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CNL Exam 2025 – Version 1 and 2 Study Guide,
Practice Questions, and Answer Key for Clinical
Nurse Leader Certification
Prepare for the CNL Exam 2025 (Versions 1 & 2) with the latest study guide, practice test
questions, and answers to help you pass the Clinical Nurse Leader exam.
Get fully prepared for the CNL Exam 2025 Versions 1 and 2 with this in-depth study resource.
Review key clinical leadership, healthcare systems, patient safety, and evidence-based
practice concepts. Includes CNL exam practice questions with answers, updated exam
formats, and test-taking strategies to help nursing students and professionals succeed on the
Clinical Nurse Leader certification exam on their first try.
• CNL exam 2025 version 1 and 2
• clinical nurse leader exam questions and answers
• CNL exam study guide pdf
• CNL exam version 1 answers
VERSION 1
A CNL just completed an EBP quality improvement project and has decided to submit his findings to a
clinically specific journal for publication. After completing the final draft of the article what should the
CNL's final step be prior to the article submission:
A. Send the article to a mentor and peers to review and submit comments.
,2|Page
B. Identify the journal's author guidelines and format article to match the guidelines.
C. Post the article in the hospital's monthly quality newsletter.
D. Determine the authorship of the article. - ANSWER-B. Identify the journal's author guidelines and
format article to match the guidelines.
Which of the follow is not criteria for determining authorship for an article?
A. Financial contribution and organizational support for the EBP initiative.
B. Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work.
C. Drafting the work or critically revising content for important intellectual content.
D. Final approval and agreement of the version to be submitted for publication. - ANSWER-A. Financial
contribution and organizational support for the EBP initiative.
What are the four elements found in the Discussion section of the SQUIRE 2.0 Guidelines?
A. Summary, Interpretation, Limitations, Conclusions.
B. Conclusion, Findings, Discussion, Results.
C. Summary, Application, Funding Sources, Limitations.
D. Review of Data, Summary, Interpretation, Future Research. - ANSWER-A. Summary, Interpretation,
Limitations, Conclusions.
What is the purpose of the query letter?
A. Determine the journal's interest in an article for publication before the article is formally completed
or submitted for consideration.
B. Request for details or clarification on the journal's author guidelines.
C. Formal request for topics or ideas for upcoming quality improvement project in your health care
setting.
D. Provides an offer to collaborate with other health care facilities on a specific topic of interest to the
journal. - ANSWER-A. Determine the journal's interest in an article for publication before the article is
formally completed or submitted for consideration.
During morning huddle, the CNL discusses the barriers to discharge for a patient who needs a home
health company for wound care and physical therapy (PT) to assess for patient's ambulation needs prior
,3|Page
to discharge. After the huddle was complete, the CNL spoke with the clinical case manager (CCM) and it
was communicated that they are waiting on confirmation from the home health agency. The CNL then
follows up with PT to make sure they know to assess the patient. Which component of lateral
integration is the CNL demonstrating?
A. Communication
B. Collaboration
C. Coordination
D. Evaluation - ANSWER-B. Collaboration
Which of the following statements describing how CNLs best use evidence-based practice is untrue?
A. Guide decisions regarding care.
B. Guide leadership decisions.
C. Improve the quality of care in the microsystem.
D. Trial an intervention to evaluate the effects and outcomes. - ANSWER-D. Trial an intervention to
evaluate the effects and outcomes.
As the CNL, you notice an increase in falls on your unit. You conduct a literature search and find that fall
bundles have been shown to decrease falls on other units. You would like to implement a fall bundle on
your unit and evaluate the change that it has. Which of the following best describes this process?
A. Research
B. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
C. Plan-Do-Study-Act
D. Evidence-based practice - ANSWER-D. Evidence-based practice
Maddie, a nurse on the unit, is interested in implementing a project to improve staff response time
toward alarms. She asks the CNL for help in initiating this project. What would be the first step you
would tell Maddie to take?
A. Gather data about the current response times.
B. Identify the problem or question.
C. Ask for volunteers to help on the project.
D. Search and review the literature. - ANSWER-B. Identify the problem or question.
, 4|Page
Query letters are typically sent prior to submitting article for consideration to assess the journal's
interest in your topic. This letter is typically sent via email to the editor or according to the journal's
author guidelines. Options B-D are not an appropriate use of a query letter.
A university health center organizes an annual influenza vaccine clinic to vaccinate large numbers of
university students at once. Influenza vaccines are an example of which level of prevention?
A. Primary prevention
B. Secondary prevention
C. Tertiary prevention
D. Administering influenza vaccines is not a level of prevention. - ANSWER-A. Primary prevention
You are the only CNL on your trauma step-down unit. Thus, you are working to help the unit clinical
manager update the staffing matrix. This needs to be done because of unit changes including the
addition of a new higher-acuity patient population and increased nurse staff needs on your unit. The
increase in worked hours per patient day needed for this higher-acuity patient population is an example
of what type of cost increase?
A. Direct unit costs
B. Indirect unit costs
C. Fixed unit costs
D. Imputed costs - ANSWER-A. Direct unit costs
Direct costs are costs that are directly identifiable with a particular service. This includes personnel and
equipment.
Prior to discharge, a CNL named Jason goes in to stress the importance of smoking cessation for a
patient with COPD. The patient tells Jason he completely agrees that he needs to stop smoking
sometime soon, maybe even after he finishes his carton of cigarettes or at least in the next 2 months.
Jason recognizes this patient is in which stage of Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model for
stages of change?
A. Precontemplation
B. Action
C. Preparation
CNL Exam 2025 – Version 1 and 2 Study Guide,
Practice Questions, and Answer Key for Clinical
Nurse Leader Certification
Prepare for the CNL Exam 2025 (Versions 1 & 2) with the latest study guide, practice test
questions, and answers to help you pass the Clinical Nurse Leader exam.
Get fully prepared for the CNL Exam 2025 Versions 1 and 2 with this in-depth study resource.
Review key clinical leadership, healthcare systems, patient safety, and evidence-based
practice concepts. Includes CNL exam practice questions with answers, updated exam
formats, and test-taking strategies to help nursing students and professionals succeed on the
Clinical Nurse Leader certification exam on their first try.
• CNL exam 2025 version 1 and 2
• clinical nurse leader exam questions and answers
• CNL exam study guide pdf
• CNL exam version 1 answers
VERSION 1
A CNL just completed an EBP quality improvement project and has decided to submit his findings to a
clinically specific journal for publication. After completing the final draft of the article what should the
CNL's final step be prior to the article submission:
A. Send the article to a mentor and peers to review and submit comments.
,2|Page
B. Identify the journal's author guidelines and format article to match the guidelines.
C. Post the article in the hospital's monthly quality newsletter.
D. Determine the authorship of the article. - ANSWER-B. Identify the journal's author guidelines and
format article to match the guidelines.
Which of the follow is not criteria for determining authorship for an article?
A. Financial contribution and organizational support for the EBP initiative.
B. Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work.
C. Drafting the work or critically revising content for important intellectual content.
D. Final approval and agreement of the version to be submitted for publication. - ANSWER-A. Financial
contribution and organizational support for the EBP initiative.
What are the four elements found in the Discussion section of the SQUIRE 2.0 Guidelines?
A. Summary, Interpretation, Limitations, Conclusions.
B. Conclusion, Findings, Discussion, Results.
C. Summary, Application, Funding Sources, Limitations.
D. Review of Data, Summary, Interpretation, Future Research. - ANSWER-A. Summary, Interpretation,
Limitations, Conclusions.
What is the purpose of the query letter?
A. Determine the journal's interest in an article for publication before the article is formally completed
or submitted for consideration.
B. Request for details or clarification on the journal's author guidelines.
C. Formal request for topics or ideas for upcoming quality improvement project in your health care
setting.
D. Provides an offer to collaborate with other health care facilities on a specific topic of interest to the
journal. - ANSWER-A. Determine the journal's interest in an article for publication before the article is
formally completed or submitted for consideration.
During morning huddle, the CNL discusses the barriers to discharge for a patient who needs a home
health company for wound care and physical therapy (PT) to assess for patient's ambulation needs prior
,3|Page
to discharge. After the huddle was complete, the CNL spoke with the clinical case manager (CCM) and it
was communicated that they are waiting on confirmation from the home health agency. The CNL then
follows up with PT to make sure they know to assess the patient. Which component of lateral
integration is the CNL demonstrating?
A. Communication
B. Collaboration
C. Coordination
D. Evaluation - ANSWER-B. Collaboration
Which of the following statements describing how CNLs best use evidence-based practice is untrue?
A. Guide decisions regarding care.
B. Guide leadership decisions.
C. Improve the quality of care in the microsystem.
D. Trial an intervention to evaluate the effects and outcomes. - ANSWER-D. Trial an intervention to
evaluate the effects and outcomes.
As the CNL, you notice an increase in falls on your unit. You conduct a literature search and find that fall
bundles have been shown to decrease falls on other units. You would like to implement a fall bundle on
your unit and evaluate the change that it has. Which of the following best describes this process?
A. Research
B. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
C. Plan-Do-Study-Act
D. Evidence-based practice - ANSWER-D. Evidence-based practice
Maddie, a nurse on the unit, is interested in implementing a project to improve staff response time
toward alarms. She asks the CNL for help in initiating this project. What would be the first step you
would tell Maddie to take?
A. Gather data about the current response times.
B. Identify the problem or question.
C. Ask for volunteers to help on the project.
D. Search and review the literature. - ANSWER-B. Identify the problem or question.
, 4|Page
Query letters are typically sent prior to submitting article for consideration to assess the journal's
interest in your topic. This letter is typically sent via email to the editor or according to the journal's
author guidelines. Options B-D are not an appropriate use of a query letter.
A university health center organizes an annual influenza vaccine clinic to vaccinate large numbers of
university students at once. Influenza vaccines are an example of which level of prevention?
A. Primary prevention
B. Secondary prevention
C. Tertiary prevention
D. Administering influenza vaccines is not a level of prevention. - ANSWER-A. Primary prevention
You are the only CNL on your trauma step-down unit. Thus, you are working to help the unit clinical
manager update the staffing matrix. This needs to be done because of unit changes including the
addition of a new higher-acuity patient population and increased nurse staff needs on your unit. The
increase in worked hours per patient day needed for this higher-acuity patient population is an example
of what type of cost increase?
A. Direct unit costs
B. Indirect unit costs
C. Fixed unit costs
D. Imputed costs - ANSWER-A. Direct unit costs
Direct costs are costs that are directly identifiable with a particular service. This includes personnel and
equipment.
Prior to discharge, a CNL named Jason goes in to stress the importance of smoking cessation for a
patient with COPD. The patient tells Jason he completely agrees that he needs to stop smoking
sometime soon, maybe even after he finishes his carton of cigarettes or at least in the next 2 months.
Jason recognizes this patient is in which stage of Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model for
stages of change?
A. Precontemplation
B. Action
C. Preparation
