NBE Arts case studies
NBE Arts · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Arts section of the National Board Examination is the non-science half of the funeral service licensure testing sequence - the portion that asks whether a candidate can run a funeral home as a business, a legal entity, and a human encounter, rather than whether they can embalm or restore. It is aimed at candidates who have finished (or are finishing) an accredited funeral service education program and are moving toward state licensure, and at practitioners in states that accept board scores as part of their credentialing file. The NBE Arts case studies are 5 cases and about 4,039 words.
1Cremation Mix, Contribution Margin, and a Second Director
Ridgeline Funeral Home served 120 families last year. Forty-five percent were traditional burial calls averaging 4,800 in revenue and 1,450 in variable cost (casket, vault, embalming supplies, extra staff hours).
692 words, about 3 min2Cremation vs. Burial: Competing Family Claims
Alvarez, 71, died intestate. His wife of eight years, Rosa, wants immediate cremation with no viewing and has signed your cremation authorization, paying a 2,100 deposit.
775 words, about 4 min3A Radio Ad, a Phone Script, and a Commission Plan
A firm's radio spot says: 'State law requires a protective sealed casket for every ground burial - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.' No such law exists in the state. Arrangers are trained to answer price-shopping phone calls with 'prices start at 2,195' and to mail a price list only if the caller requests one in writing.
803 words, about 4 min4Telling the Children, and Who Is Allowed to Grieve
A 41-year-old woman died by suicide four days ago; the funeral is in three days. Her husband Dan insists the children - a 9-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter - be told she died in a car accident, wants a closed casket, and does not want the children at the service.
952 words, about 5 min5Casket Inventory Discount and a Broken Reconciliation
Hillcrest sells 96 burial caskets a year out of 120 calls. Its average casket costs 1,150 wholesale and retails for 2,995.
817 words, about 4 min