Health Assessment Exam 1 (Fall
2026)
100 Practice Questions & Detailed Clinical Rationales
Interviewing & Health History
1. The nurse is preparing to assess a client's abdomen. In which order
should the physical assessment techniques be performed?
A. Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation
B. Inspection, Auscultation, Percussion, Palpation
C. Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation, Inspection
D. Auscultation, Inspection, Palpation, Percussion
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: For the abdomen, auscultation follows inspection and precedes
percussion/palpation to avoid stimulating false bowel sounds.
General Survey & Vital Signs
2. During a skin assessment, the nurse notes a lesion that is flat, non-
palpable, and less than 1 cm in diameter. How should the nurse document
this finding?
A. Papule
B. Plaque
C. Macule
D. Vesicle
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A macule is a flat, circumscribed area of color change (like a freckle) that
is less than 1 cm. A papule is raised; a vesicle is fluid-filled.
Exam 1: Health Assessment - Page 1
,Skin, Hair, and Nails
3. When assessing the chest of a client with pneumonia, the nurse hears
low-pitched, bubbling, moist sounds that persist from inspiration to early
expiration. These are identified as:
A. Wheezes
B. Coarse Crackles
C. Pleural Friction Rub
D. Stridor
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Coarse crackles (rales) are moist, low-pitched sounds indicating fluid in
the larger airways, common in pneumonia.
HEENT (Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat)
4. To assess for 'Accommodation' during an eye exam, the nurse should
ask the client to do which of the following?
A. Read the Snellen chart from 20 feet away.
B. Follow a penlight into the 'six cardinal positions.'
C. Shift gaze from a distant object to a near object.
D. Look straight ahead while a light is shone into the pupil.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Accommodation is the eye's ability to adjust focus from distance to near.
The pupils should constrict and the eyes should converge as the object moves
closer.
Exam 1: Health Assessment - Page 2
,Thorax and Lungs
5. A nurse is assessing a dark-skinned client for jaundice. Where is the
most reliable place to check for yellow discoloration?
A. Palms of the hands
B. Sclera and hard palate
C. Skin of the abdomen
D. Nail beds
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In dark-skinned individuals, jaundice is most reliably observed in the
sclera (white of the eyes) and the hard palate of the mouth.
Peripheral Vascular & Lymphatics
6. Health Assessment Question 6: While assessing the Peripheral Vascular
& Lymphatics, the nurse observes an unexpected finding. What is the next
priority action?
A. Document the finding immediately
B. Re-assess and compare with the contralateral side
C. Notify the provider right away
D. Ask the client if they have noticed the change
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Symmetry is a key principle of physical assessment. Always compare the
affected side with the unaffected side (contralateral) to determine the extent of the
abnormality.
Exam 1: Health Assessment - Page 3
, Pain Assessment
7. Health Assessment Question 7: While assessing the Pain Assessment,
the nurse observes an unexpected finding. What is the next priority
action?
A. Document the finding immediately
B. Re-assess and compare with the contralateral side
C. Notify the provider right away
D. Ask the client if they have noticed the change
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Symmetry is a key principle of physical assessment. Always compare the
affected side with the unaffected side (contralateral) to determine the extent of the
abnormality.
Nutritional Assessment
8. Health Assessment Question 8: While assessing the Nutritional
Assessment, the nurse observes an unexpected finding. What is the next
priority action?
A. Document the finding immediately
B. Re-assess and compare with the contralateral side
C. Notify the provider right away
D. Ask the client if they have noticed the change
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Symmetry is a key principle of physical assessment. Always compare the
affected side with the unaffected side (contralateral) to determine the extent of the
abnormality.
Exam 1: Health Assessment - Page 4
2026)
100 Practice Questions & Detailed Clinical Rationales
Interviewing & Health History
1. The nurse is preparing to assess a client's abdomen. In which order
should the physical assessment techniques be performed?
A. Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation
B. Inspection, Auscultation, Percussion, Palpation
C. Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation, Inspection
D. Auscultation, Inspection, Palpation, Percussion
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: For the abdomen, auscultation follows inspection and precedes
percussion/palpation to avoid stimulating false bowel sounds.
General Survey & Vital Signs
2. During a skin assessment, the nurse notes a lesion that is flat, non-
palpable, and less than 1 cm in diameter. How should the nurse document
this finding?
A. Papule
B. Plaque
C. Macule
D. Vesicle
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A macule is a flat, circumscribed area of color change (like a freckle) that
is less than 1 cm. A papule is raised; a vesicle is fluid-filled.
Exam 1: Health Assessment - Page 1
,Skin, Hair, and Nails
3. When assessing the chest of a client with pneumonia, the nurse hears
low-pitched, bubbling, moist sounds that persist from inspiration to early
expiration. These are identified as:
A. Wheezes
B. Coarse Crackles
C. Pleural Friction Rub
D. Stridor
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Coarse crackles (rales) are moist, low-pitched sounds indicating fluid in
the larger airways, common in pneumonia.
HEENT (Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat)
4. To assess for 'Accommodation' during an eye exam, the nurse should
ask the client to do which of the following?
A. Read the Snellen chart from 20 feet away.
B. Follow a penlight into the 'six cardinal positions.'
C. Shift gaze from a distant object to a near object.
D. Look straight ahead while a light is shone into the pupil.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Accommodation is the eye's ability to adjust focus from distance to near.
The pupils should constrict and the eyes should converge as the object moves
closer.
Exam 1: Health Assessment - Page 2
,Thorax and Lungs
5. A nurse is assessing a dark-skinned client for jaundice. Where is the
most reliable place to check for yellow discoloration?
A. Palms of the hands
B. Sclera and hard palate
C. Skin of the abdomen
D. Nail beds
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In dark-skinned individuals, jaundice is most reliably observed in the
sclera (white of the eyes) and the hard palate of the mouth.
Peripheral Vascular & Lymphatics
6. Health Assessment Question 6: While assessing the Peripheral Vascular
& Lymphatics, the nurse observes an unexpected finding. What is the next
priority action?
A. Document the finding immediately
B. Re-assess and compare with the contralateral side
C. Notify the provider right away
D. Ask the client if they have noticed the change
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Symmetry is a key principle of physical assessment. Always compare the
affected side with the unaffected side (contralateral) to determine the extent of the
abnormality.
Exam 1: Health Assessment - Page 3
, Pain Assessment
7. Health Assessment Question 7: While assessing the Pain Assessment,
the nurse observes an unexpected finding. What is the next priority
action?
A. Document the finding immediately
B. Re-assess and compare with the contralateral side
C. Notify the provider right away
D. Ask the client if they have noticed the change
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Symmetry is a key principle of physical assessment. Always compare the
affected side with the unaffected side (contralateral) to determine the extent of the
abnormality.
Nutritional Assessment
8. Health Assessment Question 8: While assessing the Nutritional
Assessment, the nurse observes an unexpected finding. What is the next
priority action?
A. Document the finding immediately
B. Re-assess and compare with the contralateral side
C. Notify the provider right away
D. Ask the client if they have noticed the change
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Symmetry is a key principle of physical assessment. Always compare the
affected side with the unaffected side (contralateral) to determine the extent of the
abnormality.
Exam 1: Health Assessment - Page 4
