HESI PEDIATRICS EXAM |2026-2027 MOST RECENT
VERSION|COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
Comprehensive Assessment
2026-2027 | Total Questions: 150 | 100% VERIFIED
Introduction
This comprehensive assessment measures the core knowledge required of nursing
candidates preparing for the HESI Pediatrics examination. The assessment spans eight
domains: Growth and Development; Pediatric Health Promotion and Maintenance; Pediatric
Acute and Chronic Conditions; Pediatric Pharmacology and Medication Administration;
Pediatric Respiratory and Cardiovascular Disorders; Pediatric Gastrointestinal and
Genitourinary Alterations; Pediatric Neurological and Musculoskeletal Disorders; and
Family-Centered Care and Psychosocial Integrity. Each question tests a distinct sub-topic
mapped to the official HESI Pediatrics blueprint, requiring applied clinical judgment,
developmental reasoning, and safe intervention selection rather than simple recall. Mastery
of this material demonstrates readiness for academic progression and supports safe,
compassionate pediatric nursing clinical execution across inpatient, outpatient, and
community settings.
Question 1. According to Erikson, the developmental task of the toddler period is:
A. Trust versus mistrust
B. Initiative versus guilt
C. Industry versus inferiority
D. Autonomy versus shame and doubt
Correct Answer: D — Autonomy versus shame and doubt
Rationale: Toddlers 1-3 years work on autonomy through independence. Trust belongs
to infancy, initiative to preschool, industry to school age.
Question 2. A hospitalized 2-year-old is most likely to experience separation anxiety
manifested by:
A. Complete silence and cooperative behavior with strangers
B. Talking about future school plans
C. Crying, clinging, and protesting when the caregiver leaves
D. Driving independently
Correct Answer: C — Crying, clinging, and protesting when the caregiver leaves
Rationale: Toddlers protest separation loudly through crying and clinging. Cooperative
detachment comes later, and the other behaviors exceed toddler capacity.
Question 3. By 12 months of age, an infant should be able to:
A. Walk with one hand held or stand alone momentarily
B. Ride a tricycle
, C. Write the alphabet
D. Skip on alternate feet
Correct Answer: A — Walk with one hand held or stand alone momentarily
Rationale: Walking with support and standing are 12-month milestones. Tricycle riding
comes at 3 years, writing at school age, skipping at 5 years.
Question 4. According to Piaget, an infant's sensorimotor stage involves learning primarily
through:
A. Abstract logical reasoning
B. Hypothetical deduction
C. Senses and motor activity such as mouthing and manipulation
D. Formal operations
Correct Answer: C — Senses and motor activity such as mouthing and
manipulation
Rationale: Sensorimotor infants explore by sensing and moving. Abstract reasoning
belongs to later Piagetian stages.
Question 5. An infant begins babbling and cooing during which period?
A. Birth to 1 month
B. 2 to 6 months of age
C. 3 to 4 years
D. 8 to 10 years
Correct Answer: B — 2 to 6 months of age
Rationale: Babbling and cooing emerge in the early months, 2-6 months. Newborns cry;
older children speak in words.
Question 6. Object permanence, understanding that items exist when hidden, develops
around:
A. 2 weeks of age
B. 8 to 12 months of age
C. 5 years of age
D. 12 years of age
Correct Answer: B — 8 to 12 months of age
Rationale: Object permanence emerges late in the first year. Young infants believe
hidden objects vanish; school-age children mastered it long ago.
Question 7. Play characteristic of the school-age child is best described as:
A. Solitary play alone
B. Onlooker behavior only
C. Cooperative, rule-based play with peers and team activities
D. Parallel play beside peers
Correct Answer: C — Cooperative, rule-based play with peers and team activities
, Rationale: School-age children engage in cooperative organized play. Solitary, onlooker,
and parallel play belong to toddler and preschool periods.
Question 8. The leading cause of death in adolescents is:
A. Congenital heart disease
B. Alzheimer's disease
C. Measles
D. Unintentional injuries such as motor vehicle collisions
Correct Answer: D — Unintentional injuries such as motor vehicle collisions
Rationale: Accidents, especially vehicular, top adolescent mortality. Congenital disease,
dementia, and measles are not leading teen causes.
Question 9. A preschooler's animism means the child:
A. Attributes life and feelings to inanimate objects
B. Uses logical deduction consistently
C. Understands conservation of mass
D. Plans abstractly
Correct Answer: A — Attributes life and feelings to inanimate objects
Rationale: Preschoolers believe objects are alive, as with a punishing sidewalk. Logical
deduction, conservation, and abstraction are school-age or formal operations.
Question 10. The nurse expects a 6-month-old to demonstrate:
A. Riding a bicycle
B. Typing sentences
C. Rolling from back to abdomen and sitting with support
D. Cooking meals
Correct Answer: C — Rolling from back to abdomen and sitting with support
Rationale: Six-month motor skills include rolling and supported sitting. Cycling, typing,
and cooking far exceed infancy.
Question 11. Parallel play, playing alongside without interaction, is typical of:
A. Newborns
B. Adolescents
C. Elderly adults
D. Toddlers aged 1 to 3 years
Correct Answer: D — Toddlers aged 1 to 3 years
Rationale: Toddlers play side by side without cooperation. Newborns, teens, and elders
show different interaction patterns.
Question 12. Conservation of volume, knowing liquid amount stays constant when poured,
is achieved in:
A. The concrete operational stage around 7 to 8 years
, B. The sensorimotor stage
C. The first month of life
D. Only in adulthood
Correct Answer: A — The concrete operational stage around 7 to 8 years
Rationale: Piaget's concrete operations bring conservation at 7-8. Infants and
preschoolers judge by appearance; adults achieved it earlier.
Question 13. An adolescent's egocentrism is expressed through:
A. The imaginary audience and personal fable beliefs
B. Concrete play with blocks
C. Refusing all independence
D. Total dependence on parents
Correct Answer: A — The imaginary audience and personal fable beliefs
Rationale: Teens feel watched (imaginary audience) and uniquely invulnerable
(personal fable). Blocks, dependence, and passivity contradict adolescent psychology.
Question 14. Gross motor development at age 3 typically includes:
A. Driving a car
B. Running marathons
C. Riding a tricycle and climbing stairs alternating feet
D. Skydiving
Correct Answer: C — Riding a tricycle and climbing stairs alternating feet
Rationale: Tricycling and alternating stairs are 3-year skills. Driving, marathons, and
skydiving exceed childhood.
Question 15. Language development at age 2 usually allows the child to:
A. Use two-word phrases and about 300 words
B. Deliver speeches
C. Read novels
D. Stay silent permanently
Correct Answer: A — Use two-word phrases and about 300 words
Rationale: Two-year-olds combine two words with growing vocabularies. Speeches and
novels come much later; silence is a red flag.
Question 16. Hospitalization of an 8-month-old requires the nurse to:
A. Encourage caregiver presence to maintain trust
B. Remove parents to promote independence
C. Discourage familiar objects
D. Feed only strangers
Correct Answer: A — Encourage caregiver presence to maintain trust
Rationale: Trust development demands caregiver presence and comfort items. Parent
removal and stranger-only care damage trust.
VERSION|COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
Comprehensive Assessment
2026-2027 | Total Questions: 150 | 100% VERIFIED
Introduction
This comprehensive assessment measures the core knowledge required of nursing
candidates preparing for the HESI Pediatrics examination. The assessment spans eight
domains: Growth and Development; Pediatric Health Promotion and Maintenance; Pediatric
Acute and Chronic Conditions; Pediatric Pharmacology and Medication Administration;
Pediatric Respiratory and Cardiovascular Disorders; Pediatric Gastrointestinal and
Genitourinary Alterations; Pediatric Neurological and Musculoskeletal Disorders; and
Family-Centered Care and Psychosocial Integrity. Each question tests a distinct sub-topic
mapped to the official HESI Pediatrics blueprint, requiring applied clinical judgment,
developmental reasoning, and safe intervention selection rather than simple recall. Mastery
of this material demonstrates readiness for academic progression and supports safe,
compassionate pediatric nursing clinical execution across inpatient, outpatient, and
community settings.
Question 1. According to Erikson, the developmental task of the toddler period is:
A. Trust versus mistrust
B. Initiative versus guilt
C. Industry versus inferiority
D. Autonomy versus shame and doubt
Correct Answer: D — Autonomy versus shame and doubt
Rationale: Toddlers 1-3 years work on autonomy through independence. Trust belongs
to infancy, initiative to preschool, industry to school age.
Question 2. A hospitalized 2-year-old is most likely to experience separation anxiety
manifested by:
A. Complete silence and cooperative behavior with strangers
B. Talking about future school plans
C. Crying, clinging, and protesting when the caregiver leaves
D. Driving independently
Correct Answer: C — Crying, clinging, and protesting when the caregiver leaves
Rationale: Toddlers protest separation loudly through crying and clinging. Cooperative
detachment comes later, and the other behaviors exceed toddler capacity.
Question 3. By 12 months of age, an infant should be able to:
A. Walk with one hand held or stand alone momentarily
B. Ride a tricycle
, C. Write the alphabet
D. Skip on alternate feet
Correct Answer: A — Walk with one hand held or stand alone momentarily
Rationale: Walking with support and standing are 12-month milestones. Tricycle riding
comes at 3 years, writing at school age, skipping at 5 years.
Question 4. According to Piaget, an infant's sensorimotor stage involves learning primarily
through:
A. Abstract logical reasoning
B. Hypothetical deduction
C. Senses and motor activity such as mouthing and manipulation
D. Formal operations
Correct Answer: C — Senses and motor activity such as mouthing and
manipulation
Rationale: Sensorimotor infants explore by sensing and moving. Abstract reasoning
belongs to later Piagetian stages.
Question 5. An infant begins babbling and cooing during which period?
A. Birth to 1 month
B. 2 to 6 months of age
C. 3 to 4 years
D. 8 to 10 years
Correct Answer: B — 2 to 6 months of age
Rationale: Babbling and cooing emerge in the early months, 2-6 months. Newborns cry;
older children speak in words.
Question 6. Object permanence, understanding that items exist when hidden, develops
around:
A. 2 weeks of age
B. 8 to 12 months of age
C. 5 years of age
D. 12 years of age
Correct Answer: B — 8 to 12 months of age
Rationale: Object permanence emerges late in the first year. Young infants believe
hidden objects vanish; school-age children mastered it long ago.
Question 7. Play characteristic of the school-age child is best described as:
A. Solitary play alone
B. Onlooker behavior only
C. Cooperative, rule-based play with peers and team activities
D. Parallel play beside peers
Correct Answer: C — Cooperative, rule-based play with peers and team activities
, Rationale: School-age children engage in cooperative organized play. Solitary, onlooker,
and parallel play belong to toddler and preschool periods.
Question 8. The leading cause of death in adolescents is:
A. Congenital heart disease
B. Alzheimer's disease
C. Measles
D. Unintentional injuries such as motor vehicle collisions
Correct Answer: D — Unintentional injuries such as motor vehicle collisions
Rationale: Accidents, especially vehicular, top adolescent mortality. Congenital disease,
dementia, and measles are not leading teen causes.
Question 9. A preschooler's animism means the child:
A. Attributes life and feelings to inanimate objects
B. Uses logical deduction consistently
C. Understands conservation of mass
D. Plans abstractly
Correct Answer: A — Attributes life and feelings to inanimate objects
Rationale: Preschoolers believe objects are alive, as with a punishing sidewalk. Logical
deduction, conservation, and abstraction are school-age or formal operations.
Question 10. The nurse expects a 6-month-old to demonstrate:
A. Riding a bicycle
B. Typing sentences
C. Rolling from back to abdomen and sitting with support
D. Cooking meals
Correct Answer: C — Rolling from back to abdomen and sitting with support
Rationale: Six-month motor skills include rolling and supported sitting. Cycling, typing,
and cooking far exceed infancy.
Question 11. Parallel play, playing alongside without interaction, is typical of:
A. Newborns
B. Adolescents
C. Elderly adults
D. Toddlers aged 1 to 3 years
Correct Answer: D — Toddlers aged 1 to 3 years
Rationale: Toddlers play side by side without cooperation. Newborns, teens, and elders
show different interaction patterns.
Question 12. Conservation of volume, knowing liquid amount stays constant when poured,
is achieved in:
A. The concrete operational stage around 7 to 8 years
, B. The sensorimotor stage
C. The first month of life
D. Only in adulthood
Correct Answer: A — The concrete operational stage around 7 to 8 years
Rationale: Piaget's concrete operations bring conservation at 7-8. Infants and
preschoolers judge by appearance; adults achieved it earlier.
Question 13. An adolescent's egocentrism is expressed through:
A. The imaginary audience and personal fable beliefs
B. Concrete play with blocks
C. Refusing all independence
D. Total dependence on parents
Correct Answer: A — The imaginary audience and personal fable beliefs
Rationale: Teens feel watched (imaginary audience) and uniquely invulnerable
(personal fable). Blocks, dependence, and passivity contradict adolescent psychology.
Question 14. Gross motor development at age 3 typically includes:
A. Driving a car
B. Running marathons
C. Riding a tricycle and climbing stairs alternating feet
D. Skydiving
Correct Answer: C — Riding a tricycle and climbing stairs alternating feet
Rationale: Tricycling and alternating stairs are 3-year skills. Driving, marathons, and
skydiving exceed childhood.
Question 15. Language development at age 2 usually allows the child to:
A. Use two-word phrases and about 300 words
B. Deliver speeches
C. Read novels
D. Stay silent permanently
Correct Answer: A — Use two-word phrases and about 300 words
Rationale: Two-year-olds combine two words with growing vocabularies. Speeches and
novels come much later; silence is a red flag.
Question 16. Hospitalization of an 8-month-old requires the nurse to:
A. Encourage caregiver presence to maintain trust
B. Remove parents to promote independence
C. Discourage familiar objects
D. Feed only strangers
Correct Answer: A — Encourage caregiver presence to maintain trust
Rationale: Trust development demands caregiver presence and comfort items. Parent
removal and stranger-only care damage trust.
