Inpatient Obstetric Nurse (NCC) Practice Exam 2026 – Comprehensive All-in-One Guide for Exam Success!

The Apgar score is a standardized assessment tool used to evaluate the physical condition of a newborn immediately after birth. It is typically performed at 1 and 5 minutes after delivery to determine how well the baby is adapting to life outside the womb. The score assesses five criteria: appearance (skin color), pulse (heart rate), grimace response (reflexes), activity (muscle tone), and respiration (breathing). Each criterion is scored from 0 to 2, resulting in a total score that can range from 0 to 10.

When interpreting the Apgar score, a higher score indicates a healthier newborn with better adaptation to the environment, while lower scores may necessitate medical intervention. The emphasis on assessing the baby's physical condition allows healthcare providers to quickly identify any immediate life-threatening issues and respond accordingly.

In contrast, the other options focus on aspects that are not encompassed by the Apgar scoring system, such as hormone levels, weight and length, or feeding reflexes. These are important in their own right but do not reflect the initial assessment of the newborn's health status at birth.