NSG 3160 / NSG3160 Exam 2 – Health Assessment
(2026/2027 Update)
200 Practice Questions with Answers & In-Depth Rationales
Galen College of Nursing – Verified Content
SECTION 1: MENTAL STATUS ASSESSMENT
Question 1
A nurse is assessing a patient's mental status. Which of the following best defines
mental status?
A) The patient's level of consciousness and orientation to person, place, and time
B) The patient's emotional and cognitive function, including mood, affect, and thought
processes
C) The patient's ability to perform activities of daily living independently
D) The patient's physical appearance and grooming habits
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Mental status is defined as a person's emotional and cognitive function,
encompassing mood, affect, behavior, thought processes, and intellectual capacity .
Option A describes only orientation, which is one component but not the complete
definition. Option C describes functional status, and Option D describes appearance,
which is part of the mental status examination but not the complete definition. The
mental status assessment includes the A, B, C, and T components: Appearance, Behavior,
Cognition, and Thought processes .
,Question 2
The components of the mental health assessment are represented by the acronym:
A) A, B, C, T (Appearance, Behavior, Cognition, Thought)
B) A, B, C, D (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability)
C) P, Q, R, S, T (Provocation, Quality, Radiation, Severity, Time)
D) A, B, C (Appearance, Behavior, Communication)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The mental health assessment is organized using the ABC-T framework:
Appearance (grooming, dress, posture), Behavior (level of consciousness, motor activity,
speech), Cognition (orientation, memory, attention), and Thought (content, process,
perception, insight, judgment) . Option B describes the primary assessment for
emergency situations. Option C describes the pain assessment mnemonic. Option D is
incomplete and does not include cognition or thought processes.
Question 3
A nurse is assessing a patient's level of consciousness. The patient responds only to loud
shouting and vigorous shaking but drifts back to sleep when stimulation stops. This level
of consciousness is best described as:
A) Lethargic
B) Obtunded
C) Stuporous
D) Comatose
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Obtunded is a state in which the patient can be awakened with loud
shouting or vigorous shaking but remains drowsy and returns to sleep when stimulation
stops . Lethargic patients are drowsy but respond appropriately to verbal stimuli.
Stuporous patients respond only to painful stimuli. Comatose patients have no response
to any stimuli. Accurate assessment of level of consciousness is essential because LOC is
the most sensitive indicator of neurological status .
,Question 4
A patient demonstrates difficulty producing speech but appears to understand spoken
language. This finding is consistent with:
A) Wernicke's aphasia
B) Global aphasia
C) Broca's aphasia
D) Receptive aphasia
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Broca's aphasia, also known as expressive aphasia, is characterized by
difficulty producing speech while comprehension remains intact . The patient knows
what they want to say but cannot express it verbally. Wernicke's aphasia (receptive
aphasia) is characterized by difficulty understanding language, with speech that may be
fluent but meaningless . Global aphasia involves both expressive and receptive deficits.
Differentiating between these types of aphasia is important for identifying the location
of neurological damage.
Question 5
A nurse is assessing a patient's recent memory. Which of the following questions is most
appropriate?
A) "What is your full name and date of birth?"
B) "What did you eat for breakfast this morning?"
C) "Who is the current president of the United States?"
D) "What year were you born?"
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Recent memory is assessed by asking about events from the past 24 hours,
such as what the patient ate for breakfast or the sequence of events that occurred
earlier in the day . Remote memory is assessed by asking about childhood events,
historical facts, or personal history such as date of birth or birthplace. Immediate
memory is assessed by asking the patient to repeat three unrelated words. Asking about
the current president assesses orientation to time, not memory.
, Question 6
To assess new learning and memory retention, the nurse asks the patient to recall four
unrelated words. The nurse should ask for recall at which intervals?
A) 5 and 10 minutes
B) 10 and 30 minutes
C) 15 and 60 minutes
D) 1 and 2 hours
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The four unrelated words test evaluates new learning and memory retention.
After presenting four unrelated words, the nurse should ask for recall after 5 minutes
initially, then at 10 and 30 minutes . This tests encoding and delayed recall, which can be
impaired in dementia. Deficit in new learning is a hallmark of cognitive impairment, and
the ability to recall words at 10 and 30 minutes provides important information about
memory consolidation.
Question 7
A patient is convinced they have a serious, undiagnosed illness despite repeated normal
examinations and test results. This best describes:
A) Somatic symptom disorder
B) Conversion disorder
C) Illness anxiety disorder (hypochondriasis)
D) Factitious disorder
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Illness anxiety disorder, formerly known as hypochondriasis, is characterized
by a morbid fear of having or acquiring a serious illness, with minimal or absent somatic
symptoms . The patient is preoccupied with the belief that they have a disease despite
medical reassurance. Somatic symptom disorder involves distressing physical symptoms.
Factitious disorder involves intentional feigning of illness. Conversion disorder involves
neurological symptoms without a medical explanation.
(2026/2027 Update)
200 Practice Questions with Answers & In-Depth Rationales
Galen College of Nursing – Verified Content
SECTION 1: MENTAL STATUS ASSESSMENT
Question 1
A nurse is assessing a patient's mental status. Which of the following best defines
mental status?
A) The patient's level of consciousness and orientation to person, place, and time
B) The patient's emotional and cognitive function, including mood, affect, and thought
processes
C) The patient's ability to perform activities of daily living independently
D) The patient's physical appearance and grooming habits
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Mental status is defined as a person's emotional and cognitive function,
encompassing mood, affect, behavior, thought processes, and intellectual capacity .
Option A describes only orientation, which is one component but not the complete
definition. Option C describes functional status, and Option D describes appearance,
which is part of the mental status examination but not the complete definition. The
mental status assessment includes the A, B, C, and T components: Appearance, Behavior,
Cognition, and Thought processes .
,Question 2
The components of the mental health assessment are represented by the acronym:
A) A, B, C, T (Appearance, Behavior, Cognition, Thought)
B) A, B, C, D (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability)
C) P, Q, R, S, T (Provocation, Quality, Radiation, Severity, Time)
D) A, B, C (Appearance, Behavior, Communication)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The mental health assessment is organized using the ABC-T framework:
Appearance (grooming, dress, posture), Behavior (level of consciousness, motor activity,
speech), Cognition (orientation, memory, attention), and Thought (content, process,
perception, insight, judgment) . Option B describes the primary assessment for
emergency situations. Option C describes the pain assessment mnemonic. Option D is
incomplete and does not include cognition or thought processes.
Question 3
A nurse is assessing a patient's level of consciousness. The patient responds only to loud
shouting and vigorous shaking but drifts back to sleep when stimulation stops. This level
of consciousness is best described as:
A) Lethargic
B) Obtunded
C) Stuporous
D) Comatose
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Obtunded is a state in which the patient can be awakened with loud
shouting or vigorous shaking but remains drowsy and returns to sleep when stimulation
stops . Lethargic patients are drowsy but respond appropriately to verbal stimuli.
Stuporous patients respond only to painful stimuli. Comatose patients have no response
to any stimuli. Accurate assessment of level of consciousness is essential because LOC is
the most sensitive indicator of neurological status .
,Question 4
A patient demonstrates difficulty producing speech but appears to understand spoken
language. This finding is consistent with:
A) Wernicke's aphasia
B) Global aphasia
C) Broca's aphasia
D) Receptive aphasia
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Broca's aphasia, also known as expressive aphasia, is characterized by
difficulty producing speech while comprehension remains intact . The patient knows
what they want to say but cannot express it verbally. Wernicke's aphasia (receptive
aphasia) is characterized by difficulty understanding language, with speech that may be
fluent but meaningless . Global aphasia involves both expressive and receptive deficits.
Differentiating between these types of aphasia is important for identifying the location
of neurological damage.
Question 5
A nurse is assessing a patient's recent memory. Which of the following questions is most
appropriate?
A) "What is your full name and date of birth?"
B) "What did you eat for breakfast this morning?"
C) "Who is the current president of the United States?"
D) "What year were you born?"
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Recent memory is assessed by asking about events from the past 24 hours,
such as what the patient ate for breakfast or the sequence of events that occurred
earlier in the day . Remote memory is assessed by asking about childhood events,
historical facts, or personal history such as date of birth or birthplace. Immediate
memory is assessed by asking the patient to repeat three unrelated words. Asking about
the current president assesses orientation to time, not memory.
, Question 6
To assess new learning and memory retention, the nurse asks the patient to recall four
unrelated words. The nurse should ask for recall at which intervals?
A) 5 and 10 minutes
B) 10 and 30 minutes
C) 15 and 60 minutes
D) 1 and 2 hours
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The four unrelated words test evaluates new learning and memory retention.
After presenting four unrelated words, the nurse should ask for recall after 5 minutes
initially, then at 10 and 30 minutes . This tests encoding and delayed recall, which can be
impaired in dementia. Deficit in new learning is a hallmark of cognitive impairment, and
the ability to recall words at 10 and 30 minutes provides important information about
memory consolidation.
Question 7
A patient is convinced they have a serious, undiagnosed illness despite repeated normal
examinations and test results. This best describes:
A) Somatic symptom disorder
B) Conversion disorder
C) Illness anxiety disorder (hypochondriasis)
D) Factitious disorder
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Illness anxiety disorder, formerly known as hypochondriasis, is characterized
by a morbid fear of having or acquiring a serious illness, with minimal or absent somatic
symptoms . The patient is preoccupied with the belief that they have a disease despite
medical reassurance. Somatic symptom disorder involves distressing physical symptoms.
Factitious disorder involves intentional feigning of illness. Conversion disorder involves
neurological symptoms without a medical explanation.
