NCLEX-RN Practice Questions 2026
Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) Exam Q&A with
Rationales
Comprehensive Nursing Exam Preparation
Course: Nursing 155
Date: February 2026
“Premium NCLEX-RN Next-Gen Practice
Material | All Chapters Latest 2026 Edition |
Verified Questions & Rationales”
2/24/2026, 1:50:26 PM
, A nurse forgets to administer a client's diuretic and the client Answer: 2
experiences an episode of pulmonary edema. The charge nurse Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional failure of an individual to perform or not perform
would consider the medication error to constitute negligence an act that a reasonable person would or would not do in the same or similar circumstances.
because the situation contains which element? A purposeful failure to perform a procedure would be the opposite of negligence, which is
unintentional. Substituting a different medication does not fit the description of the situation
1. Purposeful failure to perform a health care procedure in the question. Failure to follow a direct order does not fit the description in the situation in
2. Unintentional failure to perform a health care procedure the question.
3. Act of substituting a different medication for the one ordered Cognitive Level: Applying
4. Failure to follow a direct order by a physician Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Assessment
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a clue that one of them may be correct.
Choose unintentional failure to carry out a procedure over purposeful failure because it
matches the definition of negligence.
A client asks why a diagnostic test has been ordered and the Answer: 4
nurse replies, "I'm unsure but will find out for you." When the Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to agreements and promises. This nurse is acting on
nurse later returns and provides an explanation, the nurse is the client's behalf to obtain needed information and report it back to the client.
acting under which principle? Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm. Veracity refers to telling the truth for example,
not lying to a client about a serious prognosis. Beneficence means doing good, such as by
1. Nonmaleficence implementing actions (e.g. keeping a salt shaker out of sight) that benefit a client (heart
2. Veracity condition requiring sodium-restricted diet).
3. Beneficence Cognitive Level: Understanding
4. Fidelity Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The correct answer is the one that matches the
description in the stem; that is, the nurse made a promise to a client and kept it, which
constitutes fidelity.
An individual has a seizure while walking down the street. Answer: 1
During the seizure, a nurse from a physician's office is noticed Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the nurse must have a relationship with the client that
driving past without stopping to assist. The individual sues the involves a duty to provide care. The relationship is usually a component of employment. The
nurse for negligence but fails to win a judgement for which nurse did not necessarily do what others would do in this situation. Although the nurse did
reason? not cause the client's injuries, it does not prevent the nurse from assisting in this situation.
Although the nurse was off-duty, the nurse could have assisted if motivated to do so.
1. The nurse had no duty to the individual. Cognitive Level: Understanding
2. The nurse did what most nurses would do in the same Client Need: Management of Care
circumstance. Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
3. The nurse did not cause the client's injuries. Content Area: Fundamentals
4. The nurse was off-duty at the time. Strategy: Use the process of elimination and nursing knowledge. The correct answer is the
one that recognizes that the nurse was not in the role of employee at the time of the incident,
removing the requirement of acting on the client's behalf.
An adult female ambulatory care client receiving an oral Answer: 2, 5
anticoagulant is given aspirin for a headache while visiting a Rationale: There was no nurse-client relationship because the nurse was acting as a neighbor
neighbor, who is a nurse. The client subsequently has a bleeding and not in an employment capacity. Thus, there can be no duty owed. Intent is not a
episode because of a drug interaction. The legal nurse consultant necessary element of malpractice, because malpractice can occur because of unintended
interprets that which necessary elements of malpractice are actions as well. There was no breach of duty because there was no official nurse-client
missing from this case? Select all that apply. relationship, which accompanies an employment situation. There was injury experiences
because of this event. The bleeding was caused by the interaction of the aspirin with the
1. Breech of duty anticoagulant.
2. Duty owed Cognitive Level: Analyzing
3. Injury experienced Client Need: Management of Care
4. Causation between nurse's action and injury Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Evaluation
5. Intent to cause harm or injury Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The wording of the question indicates more than
one option is correct, and the focus is on necessary elements that must be present. First
eliminate the intent to cause harm or injury, since this is not necessary to a charge of
malpractice. Next note that there is no duty owed, and because of this, there can be no
breach of duty, to choose these two options as the necessary missing elements.
A client with cancer has decided to discontinue further treatment. Answer: 3
Although the nurse would like the client to continue treatment, Rationale: Autonomy refers to the right make one's own decisions, which is the principle
the nurse recognizes the client is competent and supports the supported in this situation. Justice refers to fairness. Fidelity refers to trust and loyalty.
client's decision using which ethical principle? Confidentiality refers to the right to privacy of personal health information.
Cognitive Level: Understanding
1. Justice Client Need: Management of Care
2. Fidelity Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
3. Autonomy Content Area: Fundamentals
4. Confidentiality Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The wording of the question indicates that only one
option is correct and that you need to select the principle that is consistent with the
circumstances in the question.
2/24/2026, 1:50:26 PM
Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) Exam Q&A with
Rationales
Comprehensive Nursing Exam Preparation
Course: Nursing 155
Date: February 2026
“Premium NCLEX-RN Next-Gen Practice
Material | All Chapters Latest 2026 Edition |
Verified Questions & Rationales”
2/24/2026, 1:50:26 PM
, A nurse forgets to administer a client's diuretic and the client Answer: 2
experiences an episode of pulmonary edema. The charge nurse Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional failure of an individual to perform or not perform
would consider the medication error to constitute negligence an act that a reasonable person would or would not do in the same or similar circumstances.
because the situation contains which element? A purposeful failure to perform a procedure would be the opposite of negligence, which is
unintentional. Substituting a different medication does not fit the description of the situation
1. Purposeful failure to perform a health care procedure in the question. Failure to follow a direct order does not fit the description in the situation in
2. Unintentional failure to perform a health care procedure the question.
3. Act of substituting a different medication for the one ordered Cognitive Level: Applying
4. Failure to follow a direct order by a physician Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Assessment
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a clue that one of them may be correct.
Choose unintentional failure to carry out a procedure over purposeful failure because it
matches the definition of negligence.
A client asks why a diagnostic test has been ordered and the Answer: 4
nurse replies, "I'm unsure but will find out for you." When the Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to agreements and promises. This nurse is acting on
nurse later returns and provides an explanation, the nurse is the client's behalf to obtain needed information and report it back to the client.
acting under which principle? Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm. Veracity refers to telling the truth for example,
not lying to a client about a serious prognosis. Beneficence means doing good, such as by
1. Nonmaleficence implementing actions (e.g. keeping a salt shaker out of sight) that benefit a client (heart
2. Veracity condition requiring sodium-restricted diet).
3. Beneficence Cognitive Level: Understanding
4. Fidelity Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The correct answer is the one that matches the
description in the stem; that is, the nurse made a promise to a client and kept it, which
constitutes fidelity.
An individual has a seizure while walking down the street. Answer: 1
During the seizure, a nurse from a physician's office is noticed Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the nurse must have a relationship with the client that
driving past without stopping to assist. The individual sues the involves a duty to provide care. The relationship is usually a component of employment. The
nurse for negligence but fails to win a judgement for which nurse did not necessarily do what others would do in this situation. Although the nurse did
reason? not cause the client's injuries, it does not prevent the nurse from assisting in this situation.
Although the nurse was off-duty, the nurse could have assisted if motivated to do so.
1. The nurse had no duty to the individual. Cognitive Level: Understanding
2. The nurse did what most nurses would do in the same Client Need: Management of Care
circumstance. Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
3. The nurse did not cause the client's injuries. Content Area: Fundamentals
4. The nurse was off-duty at the time. Strategy: Use the process of elimination and nursing knowledge. The correct answer is the
one that recognizes that the nurse was not in the role of employee at the time of the incident,
removing the requirement of acting on the client's behalf.
An adult female ambulatory care client receiving an oral Answer: 2, 5
anticoagulant is given aspirin for a headache while visiting a Rationale: There was no nurse-client relationship because the nurse was acting as a neighbor
neighbor, who is a nurse. The client subsequently has a bleeding and not in an employment capacity. Thus, there can be no duty owed. Intent is not a
episode because of a drug interaction. The legal nurse consultant necessary element of malpractice, because malpractice can occur because of unintended
interprets that which necessary elements of malpractice are actions as well. There was no breach of duty because there was no official nurse-client
missing from this case? Select all that apply. relationship, which accompanies an employment situation. There was injury experiences
because of this event. The bleeding was caused by the interaction of the aspirin with the
1. Breech of duty anticoagulant.
2. Duty owed Cognitive Level: Analyzing
3. Injury experienced Client Need: Management of Care
4. Causation between nurse's action and injury Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Evaluation
5. Intent to cause harm or injury Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The wording of the question indicates more than
one option is correct, and the focus is on necessary elements that must be present. First
eliminate the intent to cause harm or injury, since this is not necessary to a charge of
malpractice. Next note that there is no duty owed, and because of this, there can be no
breach of duty, to choose these two options as the necessary missing elements.
A client with cancer has decided to discontinue further treatment. Answer: 3
Although the nurse would like the client to continue treatment, Rationale: Autonomy refers to the right make one's own decisions, which is the principle
the nurse recognizes the client is competent and supports the supported in this situation. Justice refers to fairness. Fidelity refers to trust and loyalty.
client's decision using which ethical principle? Confidentiality refers to the right to privacy of personal health information.
Cognitive Level: Understanding
1. Justice Client Need: Management of Care
2. Fidelity Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
3. Autonomy Content Area: Fundamentals
4. Confidentiality Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The wording of the question indicates that only one
option is correct and that you need to select the principle that is consistent with the
circumstances in the question.
2/24/2026, 1:50:26 PM
