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Sample Test Questions ANCC - PMHNP
Questions and Answers
A patient with borderline personality disorder experiences intense
anxiety when an adult psychiatric and mental health nurse
practitioner goes on vacation. The best explanation for this
reaction is that the patient:
A. has failed to develop clear ego boundaries.
B. has failed to master object constancy.
C. is employing primitive idealization.
D. is employing projective identification.
Ans: B. has failed to master object constancy
2. A patient has been taking escitalopram (Lexapro) 10 mg daily
for four weeks. Initially, the patient reported depression and
suicidal thoughts. The patient's sleep, appetite, energy, and
appearance have now begun to improve. Which statement applies
to this patient?
A. The medication should be discontinued.
B. The medication should be increased.
C. The patient's risk for suicide is not a concern.
D. The patient's suicide potential is increased.
Ans: D. The patient's suicide potential is increased.
3. Which behavior reflects existentially oriented therapy?
A. Attempting to understand a patient's subjective world
B. Challenging a patient's irrational beliefs
C. Developing specific plans for change
D. Establishing general group goals
Ans: A. Attempting to understand a patient's subjective world
4. Serving as a member on a crisis team, an adult psychiatric and
mental health nurse practitioner provides crisis intervention to the
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survivors of a plane crash. Forty-eight hours after the accident, the
survivors describe vivid flashbacks, startle reactions, and
disrupted sleep patterns. The nurse practitioner responds by:
A. advising the survivors to consider using a hypnotic medication
for a brief period.
B. educating the survivors about prodromal symptoms of
posttraumatic stress disorder.
C. encouraging the survivors to rest during the day.
D. suggesting that the survivors join a posttrauma support group.
Ans: B. educating the survivors about prodromal symptoms of
posttraumatic stress disorder.
5. An adult psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner uses
the interpersonal therapy model with a patient to establish a
therapeutic alliance based upon empathy and trust. The nurse
practitioner recognizes the patient's readiness to terminate
therapy when the patient demonstrates:
A. an understanding that leaving a significant other may be
painful, but also presents an opportunity for growth.
B. breathing and muscle relaxation exercises that decrease muscle
tension and anxiety.
C. free association, and considers the nurse practitioner's
interpretation of the patient's dreams.
D. new adaptive skills and responses after completing "homework
assignments."
Ans: A. an understanding that leaving a significant other may be painful,
but also presents an opportunity for growth.
6. An Hispanic patient informs an adult psychiatric and mental
health nurse practitioner during a wellness visit that he or she
occasionally uses hot chili juice to relieve a "nervous condition."
The patient denies any complaints related to this practice. The
nurse practitioner's response is to:
A. actively discourage the patient from continuing this treatment.
B. offer a medication to treat the nervous condition.
C. suggest an alternative food to relieve the nervous condition.
D. view this as a self-care ritual that needs to be preserved.
© 2025 All rights reserved
Sample Test Questions ANCC - PMHNP
Questions and Answers
A patient with borderline personality disorder experiences intense
anxiety when an adult psychiatric and mental health nurse
practitioner goes on vacation. The best explanation for this
reaction is that the patient:
A. has failed to develop clear ego boundaries.
B. has failed to master object constancy.
C. is employing primitive idealization.
D. is employing projective identification.
Ans: B. has failed to master object constancy
2. A patient has been taking escitalopram (Lexapro) 10 mg daily
for four weeks. Initially, the patient reported depression and
suicidal thoughts. The patient's sleep, appetite, energy, and
appearance have now begun to improve. Which statement applies
to this patient?
A. The medication should be discontinued.
B. The medication should be increased.
C. The patient's risk for suicide is not a concern.
D. The patient's suicide potential is increased.
Ans: D. The patient's suicide potential is increased.
3. Which behavior reflects existentially oriented therapy?
A. Attempting to understand a patient's subjective world
B. Challenging a patient's irrational beliefs
C. Developing specific plans for change
D. Establishing general group goals
Ans: A. Attempting to understand a patient's subjective world
4. Serving as a member on a crisis team, an adult psychiatric and
mental health nurse practitioner provides crisis intervention to the
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
survivors of a plane crash. Forty-eight hours after the accident, the
survivors describe vivid flashbacks, startle reactions, and
disrupted sleep patterns. The nurse practitioner responds by:
A. advising the survivors to consider using a hypnotic medication
for a brief period.
B. educating the survivors about prodromal symptoms of
posttraumatic stress disorder.
C. encouraging the survivors to rest during the day.
D. suggesting that the survivors join a posttrauma support group.
Ans: B. educating the survivors about prodromal symptoms of
posttraumatic stress disorder.
5. An adult psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner uses
the interpersonal therapy model with a patient to establish a
therapeutic alliance based upon empathy and trust. The nurse
practitioner recognizes the patient's readiness to terminate
therapy when the patient demonstrates:
A. an understanding that leaving a significant other may be
painful, but also presents an opportunity for growth.
B. breathing and muscle relaxation exercises that decrease muscle
tension and anxiety.
C. free association, and considers the nurse practitioner's
interpretation of the patient's dreams.
D. new adaptive skills and responses after completing "homework
assignments."
Ans: A. an understanding that leaving a significant other may be painful,
but also presents an opportunity for growth.
6. An Hispanic patient informs an adult psychiatric and mental
health nurse practitioner during a wellness visit that he or she
occasionally uses hot chili juice to relieve a "nervous condition."
The patient denies any complaints related to this practice. The
nurse practitioner's response is to:
A. actively discourage the patient from continuing this treatment.
B. offer a medication to treat the nervous condition.
C. suggest an alternative food to relieve the nervous condition.
D. view this as a self-care ritual that needs to be preserved.
© 2025 All rights reserved
