NSG3160 Exam 2 – Health Assessment
(2026/2027 Update)
Complete Practice Questions & Rationales (1-300)
Exam Overview & Quick Facts
Feature Details
Course NSG 3160 – Health Assessment
Institution Galen College of Nursing
Exam Exam 2
Academic Year 2026/2027
Format Multiple-choice questions with rationales
Section 1: Mental Status Assessment (Questions 1-40)
Question 1
Mental status is defined as:
A. The patient's conscious, mood, and affect
B. General intelligence
C. A patient's emotional and cognitive function
D. The patient's perception
,*Correct Answer: C. *
Rationale: Mental status encompasses a patient's emotional and cognitive
functioning, including their level of consciousness, language, mood, affect,
and thought processes.
Question 2
A mental disorder is best defined as:
A. Presence of phobia
B. A lack of rational thought and abstract reasoning
C. Extreme behavior that is usually associated with stress
D. Remote memory from years ago may be impacted
*Correct Answer: C. *
Rationale: A mental disorder is characterized by clinically significant
disturbances in thoughts, emotions, or behaviors that are typically associated
with stress, dysfunction, or distress.
Question 3
The "A, B, C, and T" of the mental health assessment stands for:
A. Attitude, behavior, cleanliness, talk/speech
B. Appearance, behavior, cognition, and thought
C. Airway, breathing, circulation
D. Ability, beliefs, culture, traditions
*Correct Answer: B. *
,Rationale: The A, B, C, and T of mental health assessment include
Appearance, Behavior, Cognition, and Thought processes. These four
components provide a comprehensive evaluation of a patient's mental status.
Question 4
Which of the following best describes a patient's appearance?
A. Posture is erect and body movement is voluntary
B. Patient is oriented x3
C. Patient is awake, alert, and aware and responds appropriately
D. GAD score > 3
*Correct Answer: A. *
Rationale: Appearance includes physical characteristics such as posture, body
movements, dress, grooming, and hygiene. Erect posture and voluntary
movements indicate normal appearance.
Question 5
One method a nurse can use to assess recent memory is:
A. Assess a patient's ability to complete a thought without wandering
B. Ask patient for a 24-hour diet recall
C. Ask about patient's first job
D. Perform 4 unrelated words test
*Correct Answer: B. *
Rationale: Asking for a 24-hour diet recall assesses recent memory. This tests
the ability to remember events that occurred within the past 24 hours.
Remote memory is assessed by asking about past events like first job.
, Question 6
Recent memory deficit can occur with which conditions?
A. Delirium and dementia
B. Depression only
C. Anxiety disorders
D. Personality disorders
*Correct Answer: A. *
Rationale: Recent memory deficits are commonly seen in both delirium and
dementia. Delirium causes acute, fluctuating memory impairment, while
dementia causes progressive memory decline.
Question 7
A nurse can assess a patient's attention span by:
A. Giving a series of directions to follow and noting the correct
sequence performed
B. Asking the patient to recall a 24-hour diet
C. Asking about the patient's first job
D. Performing a 4 unrelated words test
*Correct Answer: A. *
Rationale: Attention span is assessed by giving the patient a series of
directions to follow and noting whether they can perform the correct
sequence. This evaluates the ability to focus and sustain attention.
(2026/2027 Update)
Complete Practice Questions & Rationales (1-300)
Exam Overview & Quick Facts
Feature Details
Course NSG 3160 – Health Assessment
Institution Galen College of Nursing
Exam Exam 2
Academic Year 2026/2027
Format Multiple-choice questions with rationales
Section 1: Mental Status Assessment (Questions 1-40)
Question 1
Mental status is defined as:
A. The patient's conscious, mood, and affect
B. General intelligence
C. A patient's emotional and cognitive function
D. The patient's perception
,*Correct Answer: C. *
Rationale: Mental status encompasses a patient's emotional and cognitive
functioning, including their level of consciousness, language, mood, affect,
and thought processes.
Question 2
A mental disorder is best defined as:
A. Presence of phobia
B. A lack of rational thought and abstract reasoning
C. Extreme behavior that is usually associated with stress
D. Remote memory from years ago may be impacted
*Correct Answer: C. *
Rationale: A mental disorder is characterized by clinically significant
disturbances in thoughts, emotions, or behaviors that are typically associated
with stress, dysfunction, or distress.
Question 3
The "A, B, C, and T" of the mental health assessment stands for:
A. Attitude, behavior, cleanliness, talk/speech
B. Appearance, behavior, cognition, and thought
C. Airway, breathing, circulation
D. Ability, beliefs, culture, traditions
*Correct Answer: B. *
,Rationale: The A, B, C, and T of mental health assessment include
Appearance, Behavior, Cognition, and Thought processes. These four
components provide a comprehensive evaluation of a patient's mental status.
Question 4
Which of the following best describes a patient's appearance?
A. Posture is erect and body movement is voluntary
B. Patient is oriented x3
C. Patient is awake, alert, and aware and responds appropriately
D. GAD score > 3
*Correct Answer: A. *
Rationale: Appearance includes physical characteristics such as posture, body
movements, dress, grooming, and hygiene. Erect posture and voluntary
movements indicate normal appearance.
Question 5
One method a nurse can use to assess recent memory is:
A. Assess a patient's ability to complete a thought without wandering
B. Ask patient for a 24-hour diet recall
C. Ask about patient's first job
D. Perform 4 unrelated words test
*Correct Answer: B. *
Rationale: Asking for a 24-hour diet recall assesses recent memory. This tests
the ability to remember events that occurred within the past 24 hours.
Remote memory is assessed by asking about past events like first job.
, Question 6
Recent memory deficit can occur with which conditions?
A. Delirium and dementia
B. Depression only
C. Anxiety disorders
D. Personality disorders
*Correct Answer: A. *
Rationale: Recent memory deficits are commonly seen in both delirium and
dementia. Delirium causes acute, fluctuating memory impairment, while
dementia causes progressive memory decline.
Question 7
A nurse can assess a patient's attention span by:
A. Giving a series of directions to follow and noting the correct
sequence performed
B. Asking the patient to recall a 24-hour diet
C. Asking about the patient's first job
D. Performing a 4 unrelated words test
*Correct Answer: A. *
Rationale: Attention span is assessed by giving the patient a series of
directions to follow and noting whether they can perform the correct
sequence. This evaluates the ability to focus and sustain attention.
