PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
SUCCESS
NCLEX-STYLE Q&A REVIEW
5TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)CATHERINE MELFI
CURTIS; AUDRA BAKER FEGLEY
TEST BANK
Reference: Ch. 1 — Clinical Judgment Measurement Model &
Race Model
Stem: A student sees an NGN item that asks to prioritize four
nursing actions for a suicidal client. The student recalls the Race
model (Recognize, Analyze, Respond, Evaluate). Which first step
best reflects applying the Race model to this item?
A. Immediately choose the action that seems safest.
B. Recognize cues in the stem that indicate suicide risk and
safety priorities.
C. Respond by selecting the highest-priority intervention.
,D. Evaluate past test answers for similar stems.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Recognizing cues (suicidal ideation, plan,
access, intent) is the first Race step and directs later analysis
and response.
Rationale — A: Acting immediately skips critical assessment and
may miss key cues.
Rationale — C: Responding before recognizing and analyzing
risks misses essential steps.
Rationale — D: Evaluating past answers is retrospective
reflection but not the initial Race step.
Teaching point: First, identify key cues before choosing an
answer.
Citation: Curtis, C. M., & Fegley, A. B. (2023). Psychiatric Mental
Health Nursing Success: NCLEX-Style Q&A Review (5th ed.).
2.
Reference: Ch. 1 — Cognitive Levels of Nursing Questions
Stem: An item asks you to interpret ABG values and modify
treatment—what cognitive level does this reflect and what
strategy should you use?
A. Remembering — memorize normal ABG ranges.
B. Understanding — paraphrase what ABGs mean.
C. Applying/Analyzing — use clinical context to choose an
intervention.
D. Evaluating — judge instructor intent only.
Correct answer: C
,Rationale — Correct: Interpreting ABGs and selecting treatment
is application/analysis requiring clinical judgment.
Rationale — A: Remembering is lower level and insufficient for
treatment decisions.
Rationale — B: Understanding is intermediary but doesn't
include application to treatment.
Rationale — D: Evaluating instructor intent is not relevant to
clinical decision-making.
Teaching point: Apply clinical data to choose interventions;
don’t stop at recall.
Citation: Curtis & Fegley (2023).
3.
Reference: Ch. 1 — The NGN and Clinical Judgment (CJMM)
Stem: During NGN practice, you miss a clinical cue in a long
stem. Which habit will most reduce this error on future exams?
A. Speed-reading stems to save time.
B. Practicing cue recognition and underlining critical
information.
C. Relying on memory of past answers.
D. Skipping to options first to infer the stem.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Underlining and practicing cue recognition
improves recognition and reduces missed cues.
Rationale — A: Speed-reading increases missed details.
Rationale — C: Memory of past answers can mislead if stems
differ.
, Rationale — D: Reading options first may bias interpretation
and miss cues.
Teaching point: Mark key cues in the stem to avoid omissions.
Citation: Curtis & Fegley (2023).
4.
Reference: Ch. 1 — Be Reflective / Learning from Mistakes
Stem: After scoring poorly on a practice set, a student reviews
errors and notes a pattern: misreading "except" in SATA items.
Which reflective action best addresses this?
A. Ignore the pattern and practice more questions.
B. Create a checklist reminding to note negatives (e.g., except,
not).
C. Avoid SATA items on exam day.
D. Memorize answers from the practice set.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: A checklist to watch for negatives targets
the specific cognitive error and supports deliberate practice.
Rationale — A: More practice without targeted correction likely
repeats the error.
Rationale — C: Avoidance isn't possible; SATA are common.
Rationale — D: Memorizing specific answers won’t generalize to
new stems.
Teaching point: Use targeted reflection to design corrective
strategies.
Citation: Curtis & Fegley (2023).
5.
SUCCESS
NCLEX-STYLE Q&A REVIEW
5TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)CATHERINE MELFI
CURTIS; AUDRA BAKER FEGLEY
TEST BANK
Reference: Ch. 1 — Clinical Judgment Measurement Model &
Race Model
Stem: A student sees an NGN item that asks to prioritize four
nursing actions for a suicidal client. The student recalls the Race
model (Recognize, Analyze, Respond, Evaluate). Which first step
best reflects applying the Race model to this item?
A. Immediately choose the action that seems safest.
B. Recognize cues in the stem that indicate suicide risk and
safety priorities.
C. Respond by selecting the highest-priority intervention.
,D. Evaluate past test answers for similar stems.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Recognizing cues (suicidal ideation, plan,
access, intent) is the first Race step and directs later analysis
and response.
Rationale — A: Acting immediately skips critical assessment and
may miss key cues.
Rationale — C: Responding before recognizing and analyzing
risks misses essential steps.
Rationale — D: Evaluating past answers is retrospective
reflection but not the initial Race step.
Teaching point: First, identify key cues before choosing an
answer.
Citation: Curtis, C. M., & Fegley, A. B. (2023). Psychiatric Mental
Health Nursing Success: NCLEX-Style Q&A Review (5th ed.).
2.
Reference: Ch. 1 — Cognitive Levels of Nursing Questions
Stem: An item asks you to interpret ABG values and modify
treatment—what cognitive level does this reflect and what
strategy should you use?
A. Remembering — memorize normal ABG ranges.
B. Understanding — paraphrase what ABGs mean.
C. Applying/Analyzing — use clinical context to choose an
intervention.
D. Evaluating — judge instructor intent only.
Correct answer: C
,Rationale — Correct: Interpreting ABGs and selecting treatment
is application/analysis requiring clinical judgment.
Rationale — A: Remembering is lower level and insufficient for
treatment decisions.
Rationale — B: Understanding is intermediary but doesn't
include application to treatment.
Rationale — D: Evaluating instructor intent is not relevant to
clinical decision-making.
Teaching point: Apply clinical data to choose interventions;
don’t stop at recall.
Citation: Curtis & Fegley (2023).
3.
Reference: Ch. 1 — The NGN and Clinical Judgment (CJMM)
Stem: During NGN practice, you miss a clinical cue in a long
stem. Which habit will most reduce this error on future exams?
A. Speed-reading stems to save time.
B. Practicing cue recognition and underlining critical
information.
C. Relying on memory of past answers.
D. Skipping to options first to infer the stem.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Underlining and practicing cue recognition
improves recognition and reduces missed cues.
Rationale — A: Speed-reading increases missed details.
Rationale — C: Memory of past answers can mislead if stems
differ.
, Rationale — D: Reading options first may bias interpretation
and miss cues.
Teaching point: Mark key cues in the stem to avoid omissions.
Citation: Curtis & Fegley (2023).
4.
Reference: Ch. 1 — Be Reflective / Learning from Mistakes
Stem: After scoring poorly on a practice set, a student reviews
errors and notes a pattern: misreading "except" in SATA items.
Which reflective action best addresses this?
A. Ignore the pattern and practice more questions.
B. Create a checklist reminding to note negatives (e.g., except,
not).
C. Avoid SATA items on exam day.
D. Memorize answers from the practice set.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: A checklist to watch for negatives targets
the specific cognitive error and supports deliberate practice.
Rationale — A: More practice without targeted correction likely
repeats the error.
Rationale — C: Avoidance isn't possible; SATA are common.
Rationale — D: Memorizing specific answers won’t generalize to
new stems.
Teaching point: Use targeted reflection to design corrective
strategies.
Citation: Curtis & Fegley (2023).
5.
