Which stage involves planning to take action and may begin taking small steps?

• A. Maintenance
• B. Preparation
• C. Contemplation
• D. Precontemplation

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is understanding the stages of change and where planning and initial steps fit in. Preparation is the stage in which a person plans to take action soon and may start making small steps toward the change. They’ve moved beyond simply thinking about changing and are beginning to organize concrete actions, like setting specific goals, gathering resources, or trying minor changes to test the waters. This distinguishes it from precontemplation (no intention to change) and contemplation (considering change but not yet planning). It’s also prior to the action stage, which involves actually implementing the new behavior, and before maintenance, which focuses on sustaining the change over time.