Free Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A massage therapist reviewing circulatory anatomy wants to know what keeps blood in a standing client's leg veins from falling back toward the feet between heartbeats. Which structural feature of medium and large veins in the limbs prevents that backflow?

   1. A. One-way venous valves inside the vessel
   2. B. Precapillary sphincters at the capillary beds
   3. C. Elastic fibers within the tunica intima layer
   4. D. Circular smooth muscle in the tunica media

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The National Cancer Institute's anatomy module states that "Venous valves are especially important in the arms and legs, where they prevent the backflow of blood in response to the pull of gravity." The other three structures are real parts of the vascular system but do different work: precapillary smooth muscle regulates flow into capillary beds, the tunica intima is the thin endothelial lining, and the tunica media changes vessel diameter to regulate pressure rather than blocking reverse flow.

   Reference: Classification & Structure of Blood Vessels | SEER Training — Classification & Structure of Blood Vessels, section 'Veins'

2. 2A therapist is describing to a student what a single skeletal muscle fiber actually is. Which statement is correct?

   1. A. A muscle fiber is one cylindrical muscle cell
   2. B. A muscle fiber is one bundle of muscle cells
   3. C. A muscle fiber is one strand of tendon tissue
   4. D. A muscle fiber is one sheet of fascia tissue

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The National Cancer Institute's muscular system module states that "Each skeletal muscle fiber is a single cylindrical muscle cell ." The distractors each name a real structural level described in the same passage but assign it the wrong term: a bundle of fibers is a fasciculus, tendon is the ropelike attachment formed by the connective tissue coverings, and fascia is the connective tissue outside the epimysium that separates whole muscles.

   Reference: Structure of Skeletal Muscle | SEER Training — Structure of Skeletal Muscle, muscle fiber definition

3. 3A client arrives with an itchy rash and says a household member has the same thing. What organism causes scabies?

   1. A. The human itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei
   2. B. A dermatophyte fungus of the skin surface
   3. C. A strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria
   4. D. The varicella-zoster virus that stays latent

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that "Scabies is caused by the human itch mite ( Sarcoptes scabiei var." hominis). The distractors name the real causative agents of other common skin conditions described in the same agency's pages, since ringworm is caused by fungi, MRSA is a staphylococcal bacterium, and shingles is caused by varicella-zoster virus.

   Reference: About Scabies | Scabies | CDC — About Scabies, cause

4. 4The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health classifies complementary approaches by their primary therapeutic input. Under that classification, where does massage therapy fall?

   1. A. Among the physical approaches, together with spinal manipulation
   2. B. Among the nutritional approaches, together with herbs and probiotics
   3. C. Among the psychological approaches, together with mindfulness practice
   4. D. Among the whole medical systems, together with homeopathy and Ayurveda

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that complementary approaches can be classified by primary therapeutic input as "Nutritional (e.g., special diets, dietary supplements, herbs, and probiotics)", "Psychological (e.g., mindfulness)", "Physical (e.g., massage, spinal manipulation)" or combinations of these. The distractors name the other real categories in the same classification, and the last names the separate group of approaches such as homeopathy and Ayurvedic medicine that the agency says may not fit neatly into these groups.

   Reference: Nccih Cam Names — Complementary Health Approaches, classification by primary therapeutic input

5. 5A client arrives for a first session and asks the therapist to skip talking and begin immediately. Why does the therapist still complete the intake before hands-on work?

   1. A. Because the session plan depends on information that must be gathered before contact begins
   2. B. Because the profession requires a fixed script to be read aloud at the start of every session
   3. C. Because the therapist must obtain a written referral from a physician before any contact begins
   4. D. Because the therapist must record vital signs at the start of every massage session by custom

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises clients to "Ask about the training, experience, and credentials of the massage therapist you are considering." and warns "Don't use massage therapy to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.", both of which depend on an exchange of information before treatment. The distractors invent a fixed script, a referral requirement and a vital signs requirement that no source in this corpus states for massage therapy.

   Reference: Nccih Massage — Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know, 'Tips To Consider'

6. 6A client asks whether a massage therapist is permitted to guide the client through movements of a limb as part of a session. Under the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards model definition of the practice of massage therapy, what is included?

   1. A. Active or passive stretching within the normal anatomical range of movement
   2. B. Active or passive stretching carried past the normal anatomical range of movement
   3. C. Active stretching only, since passive movement of a client limb is always excluded
   4. D. Passive stretching only, since a client may not move under their own power at all

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards Model Massage Therapy Practice Act defines the practice of massage therapy in Section 104(A) to include, at subsection (3), "Active or passive stretching of the" body "within the normal" "anatomical range of movement;". The distractor that carries movement past the normal anatomical range contradicts the express limit in that clause, and the two options that admit only one of the two modes contradict the word "or" that joins them.

   Reference: Fsmtb Model Practice Act — Model Massage Therapy Practice Act, Section 104(A)(3)

7. 7After using a non-porous handheld massage tool on one client, what does the authoritative infection control guidance establish must happen before the tool contacts the next client's skin?

   1. A. The tool is cleaned to remove soil, because cleaning must precede disinfection
   2. B. The tool is disinfected first, and cleaning of visible soil is done afterward
   3. C. The tool is wiped dry only, because a dry surface cannot transfer organisms
   4. D. The tool is set aside to air for a day, because time alone removes organisms

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states in its disinfection and sterilization guideline that "Because maximum effectiveness from disinfection and sterilization results from first cleaning and removing organic and inorganic materials, this document also reviews cleaning methods." Cleaning therefore comes before disinfection. The distractors reverse that order or substitute drying and elapsed time, neither of which the guideline treats as a substitute for cleaning and disinfection.

   Reference: Executive Summary | Infection Control | CDC — Disinfection and Sterilization Guideline, Executive Summary

8. 8In the wall of the digestive tract, one layer is described as a thick layer of loose connective tissue that carries blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves and lies immediately outside the innermost lining. Which layer is this?

   1. A. The submucosa of the tract wall
   2. B. The mucosa of the tract wall
   3. C. The muscular layer of the wall
   4. D. The serosa of the tract wall

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The National Cancer Institute's digestive system module states that "The submucosa is a thick layer of loose connective tissue that surrounds the mucosa." and that this layer "also contains blood vessels , lymphatic vessels, and nerves." The mucosa is the innermost lining that the submucosa surrounds; the muscular layer is smooth muscle arranged in circular and longitudinal layers; the serosa is the outermost covering below the diaphragm.

   Reference: General Structure of the Digestive System | SEER Training — General Structure of the Digestive System, layers of the wall

9. 9Working from the outside of a whole muscle inward, a therapist wants to name the connective tissue sheath that wraps the entire muscle. Which sheath is that?

   1. A. The epimysium around the whole muscle
   2. B. The perimysium around the whole muscle
   3. C. The endomysium around the whole muscle
   4. D. The aponeurosis around the whole muscle

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The National Cancer Institute's muscular system module states that "Each muscle is surrounded by a connective tissue sheath called the epimysium ." The distractors are the neighboring real layers from the same passage: the perimysium wraps each fasciculus, the endomysium wraps each individual fiber, and an aponeurosis is a broad flat sheet-like attachment formed where these coverings extend beyond the muscle belly.

   Reference: Structure of Skeletal Muscle | SEER Training — Structure of Skeletal Muscle, connective tissue coverings

10. 10A client has a ring-shaped scaly patch on the forearm and asks whether a worm is involved. What actually causes ringworm?

    1. A. Fungi, despite the name of the condition
    2. B. A parasitic worm burrowing under the skin
    3. C. Bacteria entering through a break in skin
    4. D. A virus reactivating along a skin dermatome

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that "Ringworm is caused by fungi (not a worm)." The distractors name real causes of other skin conditions described by the same agency: mites burrow in scabies, staphylococcal bacteria cause skin infections such as MRSA, and varicella-zoster virus reactivates along a dermatome in shingles.

    Reference: Ringworm Basics | Ringworm | CDC — About Ringworm, cause