https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
ATI PN Comprehensive Exit Exam Study Guide – Practice
Questions, Answers & Rationales for Practical Nursing
Students
The document contains;
✅ Complete set of ATI PN Comprehensive Exit Exam questions
✅ Correct answers marked for quick reference
✅ Rationales provided to explain each answer
✅ Covers all major nursing topics tested in the ATI PN exam
✅ Designed for Practical Nursing students preparing for graduation
✅ Helps improve test-taking skills and exam confidence
✅ Organized for easy study and review
ATI PN Comprehensive Exit Exam Study Guide
1. A nurse is assisting with the plan of care for a client following a transurethral resection
of the prostate. Which of the following interventions should the nurse include in the plan of
care?
A. Encourage ambulation immediately
B. ❌ Limit fluids to 500 mL/day
C. ❌ Remove the catheter after 2 hours
D. ✔️ Irrigate the bladder using strict sterile technique and maintain closed catheter drainage
system
Rationale: Sterile bladder irrigation and closed catheter drainage reduce infection risk and
prevent clot formation after TURP.
2. A nurse is reviewing a client's electronic medical record and finds that an assistive
personnel recorded the client's temperature as 35.3°C (95.5°F) 2 hrs earlier. Which action
should the nurse take first?
A. ❌ Notify the provider
B. ❌ Document the temperature
https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
,https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
C. ❌ Administer antipyretics
D. ✔️ Check the client's temperature
Rationale: Always verify abnormal vital signs before taking further action.
3. A nurse is receiving change-of-shift report for four clients. Which of the following clients
should the nurse see first?
A. ❌ Client scheduled for discharge
B. ❌ Client with stable vital signs
C. ❌ Client with mild pain
D. ✔️ Client whose urinary output was 100 mL for the past 12 hours
Rationale: Low urinary output may indicate renal compromise and requires immediate
assessment.
4. A nurse is reinforcing teaching about weight loss with a female older adult client who is
overweight. Which of the following statements should the nurse include in teaching?
A. ❌ Avoid carbohydrates completely
B. ❌ Eat only one large meal per day
C. ✔️ Keep fat intake to no more than 30% of daily caloric intake
D. ❌ Skip snacks entirely
Rationale: Limiting fat intake helps reduce caloric intake while maintaining a balanced diet.
5. A nurse is collecting data from a client who has iron-deficiency anemia. Which of the
following findings should the nurse expect?
A. ❌ Increased energy
B. ✔️ Difficulty concentrating
C. ❌ Bruising easily
D. ❌ Hyperactivity
Rationale: Iron-deficiency anemia decreases oxygen delivery to tissues, causing fatigue and
difficulty concentrating.
https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
,https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
6. A nurse is collecting data from an older adult client who is 48 hr postoperative following
abdominal surgery. The provider writes a prescription to advance the client to a regular
diet. For which of the following findings should the nurse notify the provider?
A. ❌ Mild nausea
B. ❌ Passing flatus
C. ✔️ Absent bowel sounds
D. ❌ Soft abdomen
Rationale: Absent bowel sounds may indicate paralytic ileus or obstruction.
7. A parent brings her adolescent son to urgent care and states, "He is high on something
and needs help." The client is exhibiting agitation, paranoia, and visual hallucinations.
Which substance should the nurse suspect?
A. ❌ Cannabis
B. ❌ Cocaine
C. ❌ Alcohol
D. ✔️ Methamphetamines
Rationale: Methamphetamine intoxication can cause agitation, paranoia, and hallucinations.
8. A nurse notices an assistive personnel taking a nap in the break room during mealtime.
The AP appears drowsy while performing routine tasks. Which action should the nurse
take?
A. ❌ Confront the AP in front of staff
B. ❌ Ignore the behavior
C. ✔️ Report observations about the AP to the unit’s nurse manager
D. ❌ Reassign tasks immediately
Rationale: Unsafe behavior must be reported to ensure patient safety.
9. A nurse is reinforcing teaching with a client who has a fluid volume deficit about
selecting foods with high water content. Which raw food contains the highest amount of
water per 1 cup serving?
https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
, https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
A. ❌ Carrots
B. ❌ Spinach
C. ❌ Cucumber
D. ✔️ Cherry tomatoes
Rationale: Cherry tomatoes have ~94% water per cup.
10. The nurse is positioning a client scheduled for a lumbar puncture. The nurse should
assist the client into which position?
A. ❌ Supine
B. ✔️ Lateral recumbent
C. ❌ Sitting upright with arms at sides
D. ❌ Prone
Rationale: Flexes the spine for easier needle insertion.
11. A nurse is talking with a client whose son died 2 weeks ago. The client states, "I really
thought I'd be back to my usual routines by now, but I can't think of anything else except
my son is gone." Which response should the nurse make?
A. ❌ “You should be over it by now.”
B. ❌ “You need to keep busy.”
C. ❌ Ignore the statement
D. ✔️ “Grieving for your son is hard work. It will take as much time as you need to come to terms
with your loss.”
Rationale: Validates grief and normalizes the emotional process.
12. A nurse is monitoring a client at 40 weeks gestation in active labor. Late deceleration is
observed. Which action should the nurse take?
A. ❌ Administer pain medication
B. ✔️ Place the client in lateral position
C. ❌ Encourage pushing
D. ❌ Restrict fluids
Rationale: Lateral positioning improves uteroplacental blood flow.
https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
ATI PN Comprehensive Exit Exam Study Guide – Practice
Questions, Answers & Rationales for Practical Nursing
Students
The document contains;
✅ Complete set of ATI PN Comprehensive Exit Exam questions
✅ Correct answers marked for quick reference
✅ Rationales provided to explain each answer
✅ Covers all major nursing topics tested in the ATI PN exam
✅ Designed for Practical Nursing students preparing for graduation
✅ Helps improve test-taking skills and exam confidence
✅ Organized for easy study and review
ATI PN Comprehensive Exit Exam Study Guide
1. A nurse is assisting with the plan of care for a client following a transurethral resection
of the prostate. Which of the following interventions should the nurse include in the plan of
care?
A. Encourage ambulation immediately
B. ❌ Limit fluids to 500 mL/day
C. ❌ Remove the catheter after 2 hours
D. ✔️ Irrigate the bladder using strict sterile technique and maintain closed catheter drainage
system
Rationale: Sterile bladder irrigation and closed catheter drainage reduce infection risk and
prevent clot formation after TURP.
2. A nurse is reviewing a client's electronic medical record and finds that an assistive
personnel recorded the client's temperature as 35.3°C (95.5°F) 2 hrs earlier. Which action
should the nurse take first?
A. ❌ Notify the provider
B. ❌ Document the temperature
https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
,https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
C. ❌ Administer antipyretics
D. ✔️ Check the client's temperature
Rationale: Always verify abnormal vital signs before taking further action.
3. A nurse is receiving change-of-shift report for four clients. Which of the following clients
should the nurse see first?
A. ❌ Client scheduled for discharge
B. ❌ Client with stable vital signs
C. ❌ Client with mild pain
D. ✔️ Client whose urinary output was 100 mL for the past 12 hours
Rationale: Low urinary output may indicate renal compromise and requires immediate
assessment.
4. A nurse is reinforcing teaching about weight loss with a female older adult client who is
overweight. Which of the following statements should the nurse include in teaching?
A. ❌ Avoid carbohydrates completely
B. ❌ Eat only one large meal per day
C. ✔️ Keep fat intake to no more than 30% of daily caloric intake
D. ❌ Skip snacks entirely
Rationale: Limiting fat intake helps reduce caloric intake while maintaining a balanced diet.
5. A nurse is collecting data from a client who has iron-deficiency anemia. Which of the
following findings should the nurse expect?
A. ❌ Increased energy
B. ✔️ Difficulty concentrating
C. ❌ Bruising easily
D. ❌ Hyperactivity
Rationale: Iron-deficiency anemia decreases oxygen delivery to tissues, causing fatigue and
difficulty concentrating.
https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
,https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
6. A nurse is collecting data from an older adult client who is 48 hr postoperative following
abdominal surgery. The provider writes a prescription to advance the client to a regular
diet. For which of the following findings should the nurse notify the provider?
A. ❌ Mild nausea
B. ❌ Passing flatus
C. ✔️ Absent bowel sounds
D. ❌ Soft abdomen
Rationale: Absent bowel sounds may indicate paralytic ileus or obstruction.
7. A parent brings her adolescent son to urgent care and states, "He is high on something
and needs help." The client is exhibiting agitation, paranoia, and visual hallucinations.
Which substance should the nurse suspect?
A. ❌ Cannabis
B. ❌ Cocaine
C. ❌ Alcohol
D. ✔️ Methamphetamines
Rationale: Methamphetamine intoxication can cause agitation, paranoia, and hallucinations.
8. A nurse notices an assistive personnel taking a nap in the break room during mealtime.
The AP appears drowsy while performing routine tasks. Which action should the nurse
take?
A. ❌ Confront the AP in front of staff
B. ❌ Ignore the behavior
C. ✔️ Report observations about the AP to the unit’s nurse manager
D. ❌ Reassign tasks immediately
Rationale: Unsafe behavior must be reported to ensure patient safety.
9. A nurse is reinforcing teaching with a client who has a fluid volume deficit about
selecting foods with high water content. Which raw food contains the highest amount of
water per 1 cup serving?
https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
, https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
A. ❌ Carrots
B. ❌ Spinach
C. ❌ Cucumber
D. ✔️ Cherry tomatoes
Rationale: Cherry tomatoes have ~94% water per cup.
10. The nurse is positioning a client scheduled for a lumbar puncture. The nurse should
assist the client into which position?
A. ❌ Supine
B. ✔️ Lateral recumbent
C. ❌ Sitting upright with arms at sides
D. ❌ Prone
Rationale: Flexes the spine for easier needle insertion.
11. A nurse is talking with a client whose son died 2 weeks ago. The client states, "I really
thought I'd be back to my usual routines by now, but I can't think of anything else except
my son is gone." Which response should the nurse make?
A. ❌ “You should be over it by now.”
B. ❌ “You need to keep busy.”
C. ❌ Ignore the statement
D. ✔️ “Grieving for your son is hard work. It will take as much time as you need to come to terms
with your loss.”
Rationale: Validates grief and normalizes the emotional process.
12. A nurse is monitoring a client at 40 weeks gestation in active labor. Late deceleration is
observed. Which action should the nurse take?
A. ❌ Administer pain medication
B. ✔️ Place the client in lateral position
C. ❌ Encourage pushing
D. ❌ Restrict fluids
Rationale: Lateral positioning improves uteroplacental blood flow.
https://www.stuvia.com/user/wisenurse
