BARKLEY PMHNP REVIEW 2026/2027 ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
What is the first step in the assessment process? - (ANSWER)Gather the chief complaint and history
information before treatment.
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.
,BARKLEY PMHNP REVIEW 2026/2027 ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
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.
,BARKLEY PMHNP REVIEW 2026/2027 ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
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? - (ANSWER)Olfactory nerve.
What cranial nerve controls vision? - (ANSWER)Optic nerve.
What is the significance of lymph node size in assessment? - (ANSWER)Lymph nodes <2cm are usually
insignificant, but >1cm in supraclavicular fossa is significant.
What is the function of the Olfactory nerve? - (ANSWER)Smell
What is the primary function of the Optic nerve? - (ANSWER)Vision
What does the Oculomotor nerve control? - (ANSWER)Opening eyelids
What movement does the Trochlear nerve facilitate? - (ANSWER)Down and inward eye movement
, BARKLEY PMHNP REVIEW 2026/2027 ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
What are the functions of the Trigeminal nerve? - (ANSWER)Jaw muscle control and sensation on the
face
What is the role of the Abducens nerve? - (ANSWER)Lateral eye movement
What does the Facial nerve control? - (ANSWER)Movement of the face, saliva, and tear secretion
What are the functions of the Acoustic nerve? - (ANSWER)Hearing and balance
What reflexes are associated with the Glossopharyngeal nerve? - (ANSWER)Gag reflex and swallowing
What functions does the Vagus nerve serve? - (ANSWER)Talking and carotid reflex
What is the function of the Spinal Accessory nerve? - (ANSWER)Shoulder shrugging
What does the Hypoglossal nerve control? - (ANSWER)Movement of the tongue
When is lymph node swelling considered significant? - (ANSWER)If it is greater than 1 cm in the
supraclavicular fossa
What does tenderness in lymph nodes indicate? - (ANSWER)Possible infection
What is the prevalence of substance detection for Alcohol? - (ANSWER)7-12 hours
How long can Amphetamines be detected in urine? - (ANSWER)Up to 2 days
What is the detection period for Cocaine? - (ANSWER)8 hours, metabolites in 2-4 days
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
What is the first step in the assessment process? - (ANSWER)Gather the chief complaint and history
information before treatment.
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.
,BARKLEY PMHNP REVIEW 2026/2027 ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
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.
,BARKLEY PMHNP REVIEW 2026/2027 ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
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? - (ANSWER)Olfactory nerve.
What cranial nerve controls vision? - (ANSWER)Optic nerve.
What is the significance of lymph node size in assessment? - (ANSWER)Lymph nodes <2cm are usually
insignificant, but >1cm in supraclavicular fossa is significant.
What is the function of the Olfactory nerve? - (ANSWER)Smell
What is the primary function of the Optic nerve? - (ANSWER)Vision
What does the Oculomotor nerve control? - (ANSWER)Opening eyelids
What movement does the Trochlear nerve facilitate? - (ANSWER)Down and inward eye movement
, BARKLEY PMHNP REVIEW 2026/2027 ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
What are the functions of the Trigeminal nerve? - (ANSWER)Jaw muscle control and sensation on the
face
What is the role of the Abducens nerve? - (ANSWER)Lateral eye movement
What does the Facial nerve control? - (ANSWER)Movement of the face, saliva, and tear secretion
What are the functions of the Acoustic nerve? - (ANSWER)Hearing and balance
What reflexes are associated with the Glossopharyngeal nerve? - (ANSWER)Gag reflex and swallowing
What functions does the Vagus nerve serve? - (ANSWER)Talking and carotid reflex
What is the function of the Spinal Accessory nerve? - (ANSWER)Shoulder shrugging
What does the Hypoglossal nerve control? - (ANSWER)Movement of the tongue
When is lymph node swelling considered significant? - (ANSWER)If it is greater than 1 cm in the
supraclavicular fossa
What does tenderness in lymph nodes indicate? - (ANSWER)Possible infection
What is the prevalence of substance detection for Alcohol? - (ANSWER)7-12 hours
How long can Amphetamines be detected in urine? - (ANSWER)Up to 2 days
What is the detection period for Cocaine? - (ANSWER)8 hours, metabolites in 2-4 days
