KAPLAN PSYCHIATRIC NURSING EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS RATIONALES
2026 Q&A | INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
Core Domains
- Psychiatric assessment and mental status examination
- Therapeutic communication and nurse-client relationship
- Mood, anxiety, psychotic, and personality disorders
- Substance use and withdrawal management
- Psychopharmacology and medication safety
- Crisis intervention and suicide risk
- Legal, ethical, and professional standards
- Trauma-informed and culturally competent care
- Group therapy and milieu management
- Documentation, safety, and care planning
Introduction
This assessment is designed to measure competency in psychiatric nursing across essential clinical and professional areas. It evaluates knowledge
of assessment, therapeutic communication, mental health disorders, medication management, legal and ethical responsibilities, and safe
intervention planning. Questions are multiple-choice and scenario-based to reflect real clinical decision-making. The exam emphasizes applying
theory to practice, prioritizing client safety, choosing therapeutic responses, and recognizing appropriate nursing actions in common and complex
psychiatric situations. It is intended to support exam readiness through realistic, defensible questions that mirror professional psychiatric nursing
expectations.
SECTION ONE: QUESTIONS 1–100
,1. A nurse is assessing a client who appears restless, avoids eye contact, and speaks rapidly. Which finding best supports anxiety?
A. Slow speech and flat affect
B. Restlessness and rapid speech
C. Fixed false beliefs
D. Echolalia
🟢 Correct answer: B. Restlessness and rapid speech
🔴 RATIONALE: Anxiety commonly presents with psychomotor agitation, restlessness, and pressured or rapid speech.
2. Which statement by the nurse is therapeutic when a client says, “I feel like I want to die”?
A. “You should think about your family.”
B. “Why would you say that?”
C. “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”
D. “Things will get better soon.”
🟢 Correct answer: C. “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”
🔴 RATIONALE: Direct assessment of suicidal intent is required when a client expresses hopelessness or suicidal thoughts.
3. A client with schizophrenia says, “The TV is sending me messages.” What is the nurse’s best response?
A. “The TV cannot send messages.”
B. “Tell me more about what you are hearing.”
C. “That must be frightening, but I do not see evidence of messages.”
D. “You should ignore the television.”
🟢 Correct answer: C. “That must be frightening, but I do not see evidence of messages.”
🔴 RATIONALE: This response acknowledges feelings, presents reality, and avoids reinforcing the delusion.
4. Which defense mechanism is demonstrated when a client blames coworkers for poor performance?
A. Projection
B. Sublimation
C. Suppression
D. Regression
🟢 Correct answer: A. Projection
🔴 RATIONALE: Projection involves attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings or faults to others.
5. A nurse should place a suicidal client in a room that is:
A. Near the nurses’ station
B. At the end of the hallway
C. Shared with another high-risk client
D. On a unit with unrestricted visitors
🟢 Correct answer: A. Near the nurses’ station
🔴 RATIONALE: Close observation is essential to reduce the risk of self-harm.
, 6. Which behavior is most consistent with mania?
A. Psychomotor retardation
B. Flight of ideas
C. Social withdrawal
D. Hypersomnia
🟢 Correct answer: B. Flight of ideas
🔴 RATIONALE: Mania often includes rapid thoughts, pressured speech, and distractibility.
7. The best initial response to a client experiencing a panic attack is to:
A. Encourage discussion of childhood trauma
B. Leave the client alone to calm down
C. Stay with the client and provide a calm environment
D. Ask the client to describe the fear in detail
🟢 Correct answer: C. Stay with the client and provide a calm environment
🔴 RATIONALE: Panic requires immediate support, reassurance, and reduction of stimuli.
8. A client taking lithium reports diarrhea and vomiting. The nurse should:
A. Encourage a high-sodium diet
B. Hold the medication and notify the provider
C. Administer the next dose with milk
D. Reassure the client that this is expected
🟢 Correct answer: B. Hold the medication and notify the provider
🔴 RATIONALE: Gastrointestinal symptoms may indicate lithium toxicity and require prompt action.
9. Which statement best reflects therapeutic communication?
A. “You’ll be fine.”
B. “Why didn’t you ask for help?”
C. “Tell me more about that experience.”
D. “You need to stop thinking that way.”
🟢 Correct answer: C. “Tell me more about that experience.”
🔴 RATIONALE: Open-ended exploration encourages expression without judgment.
0. A client with obsessive-compulsive disorder repeatedly washes hands. Which approach is best?
A. Tell the client to stop immediately
B. Participate in the ritual to reduce anxiety
C. Set limits and support anxiety-reducing alternatives
D. Ignore the behavior completely
🟢 Correct answer: C. Set limits and support anxiety-reducing alternatives
🔴 RATIONALE: The nurse should avoid reinforcing rituals while helping the client manage anxiety.
2026 Q&A | INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
Core Domains
- Psychiatric assessment and mental status examination
- Therapeutic communication and nurse-client relationship
- Mood, anxiety, psychotic, and personality disorders
- Substance use and withdrawal management
- Psychopharmacology and medication safety
- Crisis intervention and suicide risk
- Legal, ethical, and professional standards
- Trauma-informed and culturally competent care
- Group therapy and milieu management
- Documentation, safety, and care planning
Introduction
This assessment is designed to measure competency in psychiatric nursing across essential clinical and professional areas. It evaluates knowledge
of assessment, therapeutic communication, mental health disorders, medication management, legal and ethical responsibilities, and safe
intervention planning. Questions are multiple-choice and scenario-based to reflect real clinical decision-making. The exam emphasizes applying
theory to practice, prioritizing client safety, choosing therapeutic responses, and recognizing appropriate nursing actions in common and complex
psychiatric situations. It is intended to support exam readiness through realistic, defensible questions that mirror professional psychiatric nursing
expectations.
SECTION ONE: QUESTIONS 1–100
,1. A nurse is assessing a client who appears restless, avoids eye contact, and speaks rapidly. Which finding best supports anxiety?
A. Slow speech and flat affect
B. Restlessness and rapid speech
C. Fixed false beliefs
D. Echolalia
🟢 Correct answer: B. Restlessness and rapid speech
🔴 RATIONALE: Anxiety commonly presents with psychomotor agitation, restlessness, and pressured or rapid speech.
2. Which statement by the nurse is therapeutic when a client says, “I feel like I want to die”?
A. “You should think about your family.”
B. “Why would you say that?”
C. “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”
D. “Things will get better soon.”
🟢 Correct answer: C. “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”
🔴 RATIONALE: Direct assessment of suicidal intent is required when a client expresses hopelessness or suicidal thoughts.
3. A client with schizophrenia says, “The TV is sending me messages.” What is the nurse’s best response?
A. “The TV cannot send messages.”
B. “Tell me more about what you are hearing.”
C. “That must be frightening, but I do not see evidence of messages.”
D. “You should ignore the television.”
🟢 Correct answer: C. “That must be frightening, but I do not see evidence of messages.”
🔴 RATIONALE: This response acknowledges feelings, presents reality, and avoids reinforcing the delusion.
4. Which defense mechanism is demonstrated when a client blames coworkers for poor performance?
A. Projection
B. Sublimation
C. Suppression
D. Regression
🟢 Correct answer: A. Projection
🔴 RATIONALE: Projection involves attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings or faults to others.
5. A nurse should place a suicidal client in a room that is:
A. Near the nurses’ station
B. At the end of the hallway
C. Shared with another high-risk client
D. On a unit with unrestricted visitors
🟢 Correct answer: A. Near the nurses’ station
🔴 RATIONALE: Close observation is essential to reduce the risk of self-harm.
, 6. Which behavior is most consistent with mania?
A. Psychomotor retardation
B. Flight of ideas
C. Social withdrawal
D. Hypersomnia
🟢 Correct answer: B. Flight of ideas
🔴 RATIONALE: Mania often includes rapid thoughts, pressured speech, and distractibility.
7. The best initial response to a client experiencing a panic attack is to:
A. Encourage discussion of childhood trauma
B. Leave the client alone to calm down
C. Stay with the client and provide a calm environment
D. Ask the client to describe the fear in detail
🟢 Correct answer: C. Stay with the client and provide a calm environment
🔴 RATIONALE: Panic requires immediate support, reassurance, and reduction of stimuli.
8. A client taking lithium reports diarrhea and vomiting. The nurse should:
A. Encourage a high-sodium diet
B. Hold the medication and notify the provider
C. Administer the next dose with milk
D. Reassure the client that this is expected
🟢 Correct answer: B. Hold the medication and notify the provider
🔴 RATIONALE: Gastrointestinal symptoms may indicate lithium toxicity and require prompt action.
9. Which statement best reflects therapeutic communication?
A. “You’ll be fine.”
B. “Why didn’t you ask for help?”
C. “Tell me more about that experience.”
D. “You need to stop thinking that way.”
🟢 Correct answer: C. “Tell me more about that experience.”
🔴 RATIONALE: Open-ended exploration encourages expression without judgment.
0. A client with obsessive-compulsive disorder repeatedly washes hands. Which approach is best?
A. Tell the client to stop immediately
B. Participate in the ritual to reduce anxiety
C. Set limits and support anxiety-reducing alternatives
D. Ignore the behavior completely
🟢 Correct answer: C. Set limits and support anxiety-reducing alternatives
🔴 RATIONALE: The nurse should avoid reinforcing rituals while helping the client manage anxiety.
