Funeral Directing (Arts)
34%of exam
Merchandising (Arts)
14%of exam
Counseling (Arts)
13%of exam
Legal + Regulatory (Arts)
23%of exam
Cemetery + Crematory (Arts)
16%of exam
Embalming (Sciences)
41%of exam
Restorative Art (Sciences)
23%of exam
Prep of the Deceased (Sciences)
19%of exam
Funeral Service Sciences
17%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- NBE Arts + Sciences
- Body
- ICFSEB / The Conference
- Items/Section
- 170 (150 scored)
- Time/Section
- 170 minutes
- Pass
- Scaled score 75+
- Fee
- $285 per section
- Format
- CBT at Pearson VUE
- Retake Wait
- 30 days
Arts Domain Weights
34, 14, 13, 23, 16 percent across five domains
34% directing14% merchandising23% legal16% cemetery
Pre-Need vs At-Need
Pre-Need
- Arranged before death
- Often prefunded, trusted
- Locks in price
At-Need
- Arranged after death
- Immediate arrangements
- Family decides now
Before vs after death
Arrangement Documents
- GPL
- Price list, first visit
- Statement of Goods
- Itemized final selections
- Authorization form
- Next-of-kin signs
- Basic services fee
- Non-declinable charge
- Cash advance items
- Third-party disbursements
Death Notification Chain
- Pronouncement
- Physician or coroner declares death
- First call
- Initial removal contact
- Next of kin
- Legal authorizer, priority order
- Removal
- Transport from place of death
Pre-Need vs At-Need
- Pre-need contract
- Arranged, funded before death
- At-need arrangement
- Arranged after death occurs
- Preneed trust
- State-regulated funding account
- Guaranteed price contract
- Locks in future cost
Merchandise Basics
- Casket
- Burial container
- Alternative container
- Cremation-only vessel
- Urn
- Holds cremated remains
- Vault
- Outer burial container
- Grave liner
- Simple concrete cover
Pricing Terms
- Package pricing
- Bundled offering
- Itemized pricing
- Line-by-line costs
- Markup
- Cost-to-price margin
- Overhead absorption
- Spreads fixed costs
Grief Support Response
- Family shows shock, denial→Active listening, no advice
- Signs of complicated grief→Refer to licensed therapist
- Child present at arrangement→Give age-appropriate explanation
- Hospice, expected death→Support anticipatory grief now
Grief Theory
- Kubler-Ross stages
- Denial, anger, bargain, depress, accept
- Worden's tasks
- Four mourning tasks model
- Anticipatory grief
- Mourning before death occurs
- Complicated grief
- Prolonged, impairing grief response
- Disenfranchised grief
- Unrecognized, unsupported loss
Counseling Skills
- Active listening
- Reflect, don't advise
- Referral
- Refer to licensed therapist
- Aftercare
- Post-funeral support services
- Empathy
- Understand, don't just sympathize
FTC Funeral Rule Musts
GPL first, never force packages, quote prices by phone
GPL at first visitItemize, don't bundleQuote prices on request
GPL vs Statement of Goods
GPL
- Given at first visit
- Lists all prices
- FTC-required disclosure
Statement of Goods
- Itemizes final selections
- Given after arranging
- Signed agreement
Before vs after selection
FTC Disclosure Picker
- Family visits in person→Hand GPL immediately
- Family calls asking price→Quote prices by phone
- Showing caskets→Give casket price list
- Showing vaults→Give burial container list
- Cremation, no casket wanted→Offer alternative container
FTC Funeral Rule Core
- GPL disclosure
- Give at first in-person visit
- Casket price list
- Give before showing caskets
- Outer burial container list
- Give before showing vaults
- Phone price disclosure
- Must quote prices if asked
- Embalming permission
- Required before embalming proceeds
- Cash advance disclosure
- Itemize markup or state as-is
Death Cert and Permits
- Death certificate
- Legal record of death
- Certifying physician
- Signs cause of death
- Medical examiner
- Handles reportable, suspicious deaths
- Burial-transit permit
- Authorizes transport, disposition
- Vital statistics registrar
- Files state death record
Cremation vs Alkaline Hydrolysis
Cremation
- Heat combustion process
- 1400-1800F retort
- Most common method
Alkaline Hydrolysis
- Water, chemical process
- Lower temperature method
- Eco-alternative option
Fire vs water-based
Disposition Selection
- Viewing then cremation→Rental casket
- Quick, no embalming→Direct disposition
- Cremation only→Alternative container ok
- Eco-conscious family→Alkaline hydrolysis or NOR
- Mausoleum preferred→Entombment
Disposition Methods
- Ground burial
- Casket placed in grave
- Entombment
- Mausoleum crypt placement
- Cremation
- Combustion, 1400-1800F retort
- Alkaline hydrolysis
- Water-based chemical reduction
- Natural organic reduction
- Human composting method
Cemetery and Crematory Terms
- Interment right
- Space-use ownership, not land
- Perpetual care
- Ongoing maintenance fund
- Disinterment
- Court-ordered exhumation
- Retort
- Cremation chamber
Six-Point Injection Sites
Carotids, axillaries, femorals injected on both sides
Right common carotid: primaryLeft carotid: secondary siteAxillaries: cover the armsFemorals: cover the legs
Arterial Fluid vs Cavity Fluid
Arterial Fluid
- Lower index strength
- Vascular injection route
- Preserves, tempers tissue
Cavity Fluid
- High index, undiluted
- Trocar injection route
- Treats organs directly
Vascular vs cavity route
Embalming Technique Picker
- Edema present→Drain, pre-inject first(Prevents dilution)
- Autopsied case→Six-point plus cavity pack
- Jaundice discoloration→Bleach pre-injection fluid
- Decomposition present→High-index cavity fluid
- Infant or small remains→Reduce fluid dilution
- Standard adult case→Restricted cervical injection
Embalming Chemicals
- Formaldehyde
- Primary fixative, preservative
- Glutaraldehyde
- Secondary fixative agent
- Index
- Percent formaldehyde/methanol strength
- Humectant
- Prevents tissue dehydration
- Anticoagulant
- Prevents or breaks clots
- Water conditioner
- Softens injection water
- Germicide
- Kills microorganisms
Vascular Technique
- Six-point injection
- Carotids, axillaries, femorals
- Restricted cervical
- One-point, both directions
- Right common carotid
- Primary injection site
- Drainage
- Jugular vein, standard site
- Distention
- Even fluid distribution goal
Cavity and Special Procedures
- Aspiration
- Trocar removes gas, fluid
- Cavity injection
- Undiluted, high-index fluid
- Autopsied case
- Six-point plus cavity pack
- Discoloration treatment
- Bleach or pack pre-injection
- Edema
- Drain before pre-injection
Restorative Materials
- Wax
- Feature-building material
- Cosmetics
- Surface color matching
- Plaster
- Rigid mold material
- Massage cream
- Softens tissue rigor
- Tissue filler
- Hypodermic restoration material
Restorative Techniques
- Feature building
- Wax reconstruction of features
- Surface compounding
- Fills depressions, wounds
- Hypodermic tissue building
- Injects filler under skin
- Mouth and eye setting
- Natural expression closure
Disinfection vs Sterilization
Disinfection
- Reduces microorganisms
- Surface-level control
- Routine prep step
Sterilization
- Eliminates all organisms
- Instrument-level standard
- Higher-level process
Reduce vs eliminate
Prep Room Standards
- PPE
- Gown, gloves, mask, eyewear
- OSHA bloodborne standard
- Universal precautions rule
- Sharps container
- Puncture-proof disposal
- Disinfection
- Reduces microorganism load
- Sterilization
- Eliminates all organisms
Special Case Handling
- Autopsy case prep
- Extra cavity treatment needed
- Decomposition case
- Strong cavity, surface treatment
- Communicable disease case
- Extra PPE, disinfection
- Universal precautions
- Treat all cases infectious
Postmortem Change Order
Algor, livor, rigor mortis, then decomposition
Algor: cooling starts firstLivor: blood settles nextRigor: stiffening followsDecomp: final stage
Autolysis vs Putrefaction
Autolysis
- Self-digestion by enzymes
- No bacteria involved
- Sterile process
Putrefaction
- Bacterial decomposition
- Produces gas, odor
- Needs microorganisms
Enzymes alone vs bacteria
Microbiology and Chemistry
- Bacteria
- Prokaryote, no nucleus
- Virus
- Needs host cell
- Aerobic
- Requires oxygen to grow
- Anaerobic
- Grows without oxygen
- pH
- Acid-base measurement scale
- Osmosis
- Water crosses membrane
Rigor Mortis vs Livor Mortis
Rigor Mortis
- Muscle stiffening
- ATP depletion cause
- Resolves in ~72 hours
Livor Mortis
- Blood pooling
- Gravity-dependent settling
- Fixes in 8-12 hours
Stiffness vs discoloration
Anatomy and Postmortem Pathology
- Rigor mortis
- Muscle stiffening, ATP depletion
- Livor mortis
- Blood pooling by gravity
- Algor mortis
- Body cooling after death
- Autolysis
- Self-digestion by enzymes
- Putrefaction
- Bacterial decomposition process
- Adipocere
- Waxy fat transformation
Common Traps
Disinfection is not Sterilization
Disinfection reduces microbes only ≠ Sterilization kills everything present
Autolysis is not Putrefaction
Autolysis is enzyme-only ≠ Putrefaction needs bacteria present
GPL is not Statement of Goods
GPL comes at first visit ≠ Statement follows after selection
Cremation Still Needs a Container
Alternative container is required ≠ Cannot omit container entirely
Preneed Rules Vary by State
Trust laws differ by state ≠ Guaranteed pricing is not universal
Rigor Mortis Is Not Cause of Death
Rigor indicates time since death ≠ Not a diagnostic death cause
Last Minute
- 1.Arts weights: 34-14-13-23-16 percent
- 2.Sciences weights: 41-23-19-17 percent
- 3.GPL given at first in-person visit
- 4.Passing score: scaled 75, both sections
- 5.Retake wait: 30 days per section
- 6.Formaldehyde is the primary fixative
- 7.Six-point injection covers both sides
- 8.Cavity fluid is undiluted, high-index
- 9.Disinfection reduces; sterilization eliminates fully
- 10.Autolysis is enzymes; putrefaction is bacteria
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