A jeans maker gives a local store money to run a newspaper ad that features its jeans. What is this trade promotion called?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.7 "Sales Promotions". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing
A local paper writes a news story about a store's charity drive. The store paid nothing for the story. Which form of promotion is this?Exploring Business, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 9.5 "Promoting a Product". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing
A retailer sorts its shoppers by age, income and family size before it plans a mailer. Which kind of market segmentation is this?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 5.2 "How Markets Are Segmented". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing
A shop posts a new arrival online and answers shoppers under the post. What does social media offer that a printed ad does not?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 12.2 "Social Media". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing
A store buys time on one morning radio show. In advertising terms, radio is the medium. What is that one show?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.4 "Advertising and Direct Marketing". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing
An owner decides what to carry, what to charge, where to sell it and how to promote it. What are these four decisions called together?Exploring Business, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 9.2 "The Marketing Mix". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing
Show all 50 questions (44 more)
Communications 3
A customer on the phone cannot see the associate. Which nonverbal signals still reach the caller?Business Communication for Success, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.2 "Types of Nonverbal Communication". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Communications
A manager gives a stock clerk spoken directions for tonight's floor set. What does active listening ask of the clerk?Business Communication for Success, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 3.5 "Listening and Reading for Understanding". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Communications
A sales associate stands very close to a shopper, and the shopper steps back. Which part of nonverbal communication deals with this use of space?Business Communication for Success, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.2 "Types of Nonverbal Communication". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Communications
Merchandising 7
A delivery is billed for 48 units, but the receiving clerk counts 46. If nobody catches the gap, the 2 units are lost to what?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 9.2 "Demand Planning and Inventory Control". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Merchandising
A holiday display would fit well in front of the stockroom exit door. For how long may it stand in that exit route?OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.37. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Merchandising
A new snack is stacked on the display at the end of an aisle, facing the main walkway. What is this display called?Wikipedia, Endcap. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Merchandising
A store changes its lighting, music and scent to make shoppers stay longer. What are these parts of the selling space called?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 3.1 "Factors That Influence Consumers’ Buying Behavior". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Merchandising
Returned and damaged goods are sent from the store back to the vendor so some value can be recovered. What is this flow called?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 9.4 "Track and Trace Systems and Reverse Logistics". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Merchandising
What does a wholesaler do for the stores it supplies?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 8.1 "Marketing Channels and Channel Partners". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Merchandising
Which document tells a stocker where each product sits on a shelf and how much space it gets?Wikipedia, Planogram. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Merchandising
Technology in Retail Merchandising 5
A grocery chain replaces its paper price tags with electronic shelf labels. What is the main gain?Wikipedia, Electronic shelf label. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Technology in Retail Merchandising
A pallet tag sends out a radio signal that readers at the dock door pick up as the pallet passes. Which technology is this?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 9.2 "Demand Planning and Inventory Control". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Technology in Retail Merchandising
A shop starts to accept credit cards. Which fee comes with every card sale and has no match in a cash sale?Wikipedia, Interchange fee. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Technology in Retail Merchandising
A store gives members a point for every dollar spent and a reward at 200 points. What is this kind of program built to do?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 14.2 "Loyalty Management". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Technology in Retail Merchandising
How many digits does a standard UPC-A barcode carry?Wikipedia, Universal Product Code. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Technology in Retail Merchandising
Economics 4
A gift shop buys baskets from a maker overseas and resells them at home. What is this practice called?Exploring Business, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 3.2 "Opportunities in International Business". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Economics
An owner has $2,000 and can buy either a new display case or a second register. She buys the case. What is the opportunity cost?Wikipedia, Opportunity cost. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Economics
The price of a popular sneaker rises and nothing else changes. What does the law of demand say will happen?Wikipedia, Law of demand. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Economics
Which economic system has the lowest level of government control over what is produced and who gets it?Exploring Business, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 1.3 "What Is Economics?". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Economics
Customer Service, Sales, and Selling 6
A day after buying a costly coat, a customer wonders whether it was the right choice. What is this feeling called?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 14.3 "Customer Satisfaction". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Customer Service, Sales, and Selling
A shopper enters with a dog, and it is not obvious what the dog does. Under the ADA, what may staff ask?ADA.gov, ADA Requirements: Service Animals. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Customer Service, Sales, and Selling
A store's website takes an order and states no shipping time. Under the federal mail, internet or telephone order rule, within how many days must the store expect to ship?16 CFR 435.2 (ecfr.gov). Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Customer Service, Sales, and Selling
An associate asks a shopper what the shoes are for and how often they will be worn, then shows two pairs that fit the answers. Which selling strategy is this?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 13.2 "Customer Relationships and Selling Strategies". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Customer Service, Sales, and Selling
In the sales process, what happens in the approach?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 13.3 "Sales Metrics (Measures)". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Customer Service, Sales, and Selling
"Shall I ring these up for you?" Which step of a sale is this question?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 13.2 "Customer Relationships and Selling Strategies". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Customer Service, Sales, and Selling
Retail-Related Mathematics 8
A backpack tagged $56.00 goes 25% off for a weekend promotion. What does it ring up at before tax?Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Retail Merchandising (4253), Retail-Related Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
A customer buys 3 shirts at $14.50 each and uses a $5.00 store coupon. Sales tax is 8% of the price after the coupon. What is the total?Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Retail Merchandising (4253), Retail-Related Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
A drawer opens with $150.00. Cash sales for the shift are $1,088.15 and there are no cash refunds. At close the drawer holds $1,236.40. Is the drawer over or short?Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Retail Merchandising (4253), Retail-Related Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
A lamp first priced at $80.00 is marked down to $60.00. What is the markdown as a percent of the first price?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 15.3 "Pricing Strategies". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Retail-Related Mathematics; the arithmetic was worked twice
A sale comes to $17.38 and the customer hands over a $20 bill. How much change is due?Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Retail Merchandising (4253), Retail-Related Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
An associate earns a 5% commission on weekly sales above a $2,000 quota. This week's sales are $3,400. What is the commission?Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 13.3 "Sales Metrics (Measures)". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Retail-Related Mathematics; the arithmetic was worked twice
An item rings up at $48.00 where the sales tax is 6.5%. What is the total?Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Retail Merchandising (4253), Retail-Related Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
On Saturday 600 people walk into a store and 150 of them buy something. What is the conversion rate?Wikipedia, Conversion marketing. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Retail-Related Mathematics; the arithmetic was worked twice
Professionalism in Retail Merchandising 8
A 15-year-old is hired as a bagger. Under federal rules, how many hours may this worker put in on a school day?U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA for Nonagricultural Occupations. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Professionalism in Retail Merchandising
A 16-year-old works in the stockroom of a store. Under federal child labor rules, what may this worker do at the cardboard baler?U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA for Nonagricultural Occupations. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Professionalism in Retail Merchandising
A bottle breaks and juice spreads across an aisle. What does the OSHA walking-working surfaces rule require of the sales floor?OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.22. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Professionalism in Retail Merchandising
A stock clerk tells OSHA about a hazard in the back room. What does federal law say about the employer's response?OSHA, Worker Rights and Protections. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Professionalism in Retail Merchandising
A store's buyer picks suppliers. One supplier offers her a free weekend trip. Which ethical problem does accepting it create?Exploring Business, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 2.3 "Identifying Ethical Issues". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Professionalism in Retail Merchandising
During a team meeting one associate keeps the group on its sales goal and hands out the tasks. Which kind of team role is this?Exploring Business, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 8.3 "The Team and Its Members". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Professionalism in Retail Merchandising
Federal law bars an employer from discriminating against a worker because of age. From what age does that protection apply?U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Overview. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Professionalism in Retail Merchandising
What is the federal minimum wage per hour?U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Minimum Wage. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Professionalism in Retail Merchandising
Entrepreneurship 3
A new boutique wants legal protection for its name and logo, which tell shoppers whose goods they are buying. Which protection fits?U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark, patent, or copyright. Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Entrepreneurship
A woman opens a card shop as a sole proprietor. The shop is sued and loses. What does unlimited liability mean for her?Exploring Business, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 4.2 "Sole Proprietorship". Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Entrepreneurship
Before a buyer signs a franchise agreement or pays the franchisor, federal rules require a disclosure document. How early must the buyer receive it?16 CFR 436.2 (ecfr.gov). Written to NOCTI Retail Merchandising (4253), Entrepreneurship
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the competency list of the Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Retail Merchandising (code 4253, version 01, copyright 2019) that NOCTI publishes at https://www.nocti.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JRRetMerch4253.pdf , read 2026-10-13: a written assessment of 193 questions in 3 hours over nine areas (Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing 11%; Communications 7%; Merchandising 14%; Technology in Retail Merchandising 10%; Economics 8%; Customer Service, Sales, and Selling 12%; Retail-Related Mathematics 16%; Professionalism in Retail Merchandising 16%; Entrepreneurship 6%), plus a performance assessment of four jobs. This bank holds 50 in those proportions. The Teacher assessment for Retail Merchandising (code 5981) prints the same nine areas with 188 questions. Every definition and rule was read on 2026-10-13 on the public page named under its question: three open textbooks published by Saylor Academy under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license (Principles of Marketing, Exploring Business, Business Communication for Success), OSHA standards on osha.gov, the Code of Federal Regulations on ecfr.gov, pages of the U.S. Department of Labor, the EEOC, the USPTO and ADA.gov, and Wikipedia. Every price, count and sales figure is made up for the drill, and each computed answer is arithmetic that was worked twice. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site. The open textbooks are used for facts only, and no text, table or example is copied from them.
How it works
This free NOCTI practice test for Retail Merchandising has 50 questions of our own, sorted by the nine areas of the Job Ready blueprint, code 4253. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by NOCTI.
Read the full guide
Nine areas, in the blueprint's shares
Retail-Related Mathematics and Professionalism in Retail Merchandising are 16% each of the written assessment. Merchandising is 14%, Customer Service, Sales, and Selling 12%, Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing 11%, Technology in Retail Merchandising 10%, Economics 8%, Communications 7% and Entrepreneurship 6%.
A timed round at the real pace
The timed round runs all 50 questions in 47 minutes, the pace of 193 questions in 3 hours.
What stays on the sales floor
The four performance jobs are done for an evaluator: an inventory check-in, cash handling, a customer return, and product knowledge and selling.
A percent markdown is the amount taken off divided by the first price, not by the sale price.
Over or short: add the shift's cash sales to the opening cash, then compare the sum with the count in the drawer.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the NOCTI Retail Merchandising test?
The blueprint lists 193 written questions with an administration time of 3 hours, given in one, two or three sessions. The four performance jobs take another 1 hour and 55 minutes.
Is this also a NOCTI Teacher practice test for Retail Merchandising?
It fits. The Teacher blueprint, code 5981, lists the same nine areas with 188 questions in 3 hours, and its weights differ by one point in two areas. Teacher tests are given at a NOCTI-approved Area Test Center.
What is a passing score on the NOCTI Retail Merchandising test?
The blueprint prints no passing score, so this page counts right answers and gives no verdict. Ask your instructor or test coordinator which score your program uses.
Where is the NOCTI Retail Merchandising blueprint?
It is a free PDF on nocti.org/credentials/blueprints. It gives the competencies, the weight of each area and ten sample questions. None of those samples is used or reworded on this page.