Nursing Research Comprehensive Exam Questions and Answers 2026

Nursing Research Comprehensive
Exam Questions and Answers 2026
ScientificBMethodB-BAnswerResearchBproblem

PreviousBknowledgeB(literatureBreview)

ResearchBquestion/hypothesis

Methods

DataBAnalysisB(Results)

Discussion



Evidenced-BasedBPracticeB-BAnswerConscientiousBandBjudiciousBuseBofB

currentBbestBevidenceBtoBguideBhealthBcareBdecisions.



SevenBKeyBStepsBforBImplementingBEBPB-BAnswer-CultivateBaBSpiritBofBInquiryB&BEBPBCulture

-AskBtheBPICO(T)BQuestion

-SearchBforBtheBBestBEvidence

-CriticallyBAppraiseBtheBEvidence

-
IntegrateBtheBEvidenceBwithByourBClinicalBExpertiseBandBPatientBPreferencesBtoBMakeBtheBBes
tBClinicalBDecision

-EvaluateBtheBOutcomesBofBtheBEBPBPracticeBChange

-DisseminateBtheBOutcomes



PICO(T)BformatB-BAnswerPopulationBofBinterest

Intervention

ComparisonsB

OutcomesB

TimeBframe--sometimesBthere



WhatBguidesBourBliteratureBreview?B-BAnswerPICO(T)BQuestions



OverviewBofBtheBStepsBofBtheBResearchBProcessB-BAnswer-
ResearchBProblemB&/orBPhenomenonBofBInterest

,-ResearchBPurpose

-ResearchBQuestions/Hypotheses

-LiteratureBReview

-ResearchBFramework

-Ethics

-Methodology:BResearchBDesign

-Methodology:BPopulationB&BSample

-Methodology:BMeasurementB&B-DataBCollection

-DataBAnalysis/Statistics

-ResearchBFindings

-DisseminationBofBResearch

-Evidence-BasedBNursingBPracticeB(ResearchBUtilization)



CategoricalBvariableB-BAnswerNominalB

Ordinal



ContinuousB(Scale)BvariableB-BAnswerIntervalB

Ratio



WhatBareBlevelsBofBMeasurement?B-
BAnswerNominal,BOrdinal,BInterval,BRatioB(CategoricalBVariableBandBContinuousBVariable)



StatisticalBMethodsBforBCategoricalBVariables?B-BAnswerChiBsquareBandBCronbach'sBalpha



ContinuousBDependentBVariableBstatisticalBMethods?B-BAnswerT-testB

RegressionB(linear)

ANOVA

Pearson'sBproductBmomentBcorrelation

(TRAP)



LiteratureBReview?B-BAnswercompareBwhatBwasBresearchedBwithBwhatBwasBknown

, SignificantBResultsBforBQuantitativeBResearchB-BAnswer-pB<.05

B-H0Brejected

B-H1Bsupported

-AnyBdifferencesBbetweenBgroupsBare:

B-TheBresultBofBtheBintervention

B-ProbablyBnotBtheBresultBofBchance

-StatisticallyBsignificantBfindingsBmatchBtheBoriginalBresearchBhypothesis

-ResultsBareBtheBsameBasBwereBpredictedBatBtheBbeginningBofBtheBstudy

-EasyBtoBinterpret



QuantitativeBFindings:BNON-SignificantBResultsB-BAnswer-pB>B.05B(eg.B.08,B.12Betc)B

B-H0BwasBnotBrejectedB(theBNullBhypothesisBstatesBthatBthereBwillBbeBnoBchange)B

B-H1BwasBnotBsupportedB(theBdataBdidBnotBsupportBtheBproposedBhypothesis)

-PossibleBcauses:

B-IneffectiveBintervention

B-InappropriateBmethods

B-BiasesBorBsmallBsample

B-UnreliableBorBinvalidBinstruments

B-WeakBstatisticalBmeasures

B-FaultyBanalysis



MagnitudeBofBEffectB-BAnswer-TheBsizeBofBtheBeffectBanBinterventionBhasBonBtheBoutcome

-RepresentsBtheBmagnitudeBofBtheBdifferencesBbetweenBtwoBgroups



EtaBsquaredBη2B-BAnswerDenotesBtheBeffectBsizeBofBanBintervention

B(howBmuchBweightBtheBinterventionBplayedBonBtheBoutcome)



GeneralizabilityB-
BAnswerExtendsBtheBimplicationsBofBtheBfindingsBfromBtheBsampleBstudiedBtoBaBlargerBpopul
ation