GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING
NUR 256
MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
EXAMS 1, 2, 3 & 4 COMBINED
FALL 2026 | COMPREHENSIVE SOURCE-BASED PRACTICE EXAM
120 multiple-choice questions | Four options per question (A-D)
Exam 1: 30 questions • Exam 2: 30 questions
Exam 3: 30 questions • Exam 4: 30 questions
Instructions: Choose one best answer for each question. Each question is worth one practice point (120
points total). Correct answers and explanatory rationales appear after all four exams.
Name: Date:
,GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | NUR 256 | FALL 2026
EXAM 1 | QUESTIONS 1-30
Choose one best answer (A-D) for each question. Answers appear after Exam 4.
1. Why do the notes caution against relying on an untrained acquaintance to interpret
a sensitive psychiatric interview?
A. The interpreter may omit, reinterpret, or disclose sensitive information
B. The patient’s spoken language is unrelated to assessment
C. A translated interview eliminates cultural factors
D. Untrained interpreters always improve confidentiality
2. A young child has difficulty explaining emotional distress. Which approach is
specifically recommended in the uploaded notes?
A. Avoid observing the child’s behavior
B. Provide drawing, storytelling, or therapeutic play opportunities
C. Require an uninterrupted adult-style interview
D. Ask only questions answered with yes or no
3. A community lacks reliable clean water, safe streets, and nearby health facilities.
Which category of influence best explains the mental health risk?
A. The nurse-patient termination phase
B. A patient’s refusal of medication
C. The DSM diagnostic criteria
D. Environmental conditions and access to basic services
4. Which circumstance may justify a necessary safety-related disclosure of otherwise
confidential information according to the review?
A. A nurse’s curiosity about a famous client
B. A coworker’s interest in reviewing the chart
C. A family member’s request without authorization
D. An immediate, credible danger to the patient or another person
5. Which activity exemplifies a QSEN competency listed in the material?
A. Avoiding quality improvement methods
B. Ignoring patient preferences in care planning
C. Collaborating with the interdisciplinary care team
D. Rejecting informatics in clinical care
Page 2
,GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | NUR 256 | FALL 2026
6. A competent psychiatric patient asks about declining a proposed treatment. Which
right should guide the nurse’s response?
A. The exclusion of informed consent
B. The right to refuse treatment
C. An automatic loss of privacy after admission
D. A duty to agree with every prescription
7. Before planning psychiatric interventions, which action is central to the initial
assessment?
A. Establish rapport and evaluate current problems and safety risk
B. Document only the medication name
C. Skip a mental status examination
D. Avoid baseline physical findings
8. Which history detail belongs under biological risk influences during a psychiatric
assessment?
A. The availability of a community support group
B. Participation in a coping-skills workshop
C. A therapeutic interview using reflection
D. Prenatal exposure to alcohol
9. Before first meeting a patient, a nurse reviews the chart and reflects on personal
reactions. Which phase of Peplau’s relationship model is this?
A. Preorientation
B. Working
C. Orientation
D. Termination
10. The nurse identifies family exposure to substance misuse and persistent negative
thinking. How should these findings be categorized?
A. Examples of beneficial therapeutic rapport
B. Evidence that psychiatric diagnosis is impossible
C. Risk factors for mental health problems
D. Indicators of the termination phase
Page 3
, GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | NUR 256 | FALL 2026
11. A client cannot regularly obtain food or mental health services because of financial
constraints. Which factor is most directly affecting mental well-being?
A. Therapeutic silence
B. Transference toward health workers
C. Socioeconomic access to essential resources
D. Age-related memory change
12. A patient gives a lengthy account of feeling overwhelmed. The nurse says, “You
seem to be carrying several worries at once.” Which technique is demonstrated?
A. Giving personal advice
B. Confrontational questioning
C. False reassurance
D. Paraphrasing
13. The nurse observes the patient’s expression and says, “You look sad when you
mention that event.” Which technique is being used?
A. Countertransference
B. Providing an unsupported diagnosis
C. Deflecting the conversation
D. Reflecting an observed feeling
14. Which finding is objective data during a mental status and physical assessment?
A. The patient’s unverified report of feeling lonely
B. An observed level of consciousness
C. A family member’s interpretation of a dream
D. The patient’s stated preference for a hobby
15. A child living with adversity consistently seeks assistance from a trusted adult and
manages distressing emotions. What strength is demonstrated?
A. Resilience
B. False imprisonment
C. Countertransference
D. Stigma
Page 4
NUR 256
MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
EXAMS 1, 2, 3 & 4 COMBINED
FALL 2026 | COMPREHENSIVE SOURCE-BASED PRACTICE EXAM
120 multiple-choice questions | Four options per question (A-D)
Exam 1: 30 questions • Exam 2: 30 questions
Exam 3: 30 questions • Exam 4: 30 questions
Instructions: Choose one best answer for each question. Each question is worth one practice point (120
points total). Correct answers and explanatory rationales appear after all four exams.
Name: Date:
,GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | NUR 256 | FALL 2026
EXAM 1 | QUESTIONS 1-30
Choose one best answer (A-D) for each question. Answers appear after Exam 4.
1. Why do the notes caution against relying on an untrained acquaintance to interpret
a sensitive psychiatric interview?
A. The interpreter may omit, reinterpret, or disclose sensitive information
B. The patient’s spoken language is unrelated to assessment
C. A translated interview eliminates cultural factors
D. Untrained interpreters always improve confidentiality
2. A young child has difficulty explaining emotional distress. Which approach is
specifically recommended in the uploaded notes?
A. Avoid observing the child’s behavior
B. Provide drawing, storytelling, or therapeutic play opportunities
C. Require an uninterrupted adult-style interview
D. Ask only questions answered with yes or no
3. A community lacks reliable clean water, safe streets, and nearby health facilities.
Which category of influence best explains the mental health risk?
A. The nurse-patient termination phase
B. A patient’s refusal of medication
C. The DSM diagnostic criteria
D. Environmental conditions and access to basic services
4. Which circumstance may justify a necessary safety-related disclosure of otherwise
confidential information according to the review?
A. A nurse’s curiosity about a famous client
B. A coworker’s interest in reviewing the chart
C. A family member’s request without authorization
D. An immediate, credible danger to the patient or another person
5. Which activity exemplifies a QSEN competency listed in the material?
A. Avoiding quality improvement methods
B. Ignoring patient preferences in care planning
C. Collaborating with the interdisciplinary care team
D. Rejecting informatics in clinical care
Page 2
,GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | NUR 256 | FALL 2026
6. A competent psychiatric patient asks about declining a proposed treatment. Which
right should guide the nurse’s response?
A. The exclusion of informed consent
B. The right to refuse treatment
C. An automatic loss of privacy after admission
D. A duty to agree with every prescription
7. Before planning psychiatric interventions, which action is central to the initial
assessment?
A. Establish rapport and evaluate current problems and safety risk
B. Document only the medication name
C. Skip a mental status examination
D. Avoid baseline physical findings
8. Which history detail belongs under biological risk influences during a psychiatric
assessment?
A. The availability of a community support group
B. Participation in a coping-skills workshop
C. A therapeutic interview using reflection
D. Prenatal exposure to alcohol
9. Before first meeting a patient, a nurse reviews the chart and reflects on personal
reactions. Which phase of Peplau’s relationship model is this?
A. Preorientation
B. Working
C. Orientation
D. Termination
10. The nurse identifies family exposure to substance misuse and persistent negative
thinking. How should these findings be categorized?
A. Examples of beneficial therapeutic rapport
B. Evidence that psychiatric diagnosis is impossible
C. Risk factors for mental health problems
D. Indicators of the termination phase
Page 3
, GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | NUR 256 | FALL 2026
11. A client cannot regularly obtain food or mental health services because of financial
constraints. Which factor is most directly affecting mental well-being?
A. Therapeutic silence
B. Transference toward health workers
C. Socioeconomic access to essential resources
D. Age-related memory change
12. A patient gives a lengthy account of feeling overwhelmed. The nurse says, “You
seem to be carrying several worries at once.” Which technique is demonstrated?
A. Giving personal advice
B. Confrontational questioning
C. False reassurance
D. Paraphrasing
13. The nurse observes the patient’s expression and says, “You look sad when you
mention that event.” Which technique is being used?
A. Countertransference
B. Providing an unsupported diagnosis
C. Deflecting the conversation
D. Reflecting an observed feeling
14. Which finding is objective data during a mental status and physical assessment?
A. The patient’s unverified report of feeling lonely
B. An observed level of consciousness
C. A family member’s interpretation of a dream
D. The patient’s stated preference for a hobby
15. A child living with adversity consistently seeks assistance from a trusted adult and
manages distressing emotions. What strength is demonstrated?
A. Resilience
B. False imprisonment
C. Countertransference
D. Stigma
Page 4
