RN CAPSTONE HESI EXIT PRACTICE EXAM
2026 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED
A+
◉ A nurse has just received a medication order which is not legible.
Which statement best reflects assertive communication?
A) "I cannot give this medication as it is written. I have no idea of
what you mean."
B) "Would you please clarify what you have written so I am sure I am
reading it
correctly?"
C) "I am having difficulty reading your handwriting. It would save
me time if you would be more careful."
D) "Please print in the future so I do not have to spend extra time
attempting to read your writing.". Answer: B) "Would you please
clarify what you have written so I am sure I am reading it
correctly?"
◉ What is the most important consideration when teaching parents
how to reduce risks in the home?
A) Age and knowledge level of the parents
B) Proximity to emergency services
C) Number of children in the home
,D) Age of children in the home. Answer: D) Age of children in the
home
◉ A 35 year-old client with sickle cell crisis is talking on the
telephone but stops as the nurse enters the room to request
something for pain. The nurse should
A) Administer a placebo
B) Encourage increased fluid intake
C) Administer the prescribed analgesia
D) Recommend relaxation exercises for pain control. Answer: C)
Administer the prescribed analgesia
◉ While caring for a toddler with croup, which initial sign of croup
requires the nurse's immediate attention?
A) Respiratory rate of 42
B) Lethargy for the past hour
C) Apical pulse of 54
D) Coughing up copious secretions. Answer: A) Respiratory rate of
42
◉ A client is admitted with low T3 and T4 levels and an elevated
TSH level. On initial assessment, the nurse would anticipate which of
the following assessment findings?
A) Lethargy
,B) Heat intolerance
C) Diarrhea
D) Skin eruptions. Answer: A) Lethargy
◉ The emergency room nurse admits a child who experienced a
seizure at school. The father comments that this is the first
occurrence, and denies any family history of epilepsy. What is the
best response by the nurse?
A) "Do not worry. Epilepsy can be treated with medications."
B) "The seizure may or may not mean your child has epilepsy."
C) "Since this was the first convulsion, it may not happen again."
D) "Long term treatment will prevent future seizures.". Answer: B)
"The seizure may or may not mean your child has epilepsy."
◉ Alcohol and drug abuse impairs judgment and increases risk
taking behavior. What nursing diagnosis best applies?
A) Risk for injury
B) Risk for knowledge deficit
C) Altered thought process
D) Disturbance in self-esteem. Answer: A) Risk for injury
◉ Which these findings would the nurse more closely associate with
anemia in a 10 month-old infant?
, A) Hemoglobin level of 12 g/dI
B) Pale mucosa of the eyelids and lips
C) Hypoactivity
D) A heart rate between 140 to 160. Answer: B) Pale mucosa of the
eyelids and lips
◉ The nurse is caring for a client in hypertensive crisis in an
intensive care unit. The priority assessment in the first hour of care
is
A) Heart rate
B) Pedal pulses
C) Lung sounds
D) Pupil responses. Answer: D) Pupil responses
◉ Which of these clients who are all in the terminal stage of cancer
is least appropriate to suggest the use of patient controlled analgesia
(PCA) with a pump?
A) A young adult with a history of Down's syndrome
B) A teenager who reads at a 4th grade level
C) An elderly client with numerous arthritic nodules on the hands
D) A preschooler with intermittent episodes of alertness. Answer: D)
A preschooler with intermittent episodes of alertness
2026 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED
A+
◉ A nurse has just received a medication order which is not legible.
Which statement best reflects assertive communication?
A) "I cannot give this medication as it is written. I have no idea of
what you mean."
B) "Would you please clarify what you have written so I am sure I am
reading it
correctly?"
C) "I am having difficulty reading your handwriting. It would save
me time if you would be more careful."
D) "Please print in the future so I do not have to spend extra time
attempting to read your writing.". Answer: B) "Would you please
clarify what you have written so I am sure I am reading it
correctly?"
◉ What is the most important consideration when teaching parents
how to reduce risks in the home?
A) Age and knowledge level of the parents
B) Proximity to emergency services
C) Number of children in the home
,D) Age of children in the home. Answer: D) Age of children in the
home
◉ A 35 year-old client with sickle cell crisis is talking on the
telephone but stops as the nurse enters the room to request
something for pain. The nurse should
A) Administer a placebo
B) Encourage increased fluid intake
C) Administer the prescribed analgesia
D) Recommend relaxation exercises for pain control. Answer: C)
Administer the prescribed analgesia
◉ While caring for a toddler with croup, which initial sign of croup
requires the nurse's immediate attention?
A) Respiratory rate of 42
B) Lethargy for the past hour
C) Apical pulse of 54
D) Coughing up copious secretions. Answer: A) Respiratory rate of
42
◉ A client is admitted with low T3 and T4 levels and an elevated
TSH level. On initial assessment, the nurse would anticipate which of
the following assessment findings?
A) Lethargy
,B) Heat intolerance
C) Diarrhea
D) Skin eruptions. Answer: A) Lethargy
◉ The emergency room nurse admits a child who experienced a
seizure at school. The father comments that this is the first
occurrence, and denies any family history of epilepsy. What is the
best response by the nurse?
A) "Do not worry. Epilepsy can be treated with medications."
B) "The seizure may or may not mean your child has epilepsy."
C) "Since this was the first convulsion, it may not happen again."
D) "Long term treatment will prevent future seizures.". Answer: B)
"The seizure may or may not mean your child has epilepsy."
◉ Alcohol and drug abuse impairs judgment and increases risk
taking behavior. What nursing diagnosis best applies?
A) Risk for injury
B) Risk for knowledge deficit
C) Altered thought process
D) Disturbance in self-esteem. Answer: A) Risk for injury
◉ Which these findings would the nurse more closely associate with
anemia in a 10 month-old infant?
, A) Hemoglobin level of 12 g/dI
B) Pale mucosa of the eyelids and lips
C) Hypoactivity
D) A heart rate between 140 to 160. Answer: B) Pale mucosa of the
eyelids and lips
◉ The nurse is caring for a client in hypertensive crisis in an
intensive care unit. The priority assessment in the first hour of care
is
A) Heart rate
B) Pedal pulses
C) Lung sounds
D) Pupil responses. Answer: D) Pupil responses
◉ Which of these clients who are all in the terminal stage of cancer
is least appropriate to suggest the use of patient controlled analgesia
(PCA) with a pump?
A) A young adult with a history of Down's syndrome
B) A teenager who reads at a 4th grade level
C) An elderly client with numerous arthritic nodules on the hands
D) A preschooler with intermittent episodes of alertness. Answer: D)
A preschooler with intermittent episodes of alertness
