Zander CNOR Practice Exam Prep
ZANDER CNOR PRACTICE EXAM PREP NEWEST 2026/2027 ACTUAL
EXAM COMPLETE 150 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
(VERIFIED ANSWERS) WITH DETAILED RATIONALES |ALREADY GRADED
A+||BRAND NEW VERSION!!
1. Mr. S has active tuberculosis and has just started rifampin therapy. He was
admitted with acute cholecystitis. The surgeon wants the cholecystectomy within
24 hours. It would be best if this patient’s case is scheduled:
A. As the first case of the day
B. In the middle of the schedule
C. At the end of the day
D. As an add-on emergency case immediately
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Patients with active TB should be scheduled last in the day to allow
maximum time for terminal cleaning and air exchange after the case, minimizing
exposure risk to subsequent patients and staff.
2. The surgeon is preparing to apply a plaster cast after ORIF. According to the rule
of confine and contain, the perioperative nurse should:
A. Immediately leave the room
B. Ask the surgeon to remove gown and gloves before handling the cast
C. Hand the surgeon new sterile gloves over the cast material
D. Proceed with cast application without changing attire
Correct Answer: B
1|Page
, Zander CNOR Practice Exam Prep
Rationale: Plaster casting is a “dirty” procedure that generates dust and debris.
The gown and gloves used during the sterile surgical portion must be removed
before handling casting materials to prevent cross-contamination (confine and
contain principle).
3. Mr. S is scheduled for partial foot amputation due to gas gangrene. The
perioperative nurse should plan to:
A. Use terminal cleaning protocols and leave the room idle for 1 hour
B. Use enhanced terminal cleaning with UV light
C. Clean the room after the case using regular turnover cleaning
D. Schedule the case last and perform full terminal cleaning
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis) is not transmitted person-to-
person via airborne routes. Standard thorough turnover cleaning is sufficient;
special airborne precautions or extended idle time are not required.
4. Which of the following cleaning methods uses cavitation?
A. Manual scrubbing
B. Ultrasonic cleaning
C. Washer-disinfector
D. Flash autoclaving
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Ultrasonic cleaners use high-frequency sound waves to create
cavitation (formation and implosion of microscopic bubbles) that dislodge debris
from instruments.
2|Page
, Zander CNOR Practice Exam Prep
5. If a patient is hypoventilating in the immediate postoperative period, the
perioperative nurse expects which blood gas change?
A. Decreased pH and increased PaCO₂
B. Increased pH and decreased PaCO₂
C. Decreased pH and decreased PaCO₂
D. Increased pH and increased HCO₃⁻
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Hypoventilation causes CO₂ retention (hypercapnia), which combines
with water to form carbonic acid, lowering pH → respiratory acidosis.
6. The surgeon chooses closed reduction over open reduction for a patient’s radial
and ulnar fractures primarily because closed reduction:
A. Reduces the likelihood of infection
B. Provides more accurate anatomic alignment
C. Allows earlier return to full function
D. Requires less postoperative pain management
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Closed reduction avoids surgical incision and exposure of bone,
significantly lowering infection risk compared to open reduction internal fixation
(ORIF).
7. Which of the following patients is at the least risk for a surgical fire?
A. A patient undergoing facial surgery with oxygen via nasal cannula
3|Page
, Zander CNOR Practice Exam Prep
B. A patient having tonsillectomy with monopolar cautery
C. An intubated patient undergoing peripheral vascular surgery with bipolar
cautery
D. A patient having laparoscopy with alcohol-based prep
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Intubated patients have a closed airway system with minimal oxygen
leak, and bipolar cautery produces less sparking/heat than monopolar. This
combination presents the lowest fire risk.
8. When prepping the abdomen for colostomy reversal and bowel re-anastomosis,
the perioperative nurse should prepare the stoma by:
A. Prepping it first with the rest of the abdomen
B. Isolating it with a sterile barrier, prepping incision to periphery, and prepping
the stoma last before covering it
C. Avoiding the stoma completely
D. Prepping the stoma first with chlorhexidine
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The stoma is considered contaminated. Standard skin prep sequence is
“clean to dirty,” so the stoma is prepped last and then covered to prevent
contaminating the new surgical field.
9. The biological indicator for a Steam Gravity Displacement Sterilizer contains
which spore?
A. Bacillus atrophaeus
B. Geobacillus stearothermophilus
4|Page
ZANDER CNOR PRACTICE EXAM PREP NEWEST 2026/2027 ACTUAL
EXAM COMPLETE 150 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
(VERIFIED ANSWERS) WITH DETAILED RATIONALES |ALREADY GRADED
A+||BRAND NEW VERSION!!
1. Mr. S has active tuberculosis and has just started rifampin therapy. He was
admitted with acute cholecystitis. The surgeon wants the cholecystectomy within
24 hours. It would be best if this patient’s case is scheduled:
A. As the first case of the day
B. In the middle of the schedule
C. At the end of the day
D. As an add-on emergency case immediately
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Patients with active TB should be scheduled last in the day to allow
maximum time for terminal cleaning and air exchange after the case, minimizing
exposure risk to subsequent patients and staff.
2. The surgeon is preparing to apply a plaster cast after ORIF. According to the rule
of confine and contain, the perioperative nurse should:
A. Immediately leave the room
B. Ask the surgeon to remove gown and gloves before handling the cast
C. Hand the surgeon new sterile gloves over the cast material
D. Proceed with cast application without changing attire
Correct Answer: B
1|Page
, Zander CNOR Practice Exam Prep
Rationale: Plaster casting is a “dirty” procedure that generates dust and debris.
The gown and gloves used during the sterile surgical portion must be removed
before handling casting materials to prevent cross-contamination (confine and
contain principle).
3. Mr. S is scheduled for partial foot amputation due to gas gangrene. The
perioperative nurse should plan to:
A. Use terminal cleaning protocols and leave the room idle for 1 hour
B. Use enhanced terminal cleaning with UV light
C. Clean the room after the case using regular turnover cleaning
D. Schedule the case last and perform full terminal cleaning
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis) is not transmitted person-to-
person via airborne routes. Standard thorough turnover cleaning is sufficient;
special airborne precautions or extended idle time are not required.
4. Which of the following cleaning methods uses cavitation?
A. Manual scrubbing
B. Ultrasonic cleaning
C. Washer-disinfector
D. Flash autoclaving
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Ultrasonic cleaners use high-frequency sound waves to create
cavitation (formation and implosion of microscopic bubbles) that dislodge debris
from instruments.
2|Page
, Zander CNOR Practice Exam Prep
5. If a patient is hypoventilating in the immediate postoperative period, the
perioperative nurse expects which blood gas change?
A. Decreased pH and increased PaCO₂
B. Increased pH and decreased PaCO₂
C. Decreased pH and decreased PaCO₂
D. Increased pH and increased HCO₃⁻
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Hypoventilation causes CO₂ retention (hypercapnia), which combines
with water to form carbonic acid, lowering pH → respiratory acidosis.
6. The surgeon chooses closed reduction over open reduction for a patient’s radial
and ulnar fractures primarily because closed reduction:
A. Reduces the likelihood of infection
B. Provides more accurate anatomic alignment
C. Allows earlier return to full function
D. Requires less postoperative pain management
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Closed reduction avoids surgical incision and exposure of bone,
significantly lowering infection risk compared to open reduction internal fixation
(ORIF).
7. Which of the following patients is at the least risk for a surgical fire?
A. A patient undergoing facial surgery with oxygen via nasal cannula
3|Page
, Zander CNOR Practice Exam Prep
B. A patient having tonsillectomy with monopolar cautery
C. An intubated patient undergoing peripheral vascular surgery with bipolar
cautery
D. A patient having laparoscopy with alcohol-based prep
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Intubated patients have a closed airway system with minimal oxygen
leak, and bipolar cautery produces less sparking/heat than monopolar. This
combination presents the lowest fire risk.
8. When prepping the abdomen for colostomy reversal and bowel re-anastomosis,
the perioperative nurse should prepare the stoma by:
A. Prepping it first with the rest of the abdomen
B. Isolating it with a sterile barrier, prepping incision to periphery, and prepping
the stoma last before covering it
C. Avoiding the stoma completely
D. Prepping the stoma first with chlorhexidine
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The stoma is considered contaminated. Standard skin prep sequence is
“clean to dirty,” so the stoma is prepped last and then covered to prevent
contaminating the new surgical field.
9. The biological indicator for a Steam Gravity Displacement Sterilizer contains
which spore?
A. Bacillus atrophaeus
B. Geobacillus stearothermophilus
4|Page
