NSG 6020 Week 1 Full Exam – 2026
Updated | 200 Questions with
ANSWER>.>s and Rationale for Every
Option – South University Style
CHIEF COMPLAINT (CC)
The chief complaint is best defined as:
A. The clinician's working diagnosis for the visit
B. The primary symptom or concern causing the patient to seek care
C. A complete list of all past medical diagnoses
D. The first abnormal finding noted on examination
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: Diagnosis belongs in the Assessment section, not the CC. B: Correct; the CC is the main
symptom or concern prompting the visit. C: Past diagnoses belong in the past medical history. D: Exam
findings are objective data, not the CC.
How many concerns typically make up a chief complaint?
A. One or two, rarely more than that
B. Five to six concerns
C. As many as the patient lists
D. Exactly three concerns
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; the CC may be one or two concerns and rarely more. B: Too many; the CC is
focused. C: The CC is prioritized, not an exhaustive list. D: No rule requires three concerns.
The chief complaint should ideally be recorded in:
A. Medical terminology only
,B. The clinician's professional words
C. The patient's own words
D. ICD-10 code format
ANSWER>.>: C
Rationales – A: Jargon loses the patient's meaning. B: The CC reflects the patient's perspective, not the
clinician's. C: Correct; quoting the patient preserves accuracy. D: Codes are for billing, not the CC
statement.
Which statement is a correctly documented chief complaint?
A. "Patient has acute bronchitis"
B. "My chest has felt tight since yesterday"
C. "BP 150/90, tachycardic"
D. "Needs refill of lisinopril" only, with no concern stated
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: That is a diagnosis (Assessment). B: Correct; a symptom statement in the patient's
words. C: Those are objective findings. D: A refill need may be a reason but lacks the symptom/concern
format shown.
The chief complaint differs from the HPI because the HPI:
A. Is objective data
B. Amplifies the CC with chronology and detail
C. Lists only allergies
D. Is documented in the Plan
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: HPI is subjective, not objective. B: Correct; the HPI expands the CC with the story of the
illness. C: Allergies are a separate subjective subheading. D: HPI belongs in Subjective, not Plan.
Within the SOAP note, the chief complaint is documented under:
A. Objective
B. Assessment
C. Subjective
D. Plan
ANSWER>.>: C
,Rationales – A: Objective holds clinician-measured data. B: Assessment holds the diagnosis. C: Correct;
CC is a Subjective subheading. D: Plan holds treatment steps.
Which is NOT a characteristic of a chief complaint?
A. It directs the focus of the visit
B. It is the primary concern of the patient
C. It contains the full chronological story of the illness
D. It may include one or two concerns
ANSWER>.>: C
Rationales – A: True; the CC guides the visit. B: True; it is the patient's main concern. C: Correct
ANSWER>.>; the chronology belongs in the HPI, not the CC. D: True; one or two concerns, rarely more.
The primary purpose of documenting the chief complaint is to:
A. Establish the reason and focus for the encounter
B. Replace the physical examination
C. List all chronic diseases
D. Satisfy billing only
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; the CC sets the visit's focus. B: The exam is separate objective data. C: Chronic
diseases are in the history, not the CC. D: The CC has clinical, not just billing, value.
For an asymptomatic wellness visit, an acceptable chief complaint is:
A. "No complaints, here for annual check-up"
B. "Patient refuses to state a concern"
C. "Rule out myocardial infarction"
D. "Tenderness on palpation"
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; a preventive visit reason serves as the CC. B: That documents refusal, not a
reason. C: That is a diagnostic impression, not a CC. D: That is an objective finding.
When a patient lists many concerns, the clinician should:
A. Document all equally as the CC
B. Identify and prioritize the primary one or two concerns
C. Ignore the list entirely
, D. Choose the concern easiest to treat
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: The CC is rarely more than one or two concerns. B: Correct; prioritize the main concerns.
C: Ignoring data is unsafe. D: Priority is based on the patient's main concern and risk, not convenience.
The chief complaint is obtained primarily from:
A. The patient's statement
B. The lab report
C. The radiology report
D. The clinician's palpation
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; the CC is what the patient reports. B: Labs are objective data. C: Imaging is
objective data. D: Palpation yields objective signs.
"Chest pain x 2 days" as a CC is best described as:
A. A symptom statement focusing the visit
B. A definitive diagnosis
C. An objective sign
D. A review of systems entry
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; it states the primary symptom prompting care. B: No diagnosis is made yet. C:
Pain is subjective, not a sign. D: ROS is a system-based question list, not the CC.
The CC relates to the Assessment section because:
A. They are identical
B. The CC is the symptom; the Assessment is the clinician's diagnosis for it
C. The Assessment restates the CC verbatim
D. The CC includes the differential diagnosis
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: They are different concepts. B: Correct; symptom (CC) versus clinician synthesis
(Assessment). C: The Assessment interprets, not repeats, the CC. D: The differential belongs in
Assessment.
A properly written CC is:
Updated | 200 Questions with
ANSWER>.>s and Rationale for Every
Option – South University Style
CHIEF COMPLAINT (CC)
The chief complaint is best defined as:
A. The clinician's working diagnosis for the visit
B. The primary symptom or concern causing the patient to seek care
C. A complete list of all past medical diagnoses
D. The first abnormal finding noted on examination
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: Diagnosis belongs in the Assessment section, not the CC. B: Correct; the CC is the main
symptom or concern prompting the visit. C: Past diagnoses belong in the past medical history. D: Exam
findings are objective data, not the CC.
How many concerns typically make up a chief complaint?
A. One or two, rarely more than that
B. Five to six concerns
C. As many as the patient lists
D. Exactly three concerns
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; the CC may be one or two concerns and rarely more. B: Too many; the CC is
focused. C: The CC is prioritized, not an exhaustive list. D: No rule requires three concerns.
The chief complaint should ideally be recorded in:
A. Medical terminology only
,B. The clinician's professional words
C. The patient's own words
D. ICD-10 code format
ANSWER>.>: C
Rationales – A: Jargon loses the patient's meaning. B: The CC reflects the patient's perspective, not the
clinician's. C: Correct; quoting the patient preserves accuracy. D: Codes are for billing, not the CC
statement.
Which statement is a correctly documented chief complaint?
A. "Patient has acute bronchitis"
B. "My chest has felt tight since yesterday"
C. "BP 150/90, tachycardic"
D. "Needs refill of lisinopril" only, with no concern stated
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: That is a diagnosis (Assessment). B: Correct; a symptom statement in the patient's
words. C: Those are objective findings. D: A refill need may be a reason but lacks the symptom/concern
format shown.
The chief complaint differs from the HPI because the HPI:
A. Is objective data
B. Amplifies the CC with chronology and detail
C. Lists only allergies
D. Is documented in the Plan
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: HPI is subjective, not objective. B: Correct; the HPI expands the CC with the story of the
illness. C: Allergies are a separate subjective subheading. D: HPI belongs in Subjective, not Plan.
Within the SOAP note, the chief complaint is documented under:
A. Objective
B. Assessment
C. Subjective
D. Plan
ANSWER>.>: C
,Rationales – A: Objective holds clinician-measured data. B: Assessment holds the diagnosis. C: Correct;
CC is a Subjective subheading. D: Plan holds treatment steps.
Which is NOT a characteristic of a chief complaint?
A. It directs the focus of the visit
B. It is the primary concern of the patient
C. It contains the full chronological story of the illness
D. It may include one or two concerns
ANSWER>.>: C
Rationales – A: True; the CC guides the visit. B: True; it is the patient's main concern. C: Correct
ANSWER>.>; the chronology belongs in the HPI, not the CC. D: True; one or two concerns, rarely more.
The primary purpose of documenting the chief complaint is to:
A. Establish the reason and focus for the encounter
B. Replace the physical examination
C. List all chronic diseases
D. Satisfy billing only
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; the CC sets the visit's focus. B: The exam is separate objective data. C: Chronic
diseases are in the history, not the CC. D: The CC has clinical, not just billing, value.
For an asymptomatic wellness visit, an acceptable chief complaint is:
A. "No complaints, here for annual check-up"
B. "Patient refuses to state a concern"
C. "Rule out myocardial infarction"
D. "Tenderness on palpation"
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; a preventive visit reason serves as the CC. B: That documents refusal, not a
reason. C: That is a diagnostic impression, not a CC. D: That is an objective finding.
When a patient lists many concerns, the clinician should:
A. Document all equally as the CC
B. Identify and prioritize the primary one or two concerns
C. Ignore the list entirely
, D. Choose the concern easiest to treat
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: The CC is rarely more than one or two concerns. B: Correct; prioritize the main concerns.
C: Ignoring data is unsafe. D: Priority is based on the patient's main concern and risk, not convenience.
The chief complaint is obtained primarily from:
A. The patient's statement
B. The lab report
C. The radiology report
D. The clinician's palpation
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; the CC is what the patient reports. B: Labs are objective data. C: Imaging is
objective data. D: Palpation yields objective signs.
"Chest pain x 2 days" as a CC is best described as:
A. A symptom statement focusing the visit
B. A definitive diagnosis
C. An objective sign
D. A review of systems entry
ANSWER>.>: A
Rationales – A: Correct; it states the primary symptom prompting care. B: No diagnosis is made yet. C:
Pain is subjective, not a sign. D: ROS is a system-based question list, not the CC.
The CC relates to the Assessment section because:
A. They are identical
B. The CC is the symptom; the Assessment is the clinician's diagnosis for it
C. The Assessment restates the CC verbatim
D. The CC includes the differential diagnosis
ANSWER>.>: B
Rationales – A: They are different concepts. B: Correct; symptom (CC) versus clinician synthesis
(Assessment). C: The Assessment interprets, not repeats, the CC. D: The differential belongs in
Assessment.
A properly written CC is:
