NURS210 HEALTH ASSESSMENT PRACTICE
EXAM 2026 | 200+ VERIFIED Q&A WITH
RATIONALES
• This practice exam contains 200 verified questions with EXPERT RATIONALE
designed to help you master Health Assessment concepts for NURS210 — use it by
attempting each question first before checking the correct answer and EXPERT
RATIONALE.
• Each question includes 5 options (A–E), a highlighted correct answer with EXPERT
RATIONALE, and covers all major health assessment domains including head-to-
toe assessment, vital signs, documentation, and clinical reasoning.
NURS210 HEALTH ASSESSMENT PRACTICE EXAM 2026 | 200+ VERIFIED Q&A
WITH EXPERT RATIONALE
1. When performing a health history, which component addresses the
patient's perception of their own health status?
A. Past medical history
B. Family history
C. Review of systems
D. Chief complaint
E. Health perception and health management
Correct Answer: E. Health perception and health management
EXPERT RATIONALE: The health perception and health management pattern
addresses how the patient views their own health and how they manage it. This is a
functional health pattern that gives insight into health beliefs, practices, and self-
care behaviors.
2. The nurse is collecting a health history. Which question is the BEST example
of an open-ended question?
,A. "Do you have chest pain?"
B. "Is your pain sharp or dull?"
C. "Have you had this before?"
D. "Tell me what brings you here today."
E. "Does the pain radiate to your arm?"
Correct Answer: D. "Tell me what brings you here today."
EXPERT RATIONALE: Open-ended questions encourage the patient to describe
their experience in their own words, providing richer information. All other options
are closed-ended, requiring only a yes/no or single-word answer.
3. Which cranial nerve is assessed when the nurse tests the patient's ability to
smell?
A. Cranial Nerve I (Olfactory)
B. Cranial Nerve II (Optic)
C. Cranial Nerve V (Trigeminal)
D. Cranial Nerve VII (Facial)
E. Cranial Nerve IX (Glossopharyngeal)
Correct Answer: A. Cranial Nerve I (Olfactory)
EXPERT RATIONALE: The olfactory nerve (CN I) is responsible for the sense of
smell. It is assessed by asking the patient to identify familiar scents with eyes
closed, one nostril at a time.
4. During a physical examination, the nurse uses percussion. Which sound is
expected over a healthy lung field?
A. Dullness
B. Flatness
,C. Tympany
D. Resonance
E. Hyperresonance
Correct Answer: D. Resonance
EXPERT RATIONALE: Resonance is the normal percussion sound heard over
healthy lung tissue. It is a low-pitched, hollow sound. Dullness indicates fluid or
consolidation; hyperresonance suggests emphysema or pneumothorax.
5. A nurse is assessing a patient's level of consciousness. Using the Glasgow
Coma Scale (GCS), which three areas are assessed?
A. Pupils, motor, verbal
B. Reflexes, pupils, verbal
C. Eye opening, verbal response, motor response
D. Orientation, memory, calculation
E. Eye opening, pupil reaction, gag reflex
Correct Answer: C. Eye opening, verbal response, motor response
EXPERT RATIONALE: The Glasgow Coma Scale assesses three parameters: eye
opening (scored 1–4), verbal response (scored 1–5), and motor response (scored 1–
6), with a maximum score of 15 indicating full consciousness.
6. When assessing a patient's blood pressure, the nurse should position the
arm at which level?
A. Below the level of the heart
B. Above the level of the heart
C. At the level of the heart
D. At the level of the wrist
, E. At the level of the shoulder
Correct Answer: C. At the level of the heart
EXPERT RATIONALE: The arm must be at heart level during blood pressure
measurement. Positioning the arm below heart level gives falsely high readings,
while positioning it above gives falsely low readings.
7. The nurse is assessing a patient's skin turgor. Which finding indicates
dehydration?
A. Skin returns immediately when pinched
B. Skin is warm and moist
C. Skin remains tented after pinching
D. Skin is pale but elastic
E. Skin has a yellow tinge
Correct Answer: C. Skin remains tented after pinching
EXPERT RATIONALE: Poor skin turgor, identified by skin that remains "tented"
after being pinched and released, is a classic sign of dehydration. In well-hydrated
patients, skin returns promptly to its normal position.
8. Which of the following best describes the purpose of auscultation during a
physical examination?
A. Feeling for organ size and tenderness
B. Tapping body surfaces to assess underlying structures
C. Listening to sounds produced by the body
D. Observing the patient's overall appearance
E. Measuring vital signs with instruments
Correct Answer: C. Listening to sounds produced by the body
EXAM 2026 | 200+ VERIFIED Q&A WITH
RATIONALES
• This practice exam contains 200 verified questions with EXPERT RATIONALE
designed to help you master Health Assessment concepts for NURS210 — use it by
attempting each question first before checking the correct answer and EXPERT
RATIONALE.
• Each question includes 5 options (A–E), a highlighted correct answer with EXPERT
RATIONALE, and covers all major health assessment domains including head-to-
toe assessment, vital signs, documentation, and clinical reasoning.
NURS210 HEALTH ASSESSMENT PRACTICE EXAM 2026 | 200+ VERIFIED Q&A
WITH EXPERT RATIONALE
1. When performing a health history, which component addresses the
patient's perception of their own health status?
A. Past medical history
B. Family history
C. Review of systems
D. Chief complaint
E. Health perception and health management
Correct Answer: E. Health perception and health management
EXPERT RATIONALE: The health perception and health management pattern
addresses how the patient views their own health and how they manage it. This is a
functional health pattern that gives insight into health beliefs, practices, and self-
care behaviors.
2. The nurse is collecting a health history. Which question is the BEST example
of an open-ended question?
,A. "Do you have chest pain?"
B. "Is your pain sharp or dull?"
C. "Have you had this before?"
D. "Tell me what brings you here today."
E. "Does the pain radiate to your arm?"
Correct Answer: D. "Tell me what brings you here today."
EXPERT RATIONALE: Open-ended questions encourage the patient to describe
their experience in their own words, providing richer information. All other options
are closed-ended, requiring only a yes/no or single-word answer.
3. Which cranial nerve is assessed when the nurse tests the patient's ability to
smell?
A. Cranial Nerve I (Olfactory)
B. Cranial Nerve II (Optic)
C. Cranial Nerve V (Trigeminal)
D. Cranial Nerve VII (Facial)
E. Cranial Nerve IX (Glossopharyngeal)
Correct Answer: A. Cranial Nerve I (Olfactory)
EXPERT RATIONALE: The olfactory nerve (CN I) is responsible for the sense of
smell. It is assessed by asking the patient to identify familiar scents with eyes
closed, one nostril at a time.
4. During a physical examination, the nurse uses percussion. Which sound is
expected over a healthy lung field?
A. Dullness
B. Flatness
,C. Tympany
D. Resonance
E. Hyperresonance
Correct Answer: D. Resonance
EXPERT RATIONALE: Resonance is the normal percussion sound heard over
healthy lung tissue. It is a low-pitched, hollow sound. Dullness indicates fluid or
consolidation; hyperresonance suggests emphysema or pneumothorax.
5. A nurse is assessing a patient's level of consciousness. Using the Glasgow
Coma Scale (GCS), which three areas are assessed?
A. Pupils, motor, verbal
B. Reflexes, pupils, verbal
C. Eye opening, verbal response, motor response
D. Orientation, memory, calculation
E. Eye opening, pupil reaction, gag reflex
Correct Answer: C. Eye opening, verbal response, motor response
EXPERT RATIONALE: The Glasgow Coma Scale assesses three parameters: eye
opening (scored 1–4), verbal response (scored 1–5), and motor response (scored 1–
6), with a maximum score of 15 indicating full consciousness.
6. When assessing a patient's blood pressure, the nurse should position the
arm at which level?
A. Below the level of the heart
B. Above the level of the heart
C. At the level of the heart
D. At the level of the wrist
, E. At the level of the shoulder
Correct Answer: C. At the level of the heart
EXPERT RATIONALE: The arm must be at heart level during blood pressure
measurement. Positioning the arm below heart level gives falsely high readings,
while positioning it above gives falsely low readings.
7. The nurse is assessing a patient's skin turgor. Which finding indicates
dehydration?
A. Skin returns immediately when pinched
B. Skin is warm and moist
C. Skin remains tented after pinching
D. Skin is pale but elastic
E. Skin has a yellow tinge
Correct Answer: C. Skin remains tented after pinching
EXPERT RATIONALE: Poor skin turgor, identified by skin that remains "tented"
after being pinched and released, is a classic sign of dehydration. In well-hydrated
patients, skin returns promptly to its normal position.
8. Which of the following best describes the purpose of auscultation during a
physical examination?
A. Feeling for organ size and tenderness
B. Tapping body surfaces to assess underlying structures
C. Listening to sounds produced by the body
D. Observing the patient's overall appearance
E. Measuring vital signs with instruments
Correct Answer: C. Listening to sounds produced by the body
