GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY · COLLEGE OF NURSING
NSG 100 Final Exam
Practice Question Bank
NCLEX-Style Practice Questions with Rationales
Comprehensive Review: Clinical Decision Making, Infection, Gas Exchange,
Mobility, Safety, Pharmacology, Wound Healing, Elimination, Pain & Sleep
Edition 1 · September 2026
Table of Contents
1. Instructions for Use 2
2. Practice Questions with Answers & Rationales — NSG 100 Final Exam 2
NSG 100 · Grand Canyon University Page 1
,NSG 100 FINAL EXAM PRACTICE GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS & PRACTICE QUESTIONS
How to Use This Guide
Read each stem, choose your answer, then check the rationale directly below it. The correct
option is marked, and each wrong option is explained so you understand why it's wrong — not
just that it is.
Category: Comprehensive Review — NSG 100 Final Exam
1 Clinical decision making is best defined as:
A A linear process of following physician orders
B A process nurses use to document patient care
C A process nurses use to evaluate and select the best actions to meet desired goals
D A process used only in emergency situations
Why C is correct: Clinical decision making is a process nurses use to evaluate and select the
best actions to meet desired goals.
A — Clinical decision making is not simply following orders; it involves critical thinking.
B — Documentation is part of nursing, but clinical decision making is broader.
D — Clinical decision making is used in all nursing situations, not just emergencies.
,2 What is the deliberate nonlinear process of collecting, interpreting, analyzing,
drawing conclusions about, presenting, and evaluating information that is both
factual and belief-based?
A Clinical decision making
B Critical thinking
C Clinical reasoning
D Nursing judgment
Why B is correct: Critical thinking is the deliberate nonlinear process of collecting,
interpreting, analyzing, drawing conclusions about, presenting, and evaluating information
that is both factual and belief-based.
A — Clinical decision making applies critical thinking to select actions.
C — Clinical reasoning is the thinking process by which a nurse reaches a clinical judgment.
D — Nursing judgment is the outcome of clinical reasoning.
3 What are the six components within critical thinking?
A Assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation, documentation
B Knowledge, skills, attitudes, experience, education, training
C Creativity, intellect, inquiry, intuition, reflection, reasoning
D Analysis, synthesis, evaluation, application, comprehension, knowledge
Why C is correct: The six components within critical thinking are creativity, intellect, inquiry,
intuition, reflection, and reasoning.
A — These are steps of the nursing process, not components of critical thinking.
B — These are not the six components of critical thinking.
D — These are levels of Bloom's taxonomy, not components of critical thinking.
, 4 What is the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning?
A Deductive starts with specific ideas; inductive starts with general ideas
B Deductive starts with general ideas (top-down); inductive starts with specific ideas
(bottom-up)
C Both are the same process
D Deductive is used in research; inductive is used in clinical practice
Why B is correct: Deductive reasoning is top-down (general to specific); inductive
reasoning is bottom-up (specific to general).
A — This is the reverse of the correct definitions.
C — They are distinct reasoning processes.
D — Both are used in clinical practice and research.
5 Clinical reasoning is best defined as:
A The process of documenting patient care
B The process of collecting patient data
C The thinking process by which a nurse reaches a clinical judgment
D The process of implementing physician orders
Why C is correct: Clinical reasoning is the thinking process by which a nurse reaches a
clinical judgment.
A — Documentation is separate from reasoning.
B — Data collection is part of assessment, not clinical reasoning itself.
D — Clinical reasoning involves more than implementing orders.
NSG 100 Final Exam
Practice Question Bank
NCLEX-Style Practice Questions with Rationales
Comprehensive Review: Clinical Decision Making, Infection, Gas Exchange,
Mobility, Safety, Pharmacology, Wound Healing, Elimination, Pain & Sleep
Edition 1 · September 2026
Table of Contents
1. Instructions for Use 2
2. Practice Questions with Answers & Rationales — NSG 100 Final Exam 2
NSG 100 · Grand Canyon University Page 1
,NSG 100 FINAL EXAM PRACTICE GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS & PRACTICE QUESTIONS
How to Use This Guide
Read each stem, choose your answer, then check the rationale directly below it. The correct
option is marked, and each wrong option is explained so you understand why it's wrong — not
just that it is.
Category: Comprehensive Review — NSG 100 Final Exam
1 Clinical decision making is best defined as:
A A linear process of following physician orders
B A process nurses use to document patient care
C A process nurses use to evaluate and select the best actions to meet desired goals
D A process used only in emergency situations
Why C is correct: Clinical decision making is a process nurses use to evaluate and select the
best actions to meet desired goals.
A — Clinical decision making is not simply following orders; it involves critical thinking.
B — Documentation is part of nursing, but clinical decision making is broader.
D — Clinical decision making is used in all nursing situations, not just emergencies.
,2 What is the deliberate nonlinear process of collecting, interpreting, analyzing,
drawing conclusions about, presenting, and evaluating information that is both
factual and belief-based?
A Clinical decision making
B Critical thinking
C Clinical reasoning
D Nursing judgment
Why B is correct: Critical thinking is the deliberate nonlinear process of collecting,
interpreting, analyzing, drawing conclusions about, presenting, and evaluating information
that is both factual and belief-based.
A — Clinical decision making applies critical thinking to select actions.
C — Clinical reasoning is the thinking process by which a nurse reaches a clinical judgment.
D — Nursing judgment is the outcome of clinical reasoning.
3 What are the six components within critical thinking?
A Assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation, documentation
B Knowledge, skills, attitudes, experience, education, training
C Creativity, intellect, inquiry, intuition, reflection, reasoning
D Analysis, synthesis, evaluation, application, comprehension, knowledge
Why C is correct: The six components within critical thinking are creativity, intellect, inquiry,
intuition, reflection, and reasoning.
A — These are steps of the nursing process, not components of critical thinking.
B — These are not the six components of critical thinking.
D — These are levels of Bloom's taxonomy, not components of critical thinking.
, 4 What is the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning?
A Deductive starts with specific ideas; inductive starts with general ideas
B Deductive starts with general ideas (top-down); inductive starts with specific ideas
(bottom-up)
C Both are the same process
D Deductive is used in research; inductive is used in clinical practice
Why B is correct: Deductive reasoning is top-down (general to specific); inductive
reasoning is bottom-up (specific to general).
A — This is the reverse of the correct definitions.
C — They are distinct reasoning processes.
D — Both are used in clinical practice and research.
5 Clinical reasoning is best defined as:
A The process of documenting patient care
B The process of collecting patient data
C The thinking process by which a nurse reaches a clinical judgment
D The process of implementing physician orders
Why C is correct: Clinical reasoning is the thinking process by which a nurse reaches a
clinical judgment.
A — Documentation is separate from reasoning.
B — Data collection is part of assessment, not clinical reasoning itself.
D — Clinical reasoning involves more than implementing orders.
