• ANCC PMHNP Exam 09/11/2026
ANCC PMHNP PSYCH-MENTAL HEALTH NP LATEST
TEST 1 ,2,& 3 EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
DETAILED RATIONALES ANSWERS| LATEST
UPDATE ALREADY GRADED A+| GUARANTEED
PASS
The emergency department nurse assesses a new client and finds constricted pupils, drowsiness, impaired
memory, and slurred speech. Which vital sign would be most concerning to the nurse?
A. B/P 108/64 mm Hg
B. Temperature 99°F/37.2°C
C. Respirations 10 breaths/min
D. Pulse 64 beats/min - Correct Answer :C. Respirations 10 breaths/min
The client is demonstrating signs of opioid intoxication. Depression of the respiratory center is most concerning
for this client. Blood pressure and pulse can also run low with opioid intoxication. The temperature is mildly
elevated.
P 1
, • ANCC PMHNP Exam 09/11/2026
The nurse is talking to a client with heightened anxiety. What actions will the nurse include when providing care
for this client? (Select all that apply.)
A. Ask, "Do you have any idea what happened to increase your anxiety level?"
B. Encourage the client to play an individual player card game, like solitaire.
C. Have the client work with others in the kitchen to prepare an afternoon snack.
D. Have the client review recent events that may have triggered the change.
E. State, "Tell me what you are thinking and feeling now." - Correct Answer :A. Ask, "Do you have any idea what
happened to increase your anxiety level?"
D. Have the client review recent events that may have triggered the change.
E. State, "Tell me what you are thinking and feeling now."
The nurse must attempt to solicit the preceding events and feelings prior to the increase in anxiety. Playing
solitaire does not include any therapeutic actions by the nurse. Having the client work with others may trigger
even more anxiety, especially if the root of the anxiety is one of the others in the kitchen.
Which behavior indicates to the nurse that a client with paranoid ideas is improving?
A. Arrives on time for all activities.
B. Talks more openly about plans to protect his possessions.
C. Aggressively uses the punching bag in the gym.
D. Discusses his feelings of anxiety with the nurse. - Correct Answer :D. Discusses his feelings of anxiety with
the nurse.
Anxious feelings increase paranoid ideation. If the client is able to discuss these feelings, then the client is
improving because of fewer paranoid ideas. Option A would indicate that a client with depression or one who is
passive-aggressive is improving. Option B indicates feelings of paranoia. Option C indicates the release of anger,
and "anger turned inward" is sometimes used as a definition for depression.
A client mumbles out loud regardless if anyone else is talking, and the client also mumbles in group when others
are talking. The nurse determines that the client is experiencing hallucinations. Which action should the nurse
take first?
A. Respond to the client's feelings rather than the illogical thoughts.
B. Identify beliefs and thoughts about what the client is experiencing.
P 2
, • ANCC PMHNP Exam 09/11/2026
C. Provide the client with hope that the voices will eventually go away.
D. Ask the client how she has previously managed the voices. - Correct Answer :D. Ask the client how she has
previously managed the voices.
The nurse should promote symptom management and determine how the client previously managed the voices.
Options A and B are interventions that are useful with clients who are experiencing delusions. Option C is
important, but the most important intervention is to promote symptom management.
The emergency department nurse is assigned to a client with a blood alcohol level of 0.14%. What questions will
the nurse include in the assessment? (Select all that apply.)
A. "How much alcohol have you consumed today?"
B. "When did you last consume alcohol?"
C. "How long have you been drinking alcohol?"
D. "Did you know you are just below the legal limit for our State?"
E. "What were you thinking when you drank that much?" - Correct Answer :A. "How much alcohol have you
consumed today?"
B. "When did you last consume alcohol?"
C. "How long have you been drinking alcohol?"
There are basic questions to ask when treating a client with alcohol consumption. They are how much, what
type, for how long and when last consumed. The legal limit is generally around 0.08%, but may differ from state
to state. 0.14% is clearly over the limit for any state. What were you thinking is a nontherapeutic blame
statement.
A 35-year-old client admitted to the psychiatric unit of an acute care hospital tells the nurse of poisoning
attempts. The client's delusions are most likely related to which factor?
A. Authority issues in childhood
B. Anger about being hospitalized
C. Low self-esteem
D. Phobia of food - Correct Answer :C. Low self-esteem
P 3
, • ANCC PMHNP Exam 09/11/2026
Delusional clients have difficulty with trust and have low self-esteem. Nursing care should be directed at building
trust and promoting positive self-esteem. Activities with limited concentration and no competition should be
encouraged to build self-esteem. Options A, B, and D are not specifically related to the development of
delusions.
The client states to the therapy nurse, "I cannot remember a thing about any of the times my parent would burn
me with a cigarette. I know it happened because I have the scars and my family tells me of those times." When
developing the client's plan of care, which defense mechanism will the nurse include?
A. Repression
B. Suppression
C. Displacement
D. Denial - Correct Answer :A. Repression
Repression is the unconscious blocking of difficult thoughts. Suppression is deliberately forgetting painful
thoughts. Displacement is the act of redirecting feelings to a less threatening object. Denial is consciously
rejecting difficult thoughts.
A unit employee receives a blow to the face when attempting to deescalate a client on the behavioral health
unit. Physical restraints are placed on the client, and then the client is put into a seclusion room. What actions
must the nurse take in the next hour? (Select all that apply.)
A. Meet the physical needs of the client.
B. Obtain a prescription for the restraints.
C. Objectively document the client's behaviors.
D. Tell the other clients on the unit of the events.
E. Keep the clients on the unit in their bedroom. - Correct Answer :A. Meet the physical needs of the client.
B. Obtain a prescription for the restraints.
C. Objectively document the client's behaviors.
Physical aggression on a unit is often chaotic. There is no need to feed into the chaos by retelling the course of
events. If others did not witness the event, the nurse needs to protect the privacy of the client. Once the client is
in a secure place, there is no need for the other residents of the unit to stay in their bedroom. The source of
harm has been removed. The remaining actions are appropriate for this situation.
P 4
ANCC PMHNP PSYCH-MENTAL HEALTH NP LATEST
TEST 1 ,2,& 3 EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
DETAILED RATIONALES ANSWERS| LATEST
UPDATE ALREADY GRADED A+| GUARANTEED
PASS
The emergency department nurse assesses a new client and finds constricted pupils, drowsiness, impaired
memory, and slurred speech. Which vital sign would be most concerning to the nurse?
A. B/P 108/64 mm Hg
B. Temperature 99°F/37.2°C
C. Respirations 10 breaths/min
D. Pulse 64 beats/min - Correct Answer :C. Respirations 10 breaths/min
The client is demonstrating signs of opioid intoxication. Depression of the respiratory center is most concerning
for this client. Blood pressure and pulse can also run low with opioid intoxication. The temperature is mildly
elevated.
P 1
, • ANCC PMHNP Exam 09/11/2026
The nurse is talking to a client with heightened anxiety. What actions will the nurse include when providing care
for this client? (Select all that apply.)
A. Ask, "Do you have any idea what happened to increase your anxiety level?"
B. Encourage the client to play an individual player card game, like solitaire.
C. Have the client work with others in the kitchen to prepare an afternoon snack.
D. Have the client review recent events that may have triggered the change.
E. State, "Tell me what you are thinking and feeling now." - Correct Answer :A. Ask, "Do you have any idea what
happened to increase your anxiety level?"
D. Have the client review recent events that may have triggered the change.
E. State, "Tell me what you are thinking and feeling now."
The nurse must attempt to solicit the preceding events and feelings prior to the increase in anxiety. Playing
solitaire does not include any therapeutic actions by the nurse. Having the client work with others may trigger
even more anxiety, especially if the root of the anxiety is one of the others in the kitchen.
Which behavior indicates to the nurse that a client with paranoid ideas is improving?
A. Arrives on time for all activities.
B. Talks more openly about plans to protect his possessions.
C. Aggressively uses the punching bag in the gym.
D. Discusses his feelings of anxiety with the nurse. - Correct Answer :D. Discusses his feelings of anxiety with
the nurse.
Anxious feelings increase paranoid ideation. If the client is able to discuss these feelings, then the client is
improving because of fewer paranoid ideas. Option A would indicate that a client with depression or one who is
passive-aggressive is improving. Option B indicates feelings of paranoia. Option C indicates the release of anger,
and "anger turned inward" is sometimes used as a definition for depression.
A client mumbles out loud regardless if anyone else is talking, and the client also mumbles in group when others
are talking. The nurse determines that the client is experiencing hallucinations. Which action should the nurse
take first?
A. Respond to the client's feelings rather than the illogical thoughts.
B. Identify beliefs and thoughts about what the client is experiencing.
P 2
, • ANCC PMHNP Exam 09/11/2026
C. Provide the client with hope that the voices will eventually go away.
D. Ask the client how she has previously managed the voices. - Correct Answer :D. Ask the client how she has
previously managed the voices.
The nurse should promote symptom management and determine how the client previously managed the voices.
Options A and B are interventions that are useful with clients who are experiencing delusions. Option C is
important, but the most important intervention is to promote symptom management.
The emergency department nurse is assigned to a client with a blood alcohol level of 0.14%. What questions will
the nurse include in the assessment? (Select all that apply.)
A. "How much alcohol have you consumed today?"
B. "When did you last consume alcohol?"
C. "How long have you been drinking alcohol?"
D. "Did you know you are just below the legal limit for our State?"
E. "What were you thinking when you drank that much?" - Correct Answer :A. "How much alcohol have you
consumed today?"
B. "When did you last consume alcohol?"
C. "How long have you been drinking alcohol?"
There are basic questions to ask when treating a client with alcohol consumption. They are how much, what
type, for how long and when last consumed. The legal limit is generally around 0.08%, but may differ from state
to state. 0.14% is clearly over the limit for any state. What were you thinking is a nontherapeutic blame
statement.
A 35-year-old client admitted to the psychiatric unit of an acute care hospital tells the nurse of poisoning
attempts. The client's delusions are most likely related to which factor?
A. Authority issues in childhood
B. Anger about being hospitalized
C. Low self-esteem
D. Phobia of food - Correct Answer :C. Low self-esteem
P 3
, • ANCC PMHNP Exam 09/11/2026
Delusional clients have difficulty with trust and have low self-esteem. Nursing care should be directed at building
trust and promoting positive self-esteem. Activities with limited concentration and no competition should be
encouraged to build self-esteem. Options A, B, and D are not specifically related to the development of
delusions.
The client states to the therapy nurse, "I cannot remember a thing about any of the times my parent would burn
me with a cigarette. I know it happened because I have the scars and my family tells me of those times." When
developing the client's plan of care, which defense mechanism will the nurse include?
A. Repression
B. Suppression
C. Displacement
D. Denial - Correct Answer :A. Repression
Repression is the unconscious blocking of difficult thoughts. Suppression is deliberately forgetting painful
thoughts. Displacement is the act of redirecting feelings to a less threatening object. Denial is consciously
rejecting difficult thoughts.
A unit employee receives a blow to the face when attempting to deescalate a client on the behavioral health
unit. Physical restraints are placed on the client, and then the client is put into a seclusion room. What actions
must the nurse take in the next hour? (Select all that apply.)
A. Meet the physical needs of the client.
B. Obtain a prescription for the restraints.
C. Objectively document the client's behaviors.
D. Tell the other clients on the unit of the events.
E. Keep the clients on the unit in their bedroom. - Correct Answer :A. Meet the physical needs of the client.
B. Obtain a prescription for the restraints.
C. Objectively document the client's behaviors.
Physical aggression on a unit is often chaotic. There is no need to feed into the chaos by retelling the course of
events. If others did not witness the event, the nurse needs to protect the privacy of the client. Once the client is
in a secure place, there is no need for the other residents of the unit to stay in their bedroom. The source of
harm has been removed. The remaining actions are appropriate for this situation.
P 4
