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Free CCLS Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free CCLS practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

A child life specialist is asked to prepare two patients scheduled for the same elective surgery next week: a 2-year-old and a 15-year-old. Compared with the adolescent, when should the toddler MOST appropriately be prepared?

  1. Closer to the procedure, given the toddler's limited concept of time
  2. Several days earlier, so the toddler has the most time to adjust
  3. At the exact same time, since preparation timing should stay consistent
  4. Only after the procedure, since toddlers cannot be meaningfully prepared
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Closer to the procedure, given the toddler's limited concept of time

Question 2

A hospitalized 4-year-old tells the child life specialist, "I got sick because I was bad and didn't listen to my mom." This belief MOST directly reflects which characteristic of the child's developmental stage?

  1. Conservation, the understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in appearance
  2. Magical thinking, in which unrelated events are linked as cause and effect
  3. Hypothetical-deductive reasoning about multiple possible causes
  4. Object permanence, the awareness that things continue to exist when unseen
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Magical thinking, in which unrelated events are linked as cause and effect

Question 3

A 3-year-old needs a peripheral IV start. A nurse begins to lay the child flat on the bed and hold them down. Based on evidence-based practice, what should the child life specialist recommend INSTEAD?

  1. Sedate the child so the IV can be placed without any resistance
  2. Have the child sit upright, held securely on a caregiver's lap
  3. Remove the parent from the room to reduce the child's distress
  4. Proceed with supine restraint, since it is safest for IV access
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Have the child sit upright, held securely on a caregiver's lap

Question 4

An 11-year-old's parents have signed the form authorizing a non-urgent procedure, but the child says they do not want it done and asks to wait. The child life specialist recognizes that the team still needs to obtain the child's:

  1. Consent, the legally binding authorization required for treatment
  2. Waiver, releasing the facility from liability for the procedure
  3. Assent, the child's developmentally appropriate agreement
  4. Proxy, a designated adult who decides on the child's behalf
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Assent, the child's developmentally appropriate agreement

Question 5

After a sibling's death, a 4-year-old repeatedly asks when their brother is "coming back" and sets a place for him at dinner. This response MOST likely reflects that the child has not yet acquired which component of a mature understanding of death?

  1. Universality, that death happens to all living things
  2. Causality, that death results from a breakdown of bodily functions
  3. Nonfunctionality, that all bodily processes cease at death
  4. Irreversibility, that death is permanent and cannot be undone
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Irreversibility, that death is permanent and cannot be undone

Question 6

A previously confident 8-year-old becomes withdrawn during a prolonged hospitalization, saying they are "falling behind everyone" and are "no good at anything anymore." According to Erikson, the child is MOST at risk for an unresolved crisis of:

  1. Initiative versus guilt
  2. Identity versus role confusion
  3. Industry versus inferiority
  4. Autonomy versus shame and doubt
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Industry versus inferiority

Question 7

During a session, a 6-year-old discloses information that leads the child life specialist to reasonably suspect physical abuse at home. What is the specialist's FIRST professional obligation?

  1. Investigate further to personally confirm the abuse before acting
  2. Report the suspicion through the required mandated-reporting channels
  3. Keep the disclosure confidential to preserve the child's trust
  4. Wait and document more sessions to first establish a clear pattern
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Report the suspicion through the required mandated-reporting channels

Question 8

A child life specialist gives a 5-year-old a doll, a real syringe with the needle removed, and tape, and lets the child "give the doll a shot" before the child's own injection. What is the PRIMARY therapeutic purpose of this activity?

  1. To assess and correct misconceptions and support a sense of mastery
  2. To keep the child entertained and help pass time before the procedure
  3. To teach the parent the correct technique for giving an injection
  4. To formally determine whether the child is developmentally delayed
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - To assess and correct misconceptions and support a sense of mastery

Question 9

A 2-month-old infant requires a heel lance for blood collection. Which non-pharmacological intervention is MOST appropriate and supported by evidence for this age group?

  1. Coaching the infant through slow, deep breathing
  2. Using a numeric 0-to-10 pain scale to guide comfort
  3. Offering oral sucrose with non-nutritive sucking
  4. Providing a detailed verbal explanation of the steps
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Offering oral sucrose with non-nutritive sucking

Question 10

According to the ACLP evidence-based practice statement on preparing children for medical procedures, all of the following are key elements of effective preparation EXCEPT:

  1. Providing developmentally appropriate information
  2. Withholding distressing details to protect the child from worry
  3. Encouraging the child's expression of emotions
  4. Forming a trusting relationship with a health care professional
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Withholding distressing details to protect the child from worry

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