BARKLEY DRT PMHNP PRACTICUM ONE
ACTUAL PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
⩥ What does the pneumonic COLDSPA stand for?
Answer: C - Character of symptoms, O - Onset, L - Length of
symptoms, D - Duration, S - Stressors, P - Precipitating factors, A -
Alleviating factors.
⩥ What should you inquire about in a social history?
Answer: Relationships, work, education, trauma, and legal issues.
⩥ What is important to assess in a developmental history?
Answer: Difficulties with parents, teachers, and authority figures.
⩥ What is the significance of family history in mental health
assessment?
Answer: It helps identify genetic predispositions to disorders and any
history of trauma or substance use.
⩥ What personal information should be gathered during assessment?
Answer: Hobbies and coping strategies, particularly for depression
assessment.
,⩥ What does the Gottesman et al. (2010) study indicate about
schizophrenia risk?
Answer: Having two parents with schizophrenia increases the child's
risk to 27%, while one parent increases it to 7%.
⩥ Why is past psychiatric history assessed later in the evaluation?
Answer: To avoid bias and ensure a comprehensive assessment of other
factors first.
⩥ What is the importance of medical history in psychiatric evaluations?
Answer: To rule out medical conditions that could mimic psychiatric
symptoms.
⩥ What is the normal sleep cycle composed of?
Answer: Non-REM, deeper non-REM, and REM sleep.
⩥ What is assessed in a Mental Status Examination (MSE)?
Answer: Appearance, behavior, speech, affect, thought process, thought
content, and cognitive examination.
⩥ What is the purpose of the Mini Mental Status Exam?
Answer: To assess cognitive function through memory recall and
interpretation tasks.
,⩥ What does the Clock Drawing test assess?
Answer: Cognitive distortion; inability to draw a clock correctly may
indicate dementia.
⩥ What are the components of the MMSE?
Answer: Orientation, memory recall, counting backwards, language, and
following commands.
⩥ What is the scoring range for the Hamilton Depression Scale?
Answer: 0-76, with <7 indicating no depression and >23 indicating
severe depression.
⩥ What does the PHQ-9 assess?
Answer: Depression symptoms over the past two weeks with a scoring
range of 1-27.
⩥ What is the purpose of the GAD-7 screening tool?
Answer: To assess anxiety symptoms with a scoring range of 5-21.
⩥ What symptoms are assessed for Bipolar Disorder?
Answer: Family history, speech patterns, sleep, hyperactivity, irritability,
grandiosity, and impulsiveness.
, ⩥ What does the Mood Disorder Questionnaire screen for?
Answer: Bipolar disorder through yes/no questions about mood and
relationships.
⩥ What is required for an ADHD diagnosis?
Answer: Symptoms must be present in two different settings.
⩥ What does the Brief Psych Rating Scale (BPRS) assess?
Answer: Psychotic symptoms, including those in children.
⩥ What does the AIMS scale measure?
Answer: Abnormal involuntary movements to rule out movement
disorders.
⩥ What general labs should be screened for in psychiatric evaluations?
Answer: CBC, CMP, thyroid levels, B-12, folate, and Vitamin D.
⩥ What is the purpose of an EEG?
Answer: To diagnose epilepsy and other brain conditions by measuring
electrical impulses.
⩥ What cranial nerve is responsible for smell?
ACTUAL PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
⩥ What does the pneumonic COLDSPA stand for?
Answer: C - Character of symptoms, O - Onset, L - Length of
symptoms, D - Duration, S - Stressors, P - Precipitating factors, A -
Alleviating factors.
⩥ What should you inquire about in a social history?
Answer: Relationships, work, education, trauma, and legal issues.
⩥ What is important to assess in a developmental history?
Answer: Difficulties with parents, teachers, and authority figures.
⩥ What is the significance of family history in mental health
assessment?
Answer: It helps identify genetic predispositions to disorders and any
history of trauma or substance use.
⩥ What personal information should be gathered during assessment?
Answer: Hobbies and coping strategies, particularly for depression
assessment.
,⩥ What does the Gottesman et al. (2010) study indicate about
schizophrenia risk?
Answer: Having two parents with schizophrenia increases the child's
risk to 27%, while one parent increases it to 7%.
⩥ Why is past psychiatric history assessed later in the evaluation?
Answer: To avoid bias and ensure a comprehensive assessment of other
factors first.
⩥ What is the importance of medical history in psychiatric evaluations?
Answer: To rule out medical conditions that could mimic psychiatric
symptoms.
⩥ What is the normal sleep cycle composed of?
Answer: Non-REM, deeper non-REM, and REM sleep.
⩥ What is assessed in a Mental Status Examination (MSE)?
Answer: Appearance, behavior, speech, affect, thought process, thought
content, and cognitive examination.
⩥ What is the purpose of the Mini Mental Status Exam?
Answer: To assess cognitive function through memory recall and
interpretation tasks.
,⩥ What does the Clock Drawing test assess?
Answer: Cognitive distortion; inability to draw a clock correctly may
indicate dementia.
⩥ What are the components of the MMSE?
Answer: Orientation, memory recall, counting backwards, language, and
following commands.
⩥ What is the scoring range for the Hamilton Depression Scale?
Answer: 0-76, with <7 indicating no depression and >23 indicating
severe depression.
⩥ What does the PHQ-9 assess?
Answer: Depression symptoms over the past two weeks with a scoring
range of 1-27.
⩥ What is the purpose of the GAD-7 screening tool?
Answer: To assess anxiety symptoms with a scoring range of 5-21.
⩥ What symptoms are assessed for Bipolar Disorder?
Answer: Family history, speech patterns, sleep, hyperactivity, irritability,
grandiosity, and impulsiveness.
, ⩥ What does the Mood Disorder Questionnaire screen for?
Answer: Bipolar disorder through yes/no questions about mood and
relationships.
⩥ What is required for an ADHD diagnosis?
Answer: Symptoms must be present in two different settings.
⩥ What does the Brief Psych Rating Scale (BPRS) assess?
Answer: Psychotic symptoms, including those in children.
⩥ What does the AIMS scale measure?
Answer: Abnormal involuntary movements to rule out movement
disorders.
⩥ What general labs should be screened for in psychiatric evaluations?
Answer: CBC, CMP, thyroid levels, B-12, folate, and Vitamin D.
⩥ What is the purpose of an EEG?
Answer: To diagnose epilepsy and other brain conditions by measuring
electrical impulses.
⩥ What cranial nerve is responsible for smell?
