NR-302 HEALTH ASSESSMENT I | INDEPENDENT PRACTICE RESOURCE
NR-302: HEALTH ASSESSMENT (I)
MIDTERM PRACTICE EXAM 2026–2027
50 ORIGINAL QUESTIONS • CORRECT ANSWERS • CONCISE RATIONALES
Health history • therapeutic communication • vital signs • general survey • pain • skin, hair, and nails •
head and neck • foundational clinical reasoning and documentation
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ACADEMIC-INTEGRITY NOTICE
This document contains independently written practice questions. It is not the actual Chamberlain University NR-302
midterm, a recalled test bank, or an assessment that has been graded or “100% verified.” Chamberlain University has not
sponsored or endorsed it. Use it only for legitimate study consistent with course and institutional academic-integrity rules.
PURPOSE
This set reviews foundational nursing assessment using exam-style application. Each item has one best answer and
a rationale emphasizing patient safety, professional standards, clinical reasoning, and why the alternatives are less
appropriate.
History • Vital Signs • General Survey • Skin • Head & Neck | Page 1
, NR-302 HEALTH ASSESSMENT I | INDEPENDENT PRACTICE RESOURCE
How to Use This Practice Exam
First pass: Cover the answer blocks and choose one response before reviewing the rationale.
Skill check: Verbalize patient identification, consent, hand hygiene, positioning, equipment, technique, and
documentation for each procedure.
Priority check: Identify red flags and state when routine assessment must stop for immediate ABC or neurologic
escalation.
Scope: This independent review resource does not predict official examination content or scores and does not
replace supervised clinical instruction.
Practice-Set Blueprint
main Questions Count
lth History & Communication 1–12 12
al Signs 13–22 10
eral Survey & Pain 23–28 6
n, Hair & Nails 29–38 10
d & Neck Examination 39–47 9
ical Reasoning & Documentation 48–50 3
Clinical note: Follow current course materials, faculty instruction, institutional policy, scope of practice, and patient-specific needs
when they differ from this independent review set.
History • Vital Signs • General Survey • Skin • Head & Neck | Page 2
, NR-302 HEALTH ASSESSMENT I | INDEPENDENT PRACTICE RESOURCE
I. Health History & Therapeutic Communication
1. Which opening statement is most likely to elicit the patient’s complete agenda?
A. “I already read the chart, so we can skip your story.”
B. “Do you have chest pain—yes or no?”
C. “You are here only for your blood pressure, correct?”
D. “Tell me what concerns brought you in today.”
CORRECT ANSWER: D. “Tell me what concerns brought you in today.”
RATIONALE An open-ended invitation lets the patient identify priorities in their own words. Leading or narrowly closed
questions can omit concerns, and the chart cannot replace the current patient narrative.
2. How should the chief concern be documented?
A. Using judgmental language about why the patient came
B. Briefly in the patient’s own words, including the main symptom or reason for seeking care
C. As the nurse’s final medical diagnosis
D. As a complete review of every body system
CORRECT ANSWER: B. Briefly in the patient’s own words, including the main symptom or reason for
seeking care
RATIONALE The chief concern captures the patient’s stated reason for the encounter. It is not a diagnosis, a full review of
systems, or an opportunity for stigmatizing language.
3. A patient reports abdominal pain. Which question best explores the symptom’s quality?
A. “The pain is caused by indigestion, isn’t it?”
B. “What does the pain feel like—sharp, dull, burning, cramping, or something else?”
C. “Does your mother have diabetes?”
D. “Why did you wait so long to come in?”
CORRECT ANSWER: B. “What does the pain feel like—sharp, dull, burning, cramping, or something else?”
RATIONALE Quality describes the character of a symptom and is part of a structured HPI. The alternatives are leading,
unrelated, or judgmental and do not clarify the pain.
4. Which information belongs in the history of present illness?
A. Onset, location, duration, character, aggravating/relieving factors, timing, severity, and associated symptoms
B. Only the nurse’s inspection findings
C. Only a list of family members
D. Only the patient’s childhood immunizations
CORRECT ANSWER: A. Onset, location, duration, character, aggravating/relieving factors, timing,
severity, and associated symptoms
RATIONALE The HPI develops the current problem using a framework such as OLDCARTS/PQRST. Immunizations and
family data belong elsewhere, while inspection findings are objective examination data.
History • Vital Signs • General Survey • Skin • Head & Neck | Page 3
NR-302: HEALTH ASSESSMENT (I)
MIDTERM PRACTICE EXAM 2026–2027
50 ORIGINAL QUESTIONS • CORRECT ANSWERS • CONCISE RATIONALES
Health history • therapeutic communication • vital signs • general survey • pain • skin, hair, and nails •
head and neck • foundational clinical reasoning and documentation
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ACADEMIC-INTEGRITY NOTICE
This document contains independently written practice questions. It is not the actual Chamberlain University NR-302
midterm, a recalled test bank, or an assessment that has been graded or “100% verified.” Chamberlain University has not
sponsored or endorsed it. Use it only for legitimate study consistent with course and institutional academic-integrity rules.
PURPOSE
This set reviews foundational nursing assessment using exam-style application. Each item has one best answer and
a rationale emphasizing patient safety, professional standards, clinical reasoning, and why the alternatives are less
appropriate.
History • Vital Signs • General Survey • Skin • Head & Neck | Page 1
, NR-302 HEALTH ASSESSMENT I | INDEPENDENT PRACTICE RESOURCE
How to Use This Practice Exam
First pass: Cover the answer blocks and choose one response before reviewing the rationale.
Skill check: Verbalize patient identification, consent, hand hygiene, positioning, equipment, technique, and
documentation for each procedure.
Priority check: Identify red flags and state when routine assessment must stop for immediate ABC or neurologic
escalation.
Scope: This independent review resource does not predict official examination content or scores and does not
replace supervised clinical instruction.
Practice-Set Blueprint
main Questions Count
lth History & Communication 1–12 12
al Signs 13–22 10
eral Survey & Pain 23–28 6
n, Hair & Nails 29–38 10
d & Neck Examination 39–47 9
ical Reasoning & Documentation 48–50 3
Clinical note: Follow current course materials, faculty instruction, institutional policy, scope of practice, and patient-specific needs
when they differ from this independent review set.
History • Vital Signs • General Survey • Skin • Head & Neck | Page 2
, NR-302 HEALTH ASSESSMENT I | INDEPENDENT PRACTICE RESOURCE
I. Health History & Therapeutic Communication
1. Which opening statement is most likely to elicit the patient’s complete agenda?
A. “I already read the chart, so we can skip your story.”
B. “Do you have chest pain—yes or no?”
C. “You are here only for your blood pressure, correct?”
D. “Tell me what concerns brought you in today.”
CORRECT ANSWER: D. “Tell me what concerns brought you in today.”
RATIONALE An open-ended invitation lets the patient identify priorities in their own words. Leading or narrowly closed
questions can omit concerns, and the chart cannot replace the current patient narrative.
2. How should the chief concern be documented?
A. Using judgmental language about why the patient came
B. Briefly in the patient’s own words, including the main symptom or reason for seeking care
C. As the nurse’s final medical diagnosis
D. As a complete review of every body system
CORRECT ANSWER: B. Briefly in the patient’s own words, including the main symptom or reason for
seeking care
RATIONALE The chief concern captures the patient’s stated reason for the encounter. It is not a diagnosis, a full review of
systems, or an opportunity for stigmatizing language.
3. A patient reports abdominal pain. Which question best explores the symptom’s quality?
A. “The pain is caused by indigestion, isn’t it?”
B. “What does the pain feel like—sharp, dull, burning, cramping, or something else?”
C. “Does your mother have diabetes?”
D. “Why did you wait so long to come in?”
CORRECT ANSWER: B. “What does the pain feel like—sharp, dull, burning, cramping, or something else?”
RATIONALE Quality describes the character of a symptom and is part of a structured HPI. The alternatives are leading,
unrelated, or judgmental and do not clarify the pain.
4. Which information belongs in the history of present illness?
A. Onset, location, duration, character, aggravating/relieving factors, timing, severity, and associated symptoms
B. Only the nurse’s inspection findings
C. Only a list of family members
D. Only the patient’s childhood immunizations
CORRECT ANSWER: A. Onset, location, duration, character, aggravating/relieving factors, timing,
severity, and associated symptoms
RATIONALE The HPI develops the current problem using a framework such as OLDCARTS/PQRST. Immunizations and
family data belong elsewhere, while inspection findings are objective examination data.
History • Vital Signs • General Survey • Skin • Head & Neck | Page 3
