1
PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN STATE
BOARD REVIEW | 150 QUESTIONS | WITH
ANSWERS RATED 100% CORRECT!!
EXAM BLUEPRINT – CALIFORNIA PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN STATE BOARD
SECTION 1: MENTAL HEALTH & MENTAL ILLNESS (Q1–Q25)
Q1: A patient tells the psychiatric technician, "I'm worthless. There's no point in
going on." What is the technician's priority response?
A. "You have so much to live for. Think about your family."
B. "Let's focus on your strengths instead of these negative thoughts."
C. "Are you having thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life?" [CORRECT]
D. "Everyone feels down sometimes. This will pass."
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because direct assessment of suicidal ideation is the priority
safety intervention when a patient expresses hopelessness or worthlessness,
matching state board suicide protocol standards.
Q2: A patient experiencing acute mania is pacing rapidly, talking constantly, and not
eating. Which intervention should the technician implement first?
A. Offer high-calorie finger foods the patient can eat while moving
B. Place the patient in seclusion until manic episode subsides
C. Restrict all visitors to decrease stimulation [CORRECT]
D. Assign the patient to lead a unit discussion group
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because reducing environmental stimulation is the priority
intervention for acute mania to prevent escalation and decrease sensory overload,
matching board standard de-escalation hierarchy.
Q3: Which extrapyramidal symptom (EPS) is characterized by acute, involuntary
muscle contractions including oculogyric crisis and torticollis?
A. Akathisia
,2
B. Tardive dyskinesia
C. Dystonia [CORRECT]
D. Pseudoparkinsonism
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because acute dystonia presents with sustained muscle spasms of
the eyes, neck, and tongue, typically occurring within hours to days of starting
antipsychotic medication.
Q4: A patient with schizophrenia tells the technician, "The CIA planted listening
devices in my fillings." This statement is an example of which type of delusion?
A. Somatic delusion
B. Grandiose delusion
C. Persecutory delusion [CORRECT]
D. Referential delusion
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because persecutory delusions involve beliefs of being targeted,
spied on, or conspired against, which matches the patient's statement about
government surveillance.
Q5: A patient is ordered haloperidol 5 mg IM for agitation. The available vial contains
10 mg per 2 mL. How many mL should the technician draw up?
A. 0.5 mL
B. 1 mL [CORRECT]
C. 1.5 mL
D. 2 mL
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because using ratio proportion: 10 mg/2 mL = 5 mg/x mL → cross
multiply → 10x = 10 → x = 1 mL.
Q6: Which defense mechanism is demonstrated when a patient with borderline
personality disorder views staff as either "perfect angels" or "evil monsters" with no
middle ground?
A. Projection
,3
B. Splitting [CORRECT]
C. Dissociation
D. Reaction formation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because splitting is the inability to integrate positive and negative
aspects of self or others, resulting in alternating idealization and devaluation,
characteristic of borderline personality disorder.
Q7: During therapeutic communication, a patient states, "I just can't talk about my
childhood." The technician's most appropriate response is:
A. "Why can't you talk about it? Everyone has a childhood."
B. "You don't want to talk about your childhood." [CORRECT]
C. "Let's change the subject to something more pleasant."
D. "Your childhood must have been very traumatic."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because restating or reflecting the patient's exact words validates
their feelings without pushing, interpreting, or closing off communication, matching
therapeutic communication standards.
Q8: A patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder spends three hours daily checking
door locks. This behavior represents which component of OCD?
A. Obsession
B. Compulsion [CORRECT]
C. Delusion
D. Hallucination
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts
performed in response to obsessions to reduce anxiety, matching the door-checking
ritual described.
Q9: Which theorist developed the hierarchy of needs emphasizing that basic
physiological needs must be met before higher-level needs?
A. Sigmund Freud
, 4
B. Carl Rogers
C. Abraham Maslow [CORRECT]
D. Erik Erikson
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because Maslow's hierarchy of needs prioritizes physiological
requirements first, followed by safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization,
forming the foundation of humanistic psychology.
Q10: A patient with antisocial personality disorder manipulates another patient into
giving them cigarettes. The technician's best response is:
A. Confront the patient about their manipulative behavior
B. Set clear limits on unit expectations without emotional reaction [CORRECT]
C. Ignore the behavior to avoid reinforcing it
D. Restrict the patient from all group activities
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because limit setting with clear, consistent, non-emotional
boundaries prevents power struggles while maintaining structure, which is the
priority intervention for antisocial personality disorder.
Q11: The psychiatric technician recognizes that countertransference occurs when:
A. The patient projects feelings onto the technician
B. The technician unconsciously reacts to the patient based on personal history
[CORRECT]
C. The patient transfers feelings from a past relationship onto the technician
D. Both patient and technician agree on treatment goals
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because countertransference refers to the technician's
unconscious emotional reactions to the patient, often stemming from unresolved
personal conflicts, requiring self-awareness and supervision.
Q12: A patient with generalized anxiety disorder asks, "What if my family dies in a
car accident?" repeatedly. This thought pattern best describes:
A. Catastrophic thinking [CORRECT]
PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN STATE
BOARD REVIEW | 150 QUESTIONS | WITH
ANSWERS RATED 100% CORRECT!!
EXAM BLUEPRINT – CALIFORNIA PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN STATE BOARD
SECTION 1: MENTAL HEALTH & MENTAL ILLNESS (Q1–Q25)
Q1: A patient tells the psychiatric technician, "I'm worthless. There's no point in
going on." What is the technician's priority response?
A. "You have so much to live for. Think about your family."
B. "Let's focus on your strengths instead of these negative thoughts."
C. "Are you having thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life?" [CORRECT]
D. "Everyone feels down sometimes. This will pass."
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because direct assessment of suicidal ideation is the priority
safety intervention when a patient expresses hopelessness or worthlessness,
matching state board suicide protocol standards.
Q2: A patient experiencing acute mania is pacing rapidly, talking constantly, and not
eating. Which intervention should the technician implement first?
A. Offer high-calorie finger foods the patient can eat while moving
B. Place the patient in seclusion until manic episode subsides
C. Restrict all visitors to decrease stimulation [CORRECT]
D. Assign the patient to lead a unit discussion group
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because reducing environmental stimulation is the priority
intervention for acute mania to prevent escalation and decrease sensory overload,
matching board standard de-escalation hierarchy.
Q3: Which extrapyramidal symptom (EPS) is characterized by acute, involuntary
muscle contractions including oculogyric crisis and torticollis?
A. Akathisia
,2
B. Tardive dyskinesia
C. Dystonia [CORRECT]
D. Pseudoparkinsonism
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because acute dystonia presents with sustained muscle spasms of
the eyes, neck, and tongue, typically occurring within hours to days of starting
antipsychotic medication.
Q4: A patient with schizophrenia tells the technician, "The CIA planted listening
devices in my fillings." This statement is an example of which type of delusion?
A. Somatic delusion
B. Grandiose delusion
C. Persecutory delusion [CORRECT]
D. Referential delusion
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because persecutory delusions involve beliefs of being targeted,
spied on, or conspired against, which matches the patient's statement about
government surveillance.
Q5: A patient is ordered haloperidol 5 mg IM for agitation. The available vial contains
10 mg per 2 mL. How many mL should the technician draw up?
A. 0.5 mL
B. 1 mL [CORRECT]
C. 1.5 mL
D. 2 mL
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because using ratio proportion: 10 mg/2 mL = 5 mg/x mL → cross
multiply → 10x = 10 → x = 1 mL.
Q6: Which defense mechanism is demonstrated when a patient with borderline
personality disorder views staff as either "perfect angels" or "evil monsters" with no
middle ground?
A. Projection
,3
B. Splitting [CORRECT]
C. Dissociation
D. Reaction formation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because splitting is the inability to integrate positive and negative
aspects of self or others, resulting in alternating idealization and devaluation,
characteristic of borderline personality disorder.
Q7: During therapeutic communication, a patient states, "I just can't talk about my
childhood." The technician's most appropriate response is:
A. "Why can't you talk about it? Everyone has a childhood."
B. "You don't want to talk about your childhood." [CORRECT]
C. "Let's change the subject to something more pleasant."
D. "Your childhood must have been very traumatic."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because restating or reflecting the patient's exact words validates
their feelings without pushing, interpreting, or closing off communication, matching
therapeutic communication standards.
Q8: A patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder spends three hours daily checking
door locks. This behavior represents which component of OCD?
A. Obsession
B. Compulsion [CORRECT]
C. Delusion
D. Hallucination
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts
performed in response to obsessions to reduce anxiety, matching the door-checking
ritual described.
Q9: Which theorist developed the hierarchy of needs emphasizing that basic
physiological needs must be met before higher-level needs?
A. Sigmund Freud
, 4
B. Carl Rogers
C. Abraham Maslow [CORRECT]
D. Erik Erikson
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because Maslow's hierarchy of needs prioritizes physiological
requirements first, followed by safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization,
forming the foundation of humanistic psychology.
Q10: A patient with antisocial personality disorder manipulates another patient into
giving them cigarettes. The technician's best response is:
A. Confront the patient about their manipulative behavior
B. Set clear limits on unit expectations without emotional reaction [CORRECT]
C. Ignore the behavior to avoid reinforcing it
D. Restrict the patient from all group activities
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because limit setting with clear, consistent, non-emotional
boundaries prevents power struggles while maintaining structure, which is the
priority intervention for antisocial personality disorder.
Q11: The psychiatric technician recognizes that countertransference occurs when:
A. The patient projects feelings onto the technician
B. The technician unconsciously reacts to the patient based on personal history
[CORRECT]
C. The patient transfers feelings from a past relationship onto the technician
D. Both patient and technician agree on treatment goals
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because countertransference refers to the technician's
unconscious emotional reactions to the patient, often stemming from unresolved
personal conflicts, requiring self-awareness and supervision.
Q12: A patient with generalized anxiety disorder asks, "What if my family dies in a
car accident?" repeatedly. This thought pattern best describes:
A. Catastrophic thinking [CORRECT]
