Deck 28: The NCLEX-RN Examination

Question 1

Which action would help a student successfully prepare for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination?

A) Make note cards that can easily be retrieved to list only facts.
B) Avoid timing oneself while studying and when in the actual testing mode to decrease anxiety.
C) Ask peers for help because they had the same resources; especially seek their help for difficult concepts requiring critical thinking.
D) Practice taking NCLEX-RN examination-type questions and reviewing rationales for correct and incorrect answers.

Answer 1

Practice taking NCLEX-RN examination-type questions and reviewing rationales for correct and incorrect answers.

Question 2

A student nurse who is preparing to graduate and take the licensure examination asks, "What is compulsory licensure?" The appropriate response of the nursing advisor is which of the following?

A) All candidates wishing to take the licensure examination must pass a drug screen.
B) Candidates must not have a felony conviction.
C) To practice as an RN, the nurse must be licensed as an RN.
D) An impaired nurse must sign a legal document to acknowledge limitations on his or her practice.

Answer 2

To practice as an RN, the nurse must be licensed as an RN.

Question 3

The length of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination is based on the:

A) last four numbers of the candidate's social security number.
B) location of testing.
C) candidate's educational preparation.
D) performance of the candidate.

Answer 3

performance of the candidate.

Question 4

A patient is brought to the unit with mediastinal chest tubes with no fluctuation in the water seal chamber; arterial blood gas results reveal pH, 7.55; CO?, 55; HCO, 28 mEq/L, and O?, 98%. Carotid artery pulsation is visible with the head of the bed elevated and the use of tangential lighting. The first action of the nurse is to: The above question represents which level of Bloom's taxonomy?

A) Knowledge
B) Comprehension
C) Application
D) Analysis

Question 5

Graduates from approved schools of nursing cannot sign their charting as registered nurses (RNs) until they:

A) pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®).
B) provide evidence of mental competency.
C) supply written proof of physical fitness.
D) have signed an employment contract with a health care facility.

Question 6

On the basis of changes effective with the April 2010 test plan, candidates who take the NCLEX-RN examination:

A) will have to answer more than 75 questions to be 95% certain that they are above the passing standard.
B) will be required to submit a 100-word essay on an important nursing topic to evaluate safe nursing practice.
C) should study and take practice examinations written at the application and analysis level to ensure that they can meet the higher standards of nursing care and health care delivery.
D) will have additional time to complete the examination because most questions will be prepared in the alternate format, thereby requiring critical thinking.

Question 7

The primary purpose of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination is to:

A) ensure that practitioners have the minimum skills and knowledge needed to provide care that will produce the best patient care outcomes.
B) regulate nursing education.
C) determine the mandatory educational level required for nurses to practice.
D) accredit schools of nursing.

Question 8

"A patient with end-stage renal disease has a potassium level of 7.5 mEq/L. Based on this laboratory result, the nurse interprets which symptom as significant prompting which action?

A) Drowsiness, stimulate the patient every 30 minutes
B) Confusion, ask the patient to state their name and date of birth
C) Irregular heartbeat, evaluate the patient's capillary refill
D) Muscle cramps, elevate the affected limb"

Question 9

When delegating care, the RN assigns one nurse to care for a patient with shingles and a different nurse to care for a patient with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome (HIV/AIDS). This represents which category of nursing care?

A) Safe and effective care environment
B) Health promotion and maintenance
C) Psychosocial integrity
D) Teaching/learning

Question 10

On the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination, when the candidate is asked to set goals in collaboration with other members of the health care team, the nurse is being tested in the area of:

A) assessment.
B) planning.
C) analysis.
D) implementation.

Question 11

Which statement concerning the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination is correct?

A) Graduates from all three types of nursing programs (diploma, associate degree, and baccalaureate degree) take the same examination.
B) The examination is scored on an interval scale rather than on a pass-fail basis.
C) The examination is offered twice a year in major urban areas.
D) The candidate has the option of choosing a pencil-and-paper format.

Question 12

Which strategy would promote a high rate of success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination?

A) Since the examination is time limited, skip questions when unsure of the answer and return later if time permits.
B) Work quickly through the examination to answer as many questions as possible.
C) Mark questions that may need to have the answer reviewed to make it possible to quickly go back and make change after answering all questions.
D) Read the entire question and all possible answer options before selecting an answer.

Question 13

A graduate is preparing for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination. Based on the latest practice survey, the candidate would focus the most amount of time on which content?

A) Stages of grief
B) Pharmacologic pain management
C) Practices to promote rest and sleep
D) Prioritization of workload to manage time effectively

Question 14

Although the NCLEX-RN examination has new formats for questions, the most common format is the:

A) fill-in-the-blank item because candidates are not provided with clues from distracters.
B) multiple-choice question item, which allows candidates to select the one correct answer.
C) multiple-response item because these questions require a higher level of critical thinking.
D) hot-spot item because these questions are written at the application level of Bloom's analysis.

Question 15

In the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination test plan, client needs form the organizing framework of the examination with questions in four categories: safe and effective care environment, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, and physiologic integrity. Certain processes are then integrated throughout the categories of client needs. Which process is integrated into all client need categories?

A) Teaching/learning
B) Health promotion
C) Infection control
D) Pharmacology

Question 16

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing determines acceptable National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination questions on the basis of:

A) the geographic location of the candidate.
B) research that indicates needed skills for positions in which most entry level nurses are employed.
C) surveys conducted by employers to determine the weaknesses of entry level nurses.
D) surveys of physicians performed to determine what nurses must know to provide safe care.

Question 17

A candidate is taking the NCLEX-RN examination when the computer turns off. The candidate was aware they had reached the 6-hour time limit. A count of completed questions had been recorded on the note pad, and 100 questions were answered. How will the examination be scored?

A) The computer will analyze the last 60 questions and if above the passing standard, the candidate passes.
B) The candidate will be administered an additional 50 questions to determine ability to reach the 95% confidence interval.
C) If the time runs out, the candidate automatically fails the examination because it is impossible to determine if candidate is safe.
D) The candidate has the option to complete a simulated examination to show competence.

Question 18

A candidate who is taking the NCLEX-RN examination received only 75 questions before the test was stopped. She called her professor and stated, "I passed. I had to answer only 75 questions." The professor correctly responds by saying:

A) "You are now officially licensed; you answered the more difficult questions correctly."
B) "It is possible to receive only 75 questions and not be successful; however, we will keep a positive attitude."
C) "If you were given only 75 questions, you will have to retest because this is not enough to determine competency."
D) "You must have been extremely close to the passing standard because the computer shut off."

Question 19

Computerized adaptive testing implies that:

A) the candidate must be computer literate.
B) competency is determined on the basis of difficulty of questions, knowledge of the nursing process, and the number of questions answered correctly.
C) testing facilities have been adapted for the physically challenged candidate.
D) questions cannot be adapted to the needs of the student.

Question 20

The nurse prepares to apply sterile gloves needed for a procedure. After introducing self and verifying patient information, the nurse performs hand hygiene. The nurse should open the outer package and then perform the following steps in order: (items on left will be moved in correct order on the right) Open inner package, taking care not to touch inner surface.
Put the glove on the nondominant hand using the sterile gloved hand.
Put glove on dominant hand by grasping folded cuff edge, touching only inside of cuff.
Adjust each glove carefully by sliding finders under the cuffs.
The above question represents which type of alternate-format question written at which level of Bloom's taxonomy?

A) Drag-and-drop item, comprehension
B) Chart/exhibit item, analysis
C) Multiple-response, application
D) Hot-spot item, knowledge

Question 21

The nurse prepares to apply sterile gloves needed for a procedure. After introducing self and verifying patient information, the nurse performs hand hygiene. The nurse should open the outer package and then perform steps in which order. Put a comma and space between each answer choice (e.g., a, b, c, d).

A) Open inner package, taking care not to touch inner surface.
B) Put the glove on the nondominant hand using the sterile gloved hand.
C) Put glove on dominant hand by grasping folded cuff edge, touching only inside of cuff.
D) Adjust each glove carefully by sliding finders under the cuff.