HESI Dosage Calculations Practice Questions:
Comprehensive Nursing Math Review with Step-by-Step
Solutions
Introduction
This study resource provides comprehensive HESI Dosage Calculations Practice Questions designed
to help nursing students strengthen their medication-calculation and clinical math skills. The practice
covers essential areas such as dosage formulas, metric conversions, oral and injectable medications, IV
flow rates, dimensional analysis, and safe medication administration calculations.
The questions are suitable for nursing students preparing for the HESI exam, nursing school dosage-
calculation tests, medication-math assessments, and clinical preparation. Working through these
practice problems can help students improve calculation accuracy, confidence, critical thinking, and
familiarity with common nursing dosage-calculation question formats.
Question an answer
A client with cardiogenic shock weighs 220 lb and is receiving dopamine at the rate of 3 mcg/kg/minute.
The solution strength available is dopamine 400 mg in 250 ml of D5W. The nurse should set the infusion
pump to deliver how many ml/hour? (Enter numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the
nearest tenth.) CORRECT ANSWER11.3
First, convert pounds to kg, 220 lb : X = 2.2 lb : 1 kg = 100 kg. Next, calculate the dosage per minute, 3
mcg/kg/min x 100 kg = 300 mcg/min. Convert mcg/min to mcg/hour, 300 mcg/min x 60 min=18,000
mcg/hour. Convert mcg/hr to mg/hour, 18,000 mcg/hr = 18.0 mg/hour. Calculate the rate, 400 mg : 250 ml
= 18 mg : X ml 400X = 4500 X = 11.25 = 11.3 ml. So, 18 mg/11.3 ml should be infused at 11.3 ml/hour.
, A client with hypertension who weighs 72.4 kg is receiving an infusion of nitroprusside (Nipride) 50 mg in
D5W 250
A client who weighs 176 pounds is receiving an IV infusion with esmolol hydrochloride (Brevibloc) at 48
ml/hour. The IV solution is labeled with the concentration of Brevibloc 10 mg/ml. How many
mcg/kg/minute is the client receiving? (Enter numeric value only.) CORRECT ANSWER100
Convert pounds to kg by dividing 176 pounds by 2.2 pounds = 80 kg. Convert the IV concentration from
mg to mcg. 1 mg : 1000 mcg :: 10 mg : 10,000 mcg. Infusion rate (48 ml/hour) x concentration (10,000
mcg/ml) divided by 60 minutes/hour x 80 kg = 48 x 10,000 divided by 60 x 80 = 480, = 100
mcg/kg/minute.
The nurse is preparing the change-of-shift report for a client who has a 265 ml secondary infusion that
was started 2 hours ago at a rate of 85 ml/hour via an infusion pump. The nurse should report that how
many ml remain to be infused by the on-coming nurse? (Enter numeric value only.) CORRECT
ANSWER95
85 ml x 2 hours = 170 ml has infused. 265 ml (total amount to be infused) - 170 ml (amount infused) = 95
ml remain to be infused.
A male client receives a prescription for ondansetron hydrochloride (Zofran) 4 mg IV to prevent
postoperative nausea after an inguinal hernia repair. The medication is available in 2 mg/ml. How many
ml should the nurse administer? (Enter numeric value only.) CORRECT ANSWER2
Use ratio and proportion, 4 mg : X ml = 2 mg : 1 ml 2X = 4 X = 2
The nurse is preparing to administer Hepatitis B Vaccine, Recombinant (Energix-B) 5 mcg IM to a school-
aged child. The vaccine is labeled, 10 mcg/ml. How many ml should the nurse administer? (Enter
numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth). CORRECT ANSWER1 or 0.5
Use ratio and proportion, 5 mcg : X ml :: 10 mcg : 1ml
10X = 5 X = 0.5 ml
A client's daily PO prescription for aripiprazole (Abilify) is increased from 15 mg to 30 mg. The medication
is available in 15 mg tablets, and the client already received one tablet today. How many additional
Comprehensive Nursing Math Review with Step-by-Step
Solutions
Introduction
This study resource provides comprehensive HESI Dosage Calculations Practice Questions designed
to help nursing students strengthen their medication-calculation and clinical math skills. The practice
covers essential areas such as dosage formulas, metric conversions, oral and injectable medications, IV
flow rates, dimensional analysis, and safe medication administration calculations.
The questions are suitable for nursing students preparing for the HESI exam, nursing school dosage-
calculation tests, medication-math assessments, and clinical preparation. Working through these
practice problems can help students improve calculation accuracy, confidence, critical thinking, and
familiarity with common nursing dosage-calculation question formats.
Question an answer
A client with cardiogenic shock weighs 220 lb and is receiving dopamine at the rate of 3 mcg/kg/minute.
The solution strength available is dopamine 400 mg in 250 ml of D5W. The nurse should set the infusion
pump to deliver how many ml/hour? (Enter numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the
nearest tenth.) CORRECT ANSWER11.3
First, convert pounds to kg, 220 lb : X = 2.2 lb : 1 kg = 100 kg. Next, calculate the dosage per minute, 3
mcg/kg/min x 100 kg = 300 mcg/min. Convert mcg/min to mcg/hour, 300 mcg/min x 60 min=18,000
mcg/hour. Convert mcg/hr to mg/hour, 18,000 mcg/hr = 18.0 mg/hour. Calculate the rate, 400 mg : 250 ml
= 18 mg : X ml 400X = 4500 X = 11.25 = 11.3 ml. So, 18 mg/11.3 ml should be infused at 11.3 ml/hour.
, A client with hypertension who weighs 72.4 kg is receiving an infusion of nitroprusside (Nipride) 50 mg in
D5W 250
A client who weighs 176 pounds is receiving an IV infusion with esmolol hydrochloride (Brevibloc) at 48
ml/hour. The IV solution is labeled with the concentration of Brevibloc 10 mg/ml. How many
mcg/kg/minute is the client receiving? (Enter numeric value only.) CORRECT ANSWER100
Convert pounds to kg by dividing 176 pounds by 2.2 pounds = 80 kg. Convert the IV concentration from
mg to mcg. 1 mg : 1000 mcg :: 10 mg : 10,000 mcg. Infusion rate (48 ml/hour) x concentration (10,000
mcg/ml) divided by 60 minutes/hour x 80 kg = 48 x 10,000 divided by 60 x 80 = 480, = 100
mcg/kg/minute.
The nurse is preparing the change-of-shift report for a client who has a 265 ml secondary infusion that
was started 2 hours ago at a rate of 85 ml/hour via an infusion pump. The nurse should report that how
many ml remain to be infused by the on-coming nurse? (Enter numeric value only.) CORRECT
ANSWER95
85 ml x 2 hours = 170 ml has infused. 265 ml (total amount to be infused) - 170 ml (amount infused) = 95
ml remain to be infused.
A male client receives a prescription for ondansetron hydrochloride (Zofran) 4 mg IV to prevent
postoperative nausea after an inguinal hernia repair. The medication is available in 2 mg/ml. How many
ml should the nurse administer? (Enter numeric value only.) CORRECT ANSWER2
Use ratio and proportion, 4 mg : X ml = 2 mg : 1 ml 2X = 4 X = 2
The nurse is preparing to administer Hepatitis B Vaccine, Recombinant (Energix-B) 5 mcg IM to a school-
aged child. The vaccine is labeled, 10 mcg/ml. How many ml should the nurse administer? (Enter
numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth). CORRECT ANSWER1 or 0.5
Use ratio and proportion, 5 mcg : X ml :: 10 mcg : 1ml
10X = 5 X = 0.5 ml
A client's daily PO prescription for aripiprazole (Abilify) is increased from 15 mg to 30 mg. The medication
is available in 15 mg tablets, and the client already received one tablet today. How many additional
