ABCTE MSE EXAM 1 COMPREHENSIVE TEST
BANK 2026 COMPLETE ANSWERS
ACCURATE
⫸ components of mental status exam Answer: appearance
behavior
motor
speech
affect/mood
thought process
thought content
perception
orientation
cognition
insight
judgement
"A beautiful mental status always pleases customers, provided of course
it's justified!"
⫸ end of MSE - extra Answer: add the SRA in brief context
, suicide: explore and be nosy. (ask about plan, intent, availability,
perceived lethality, note, etc.)
⫸ what is not apart of the MSE Answer: personal judgement, bias, or
stigma
the patient's history or past mental state
⫸ subjective vs. objective Answer: subjective - includes pt's current
psychological s/s
(mood*, thoughts, perception, insight)
objective - what you observe about the pt during the interview
(appearance, behavior, speech, cognition, mood*)
* = direct quotes from pt in parenthesis
⫸ appearance Answer: •Pt's demographics: gender/apparent age/racial
origin
•Physique; hair; make-up
•Clothing style (may be flashy or provocative during bipolar manic
phase)
BANK 2026 COMPLETE ANSWERS
ACCURATE
⫸ components of mental status exam Answer: appearance
behavior
motor
speech
affect/mood
thought process
thought content
perception
orientation
cognition
insight
judgement
"A beautiful mental status always pleases customers, provided of course
it's justified!"
⫸ end of MSE - extra Answer: add the SRA in brief context
, suicide: explore and be nosy. (ask about plan, intent, availability,
perceived lethality, note, etc.)
⫸ what is not apart of the MSE Answer: personal judgement, bias, or
stigma
the patient's history or past mental state
⫸ subjective vs. objective Answer: subjective - includes pt's current
psychological s/s
(mood*, thoughts, perception, insight)
objective - what you observe about the pt during the interview
(appearance, behavior, speech, cognition, mood*)
* = direct quotes from pt in parenthesis
⫸ appearance Answer: •Pt's demographics: gender/apparent age/racial
origin
•Physique; hair; make-up
•Clothing style (may be flashy or provocative during bipolar manic
phase)