GEORGETTE'S PMHNP APRN CERTIFICATION EXAM PREP: 150 PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION AND ADVANCED PRACTICE SKILLS (MODULES 1 & 2)

GEORGETTE'S PMHNP APRN
CERTIFICATION EXAM PREP: 150 PRACTICE
QUESTIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION
AND ADVANCED PRACTICE SKILLS
(MODULES 1 & 2)
Exam Information
 Target Audience: Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), including
PMHNP, FNP, AGNP, and other certification candidates
 Core Domains Covered:
o Scientific Foundation: Research methods, nursing theories, evidence-
based practice, epidemiology, statistics, and pathophysiology
o Advanced Practice Skills: Health assessment, diagnostic reasoning,
clinical decision-making, pharmacology, and advanced practice roles
 Question Format: Multiple-choice, select-all-that-apply, and ordered
response
 Reference Texts: Hamric and Hanson's Advanced Practice Nursing, Primary
Care: The Art and Science of Advanced Practice Nursing


Key Topics to Study
Category Specific Focus Areas
Research Methods Quantitative vs. qualitative research, research design,
sampling, validity/reliability, levels of evidence
Nursing Theories Grand theories, middle-range theories, practice theories;
Benner's Novice to Expert; Rogers, Orem, Roy, Watson,
Parse

,Evidence-Based PICO questions, critical appraisal, translating evidence
Practice into practice, AGREE II instrument
Epidemiology & Incidence, prevalence, risk ratios, odds ratios,
Biostatistics sensitivity/specificity, p-values, confidence intervals
Pathophysiology Disease processes, alterations in body systems, genetic
and environmental influences
Health Assessment Comprehensive history-taking, physical examination
techniques, diagnostic reasoning
Clinical Decision- Differential diagnosis, clinical practice guidelines, shared
Making decision-making
Pharmacology Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, adverse effects,
drug interactions, prescriptive authority
Advanced Practice APRN core competencies, scope of practice,
Roles interprofessional collaboration, leadership


SECTION 1: RESEARCH METHODS & EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE (Questions 1-30)
1. A nurse researcher is planning a study to explore the lived experiences of
patients with chronic pain. Which research approach is most appropriate?
 A) Randomized controlled trial
 B) Qualitative phenomenological study
 C) Quantitative correlational study
 D) Systematic review
Answer: B. Phenomenology is a qualitative approach used to explore the lived
experiences of individuals. A randomized controlled trial is quantitative and
experimental; a correlational study examines relationships between variables; a
systematic review synthesizes existing evidence.
2. Which of the following represents the highest level of evidence according to
the evidence hierarchy?

,  A) Case-control study
 B) Randomized controlled trial
 C) Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs
 D) Expert opinion
Answer: C. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of multiple RCTs represent the
highest level of evidence. RCTs are high-level but below systematic reviews; case-
control studies and expert opinion are lower in the hierarchy.
3. A researcher is studying the relationship between smoking and lung cancer.
Which study design is most appropriate for establishing causality?
 A) Cross-sectional study
 B) Cohort study
 C) Case series
 D) Qualitative study
Answer: B. Cohort studies follow participants over time and can establish
temporal relationships, making them strong for establishing causality. Cross-
sectional studies measure prevalence at one point in time; case series describe
individual cases; qualitative studies explore experiences.
4. What is the primary purpose of a control group in a randomized controlled
trial?
 A) To provide a comparison for the treatment group
 B) To increase the sample size
 C) To reduce the cost of the study
 D) To ensure the study is qualitative
Answer: A. The control group provides a baseline for comparison to determine
the effect of the intervention. It does not increase sample size, reduce costs, or
make the study qualitative.

, 5. A nurse is appraising a clinical practice guideline using the AGREE II
instrument. Which domain assesses whether the guideline considers the views
and preferences of the target population?
 A) Scope and purpose
 B) Stakeholder involvement
 C) Rigour of development
 D) Applicability
Answer: B. Stakeholder involvement assesses whether the guideline developers
considered the views and preferences of the target population (patients, public).
Scope and purpose addresses the overall objective; rigour of development
addresses the methodology; applicability addresses implementation.
6. Which type of validity refers to the extent to which a research instrument
measures what it is intended to measure?
 A) Reliability
 B) Validity
 C) Generalizability
 D) Objectivity
Answer: B. Validity refers to the accuracy of a measurement—whether the
instrument measures what it claims to measure. Reliability refers to consistency;
generalizability refers to applicability to other populations; objectivity refers to
freedom from bias.
7. A researcher reports a p-value of 0.03. What does this indicate?
 A) There is a 3% chance the results are due to chance
 B) The results are statistically significant at the 0.05 level
 C) The null hypothesis is true
 D) The study has a Type II error