Bobby Kauk SOAP Note Assessment Clinical Reasoning Exam
Actual Exam 2026/2027 – Complete 30 NCLEX-Style Questions
with Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass Guaranteed – A+
Graded
SECTION A: Subjective Data – History & Chief Complaint (Q1–Q5)
Q1: A student nurse is sorting data collected on Bobby Kauk, a 52-year-old patient
admitted with respiratory complaints. Which entry belongs in the Subjective (S) portion
of the SOAP note?
A. "Oxygen saturation 92% on room air"
B. "Patient reports a productive cough for 3 days with yellow-green sputum" [CORRECT]
C. "Coarse crackles auscultated in the right lower lobe"
D. "Oral temperature 38.9°C at 0800"
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Subjective data are symptoms and perceptions reported by the patient that
cannot be verified by the examiner. Oxygen saturation, crackles, and temperature are
measurable, observable findings documented in the Objective (O) section.
Q2: At triage, Bobby gestures to his sternum and says, "It feels like an elephant is sitting
on my chest every time I breathe—it started about 3 days ago." Which documentation of
the chief complaint is most accurate?
A. "CC: Chest heaviness with breathing × 3 days; patient describes it as 'an elephant
sitting on my chest.'" [CORRECT]
B. "CC: Possible community-acquired pneumonia."
C. "CC: Patient is dramatic about his breathing."
D. "CC: Respiratory distress."
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The chief complaint should be a brief statement in the patient's own words,
including duration. Option B states a premature diagnosis (which belongs in
Assessment), C is judgmental, and D is a vague interpretation rather than the patient's
report.
, Q3: The nurse is eliciting the history of present illness (HPI) for Bobby's cough using the
OLDCARTS framework. Which question best addresses the aggravating/relieving
factors and severity components of the HPI?
A. "What makes the cough better or worse, and how would you rate its severity from 0 to
10?" [CORRECT]
B. "Did either of your parents have lung disease?"
C. "Do you have an advance directive on file?"
D. "What is your typical daily fluid intake?"
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: OLDCARTS explores onset, location, duration, character, aggravating/relieving
factors, timing, and severity; this question targets those elements directly. Family
history, advance directives, and dietary intake belong to other history sections, not
symptom characterization.
Q4: Bobby states he takes "a water pill and a small white pill for my sugar" but cannot
recall the names, doses, or schedule. Which nursing action best ensures an accurate
medication history for the SOAP note?
A. Document "takes two pills daily" and move on
B. Assume the white pill is metformin and document it as such
C. Ask Bobby to bring in all medication containers and verify each drug's name, dose,
route, and frequency [CORRECT]
D. Omit medications because they are unrelated to the chief complaint
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Medication reconciliation requires verification of names, doses, routes, and
frequencies, ideally using the containers or pharmacy records. Documenting vague
data, guessing drug names, or omitting medications creates documentation errors and
safety risks.
Q5: Bobby reports smoking "about a pack a day since I was 22" and drinking "a couple
of beers on weekends." How should the nurse document the smoking history?
A. "Patient is a heavy smoker."
B. "Smoking history: approximately 30 pack-years." [CORRECT]
C. "Patient should really quit smoking."
D. "Denies tobacco use."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Pack-years (packs per day × years smoked: 1 × 30 = 30 pack-years) provide a
precise, quantified measure of tobacco exposure. Terms like "heavy smoker" are vague
and judgmental, and "denies tobacco use" is factually inaccurate.
Actual Exam 2026/2027 – Complete 30 NCLEX-Style Questions
with Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass Guaranteed – A+
Graded
SECTION A: Subjective Data – History & Chief Complaint (Q1–Q5)
Q1: A student nurse is sorting data collected on Bobby Kauk, a 52-year-old patient
admitted with respiratory complaints. Which entry belongs in the Subjective (S) portion
of the SOAP note?
A. "Oxygen saturation 92% on room air"
B. "Patient reports a productive cough for 3 days with yellow-green sputum" [CORRECT]
C. "Coarse crackles auscultated in the right lower lobe"
D. "Oral temperature 38.9°C at 0800"
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Subjective data are symptoms and perceptions reported by the patient that
cannot be verified by the examiner. Oxygen saturation, crackles, and temperature are
measurable, observable findings documented in the Objective (O) section.
Q2: At triage, Bobby gestures to his sternum and says, "It feels like an elephant is sitting
on my chest every time I breathe—it started about 3 days ago." Which documentation of
the chief complaint is most accurate?
A. "CC: Chest heaviness with breathing × 3 days; patient describes it as 'an elephant
sitting on my chest.'" [CORRECT]
B. "CC: Possible community-acquired pneumonia."
C. "CC: Patient is dramatic about his breathing."
D. "CC: Respiratory distress."
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The chief complaint should be a brief statement in the patient's own words,
including duration. Option B states a premature diagnosis (which belongs in
Assessment), C is judgmental, and D is a vague interpretation rather than the patient's
report.
, Q3: The nurse is eliciting the history of present illness (HPI) for Bobby's cough using the
OLDCARTS framework. Which question best addresses the aggravating/relieving
factors and severity components of the HPI?
A. "What makes the cough better or worse, and how would you rate its severity from 0 to
10?" [CORRECT]
B. "Did either of your parents have lung disease?"
C. "Do you have an advance directive on file?"
D. "What is your typical daily fluid intake?"
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: OLDCARTS explores onset, location, duration, character, aggravating/relieving
factors, timing, and severity; this question targets those elements directly. Family
history, advance directives, and dietary intake belong to other history sections, not
symptom characterization.
Q4: Bobby states he takes "a water pill and a small white pill for my sugar" but cannot
recall the names, doses, or schedule. Which nursing action best ensures an accurate
medication history for the SOAP note?
A. Document "takes two pills daily" and move on
B. Assume the white pill is metformin and document it as such
C. Ask Bobby to bring in all medication containers and verify each drug's name, dose,
route, and frequency [CORRECT]
D. Omit medications because they are unrelated to the chief complaint
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Medication reconciliation requires verification of names, doses, routes, and
frequencies, ideally using the containers or pharmacy records. Documenting vague
data, guessing drug names, or omitting medications creates documentation errors and
safety risks.
Q5: Bobby reports smoking "about a pack a day since I was 22" and drinking "a couple
of beers on weekends." How should the nurse document the smoking history?
A. "Patient is a heavy smoker."
B. "Smoking history: approximately 30 pack-years." [CORRECT]
C. "Patient should really quit smoking."
D. "Denies tobacco use."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Pack-years (packs per day × years smoked: 1 × 30 = 30 pack-years) provide a
precise, quantified measure of tobacco exposure. Terms like "heavy smoker" are vague
and judgmental, and "denies tobacco use" is factually inaccurate.
