How many pairs of cranial nerves are there?

• A. 10
• B. 14
• C. 8
• D. 12

Answer: (D)

Cranial nerves are arranged in bilateral pairs, with a left and right nerve for each of the twelve named nerves. Because there are twelve distinct cranial nerves (I through XII) and each occurs on both sides, there are twelve pairs of cranial nerves. This bilateral design is why the correct count is twelve pairs.

If you’re thinking in terms of total nerves rather than pairs, you’d have 24 individual nerves, but the common exam phrasing asks for the number of pairs, which is twelve. The other numbers don’t fit the standard anatomy: ten would miss two pairs, fourteen would add extra pairs, and eight would undercount.