat digestion, a client says, 'The gallbladder makes the enzyme that digests fat.' Which correction accurately assigns the roles of the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas?
Correct answer: D - The liver makes bile, the gallbladder stores it, and the pancreas supplies fat-digesting enzymes.
A 72-kg cyclist finishes a glycogen-depleting morning workout and has another demanding session six hours later. Restoring muscle glycogen before that session is the immediate nutrition priority. Which carbohydrate intake best fits the first four hours of recovery?
Correct answer: C - About 80 g each hour, starting promptly after exercise.
During a supervised workout, an adult who uses insulin becomes shaky and sweaty. A finger-stick glucose reading is 61 mg/dL. Exercise has stopped; the client is alert, can swallow safely, and has glucose tablets and prescribed rescue glucagon available. What should the coach help the client do first?
Correct answer: A - Take 15 g of glucose and recheck the glucose level in 15 minutes.
'Do rice and lentils have to be on the same plate for their protein to count?' asks an adult vegan beginning resistance training. Their diet includes varied legumes, grains, nuts, and soy foods and meets their energy and protein needs. Which reply is accurate?
Correct answer: B - Complementary proteins can be eaten across the day; they do not have to share a meal.
Following advice to lower LDL cholesterol, a weight-stable client wants to improve the fat quality of breakfast rather than reduce its calories. Each proposed change replaces the same number of calories from butter. Which substitution best supports that goal?
Correct answer: C - Replace the butter with olive oil.
Near the end of a four-hour charity walk on a cool day, a participant develops a worsening headache, vomiting, and confusion. They have been drinking water at every aid station and now weigh 1.5 kg more than before the walk. What is the priority response?
Correct answer: D - Activate emergency medical services and withhold further oral fluids.
For a 90-minute run, a coach records a body mass of 78.4 kg before exercise and 77.2 kg afterward. The runner drinks 0.8 L and passes 0.2 L of urine during that period. Both weigh-ins use the same scale and dry clothing. Approximately what sweat rate should inform fluid planning for a similar run?
Correct answer: B - 1.2 L/hour.
A 57-year-old postmenopausal client estimates her usual calcium intake at 500 mg/day. She believes this must be enough because a recent serum calcium result was normal. What should guide the coach's interpretation?
Correct answer: B - Plan toward 1,200 mg/day in total; a normal blood level does not establish adequate intake.
At a follow-up assessment, an adult client's bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) estimate falls from 28% to 24% body fat. The first measurement was taken before breakfast on a rest day; the second was taken immediately after a sweaty cycling class. Body weight is unchanged. How should the coach handle the apparent improvement?
Correct answer: A - Repeat the assessment under the original conditions before interpreting a change in fat mass.
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