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Quizzes > Health & Medicine

CBT Quiz: Test Your Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Knowledge

Quick, free cognitive behavioral therapy quiz to test your knowledge. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Amy JonesUpdated Aug 25, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration featuring quiz title cognitive behavioral therapy free quiz challenge yourself dark blue background

This CBT quiz helps you check your understanding of cognitive behavioral therapy and apply ideas to everyday situations. Use it to spot gaps before a class or exam and build practical skills, then explore related topics with the therapy approaches quiz, the psychoanalysis quiz, or the defense mechanisms quiz.

Which best describes the core aim of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?
Uncover unconscious conflicts through free association
Improve insight without changing behavior
Identify and modify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to improve emotions
Rely solely on medication to stabilize mood
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CBT is typically time-limited and structured.
False
True
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In the CBT cognitive model, which sequence best represents the relationship among key elements after a trigger?
Thoughts → Situation → Behaviors → Emotions
Behaviors → Emotions → Thoughts → Situation
Situation → Thoughts → Emotions → Behaviors
Emotions → Behaviors → Situation → Thoughts
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Automatic thoughts are always accurate reflections of reality.
True
False
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Which technique is central to identifying and challenging cognitive distortions in CBT?
Dream analysis
Cognitive restructuring
Hypnosis
Free association
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Behavioral activation primarily targets which problem area?
Depression-related withdrawal and low activity
Psychotic delusions
Manic episodes in bipolar disorder
Specific phobia of heights only
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Exposure therapy aims to reduce fear by enabling new learning in feared situations.
True
False
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Socratic questioning in CBT is best described as
Therapist offering direct advice and solutions
A mindfulness practice to blank the mind
A debate to prove the client wrong
Guided discovery that helps clients examine the evidence for their thoughts
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Thought records typically include which component?
Situation, automatic thought, emotion, alternative thought
IQ score and personality type
Diagnosis, medication dose, side effects
Family tree and early childhood memories
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Safety behaviors are actions used to prevent feared outcomes and can maintain anxiety.
True
False
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Which measure is commonly used to assess generalized anxiety symptoms in CBT practice?
MMSE
Y-BOCS-II
GAD-7
PANSS
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CBT for OCD often combines exposure with response prevention (ERP), which means approaching triggers without performing rituals.
False
True
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In CBT for panic disorder, which intervention is used to reduce fear of bodily sensations?
Interoceptive exposure
Stimulus control
Thought-stopping
Systematic desensitization to heights
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Which best differentiates graded exposure from flooding?
Graded exposure proceeds stepwise; flooding starts with high-intensity exposure
Graded exposure is for children; flooding for adults
Graded exposure is imaginal only; flooding is in vivo only
Graded exposure uses VR; flooding never does
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Stimulus control in CBT-I primarily targets
Eliminating all caffeine forever
Sleeping longer on weekends to catch up
Training to nap frequently during the day
Strengthening bed-sleep association by limiting wakeful activities in bed
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Sleep restriction therapy increases time in bed to promote more rest.
True
False
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The downward arrow technique is used to
Map out social networks
Induce relaxation via breath focus
Improve sleep drive
Elicit underlying assumptions and core beliefs
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Attentional bias modification in CBT aims to
Increase vigilance to all threats
Eliminate automatic thoughts entirely
Induce relaxation regardless of context
Shift attention away from threat cues
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Inhibitory learning in exposure emphasizes violating threat expectancies rather than habituation alone.
True
False
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Which best differentiates a behavioral experiment from an exposure exercise?
Experiments are unplanned; exposure is unstructured
Experiments only use imagination; exposure is in vivo
Experiments never involve anxiety; exposure always does
Experiments test a prediction; exposure focuses on approaching fear cues (they can overlap)
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Core CBT Principles -

    Describe the foundational concepts of cognitive behavioral therapy and how they underpin behavior change strategies assessed in the CBT quiz.

  2. Analyze Thought-Behavior Patterns -

    Examine the relationships between automatic thoughts, emotions, and behaviors through practical scenarios in the cognitive behavioral therapy test.

  3. Apply Cognitive Restructuring Techniques -

    Demonstrate how to use key CBT tools like thought records and Socratic questioning to challenge and modify maladaptive thinking.

  4. Identify Common Cognitive Distortions -

    Recognize and label typical thinking errors, such as overgeneralization and catastrophizing, in behavioral therapy questions.

  5. Differentiate Behavioral Interventions -

    Distinguish between cognitive and behavioral techniques, such as exposure exercises and activity scheduling, to address specific client concerns.

  6. Evaluate Personal CBT Skills -

    Assess your proficiency and confidence level in applying CBT strategies based on your performance in the quiz scenarios.

Cheat Sheet

  1. ABC Model of CBT -

    The ABC Model (Activating event, Belief, Consequence) is a foundational framework developed by Beck et al. that explains how thoughts shape emotions and behaviors. When preparing for a cognitive behavioral therapy test, practice mapping real-life scenarios to A→B→C to spot distorted beliefs. A handy mnemonic is "A-B-C" to remember each step quickly.

  2. Common Cognitive Distortions -

    Recognizing distortions like all-or-nothing thinking and catastrophizing is essential for behavioral therapy questions. Use the mnemonic "ACE" (All-or-nothing, Catastrophizing, Emotional reasoning) to recall key types during a CBT quiz. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that labeling these patterns boosts accuracy on scenario items.

  3. Behavioral Activation Scheduling -

    Behavioral activation helps clients plan rewarding activities to counteract low mood and avoidance, as outlined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Practice writing simple schedules that include Date, Time, and Activity to sharpen your skills for a behavioral therapy quiz. Over time, tracking positive events becomes intuitive and supports change.

  4. Five-Column Thought Records -

    Thought records break down situations into five columns: Situation, Automatic Thought, Emotion, Evidence For/Against, and Alternative Thought. This structured tool, supported by the Beck Institute, is a must-know for any cognitive behavioral therapy quiz and helps organize case examples. Frequent practice of filling out these records increases speed and depth of insight.

  5. Exposure Hierarchy and SUDS -

    Creating an exposure hierarchy using Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) from 0 - 100 is key for anxiety interventions tested on a cognitive behavioral therapy test. List fearful scenarios in order of increasing SUDS ratings, then systematically practice each level to build tolerance. The "FEAR" mnemonic - Face, Evaluate, Approach, Repeat - can guide structured exposures in quizzes and real life.

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