Page 1 of 107
“CERTIFIED EMERGENCY NURSE CEN TEST
PRACTICE QUESTIONS “ NEWEST UPDATED
EXAM 2025 – 2026 SOLVED QUESTIONS
& ANSWERS VERIFIED 100% GRADED A+
(LATEST VERSION)
CEN Exam
The nurse is giving discharge instructions to a patient with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease - emphysema. Which response indicates the patient
understands the instructions?
I need to limit my fluids to prevent fluid overload.
I need to sleep with my feet elevated to prevent swelling.
I need to get the pneumococcal vaccine.
I need to avoid snacking between meals.
I need to get the pneumococcal vaccine.
A patient, who has suffered deep, full-thickness (third degree) thermal burns to
the circumferential chest and abdomen, as well as burns of varying depth to
the upper extremities, has been transferred to your emergency department
from a small, rural community hospital. Ventilating the intubated patient via
bag-mask device is becoming increasingly difficult and chest rise with
ventilation is poor. The emergency nurse anticipates which procedure?
Tracheostomy
Cricothyroidotomy
Escharotomy
Fasciotomy
Escharotomy
, Page 2 of 107
A patient presents to the ED with disorientation to time, place and person,
memory impairment, and personality changes for the past 6 days. This patient
is most likely exhibiting which psychosocial emergency?
Dementia
Schizophrenia
Depression
Delirium
Delirium
A patient arrives with complaints of shortness of breath and a history of
asthma. The assessment reveals mild tachypnea, biphasic (expiratory and
inspiratory) wheezing, and use of accessory muscles. Peak expiratory flow is
48% of personal best. What is the severity of this asthma exacerbation?
Severe
Moderate
Slight
Mild
Moderate
A hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) was completed for a rural area ED. One
finding was that the electrical system was antiquated and could not handle
power outages with generator back-up. The director of emergency
preparedness acknowledged this issue and initiated a plan to ensure that the
electrical system received the necessary upgrades. What phase of disaster
preparedness is this related to?
Mitigation
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Mitigation
A patient presents to the ED with complaints of right arm weakness, and
difficulty speaking. The symptoms started about 40 minutes ago and are now
improving. She said this happened yesterday too, but went away. What is she
experiencing?
Hemorrhagic stroke
, Page 3 of 107
Ischemic stroke
Bell's palsy
Transient ischemic attacks
Transient ischemic attacks
A 37-year-old female walks into the ED holding her abdomen. She is writhing
in pain. Her history includes vaginal bleeding for the past 6 days. She soaked 5
sanitary pads in 2 hours. What is the most likely cause of the heavy bleeding?
Uterine fibroids
Mittelschmerz
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Bartholin cyst
Uterine fibroids
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is characterized by which clinical
manifestations?
Ataxia, mental confusion, and ophthalmoplegia
Delirium tremens, hyperthermia, and disorientation
Tachycardia, tremors, and tachypnea
Hypothermia, muscle rigidity, and bradycardia
Ataxia, mental confusion, and ophthalmoplegia
A 35-year-old man presents with complaints of stomach pain that comes and
goes for the past two weeks. The nurse asks additional questions about the
nature of this pain and finds that it is relieved with antacids and he feels better
after eating. The patient mentions that he had some similar pain about two
years ago, but it stopped after about a month and he never sought care for it.
This is most likely which type of gastrointestinal disorder?
Cholecystitis
Pancreatitis
Duodenal ulcer
Stress ulcer
Duodenal ulcer
Which immunoglobulin is responsible for Type 1 allergic responses?
IgA
IgE
, Page 4 of 107
IgG
IgM
IgE
A middle-aged male patient presents to the ED with complaint of fever. He is
awake, alert, and in no acute distress. On arrival, vital signs are BP 118/58 mm
Hg, HR 112 beats/min, RR 20 breaths/min, SpO2 95%, T 38.8 C (101.9 F). His
medical history includes human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and he is taking
antiviral medications. Using a 5-level triage system, this patient would be
triaged as which acuity level?
Acuity Level 4 (non-urgent)
Acuity Level 2 (emergent)
Acuity Level 1 (life-threatening situation)
Acuity Level 3 (urgent)
Acuity Level 2 (emergent)
An 84-year-old male with a decreased level of consciousness presents to the
emergency department from a nursing home. The patient has a history of
hypertension, gout, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is allergic
to penicillin. Current medications include docusate, albuterol inhaler,
colchicine, and metoprolol. Vital signs on arrival are BP 78/48 mm Hg, HR 60
beats/min, RR 28 breaths/min, T 35.3 C (95.6 F), and SpO2 92% without
supplemental oxygen. Which type of shock do these clinical manifestations
represent?
Obstructive
Septic
Anaphylactic
Hypovolemic
Septic
A 56-year-old female presents to the emergency department with complaints of
abdominal pain for 5 days. The patient was involved in a motor vehicle crash,
but did not feel that she needed to come to the emergency department. Upon
examination, the patient has no active bowel sounds and the abdomen is rigid.
The patient has which gastrointestinal emergency?
Peritonitis
“CERTIFIED EMERGENCY NURSE CEN TEST
PRACTICE QUESTIONS “ NEWEST UPDATED
EXAM 2025 – 2026 SOLVED QUESTIONS
& ANSWERS VERIFIED 100% GRADED A+
(LATEST VERSION)
CEN Exam
The nurse is giving discharge instructions to a patient with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease - emphysema. Which response indicates the patient
understands the instructions?
I need to limit my fluids to prevent fluid overload.
I need to sleep with my feet elevated to prevent swelling.
I need to get the pneumococcal vaccine.
I need to avoid snacking between meals.
I need to get the pneumococcal vaccine.
A patient, who has suffered deep, full-thickness (third degree) thermal burns to
the circumferential chest and abdomen, as well as burns of varying depth to
the upper extremities, has been transferred to your emergency department
from a small, rural community hospital. Ventilating the intubated patient via
bag-mask device is becoming increasingly difficult and chest rise with
ventilation is poor. The emergency nurse anticipates which procedure?
Tracheostomy
Cricothyroidotomy
Escharotomy
Fasciotomy
Escharotomy
, Page 2 of 107
A patient presents to the ED with disorientation to time, place and person,
memory impairment, and personality changes for the past 6 days. This patient
is most likely exhibiting which psychosocial emergency?
Dementia
Schizophrenia
Depression
Delirium
Delirium
A patient arrives with complaints of shortness of breath and a history of
asthma. The assessment reveals mild tachypnea, biphasic (expiratory and
inspiratory) wheezing, and use of accessory muscles. Peak expiratory flow is
48% of personal best. What is the severity of this asthma exacerbation?
Severe
Moderate
Slight
Mild
Moderate
A hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) was completed for a rural area ED. One
finding was that the electrical system was antiquated and could not handle
power outages with generator back-up. The director of emergency
preparedness acknowledged this issue and initiated a plan to ensure that the
electrical system received the necessary upgrades. What phase of disaster
preparedness is this related to?
Mitigation
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Mitigation
A patient presents to the ED with complaints of right arm weakness, and
difficulty speaking. The symptoms started about 40 minutes ago and are now
improving. She said this happened yesterday too, but went away. What is she
experiencing?
Hemorrhagic stroke
, Page 3 of 107
Ischemic stroke
Bell's palsy
Transient ischemic attacks
Transient ischemic attacks
A 37-year-old female walks into the ED holding her abdomen. She is writhing
in pain. Her history includes vaginal bleeding for the past 6 days. She soaked 5
sanitary pads in 2 hours. What is the most likely cause of the heavy bleeding?
Uterine fibroids
Mittelschmerz
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Bartholin cyst
Uterine fibroids
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is characterized by which clinical
manifestations?
Ataxia, mental confusion, and ophthalmoplegia
Delirium tremens, hyperthermia, and disorientation
Tachycardia, tremors, and tachypnea
Hypothermia, muscle rigidity, and bradycardia
Ataxia, mental confusion, and ophthalmoplegia
A 35-year-old man presents with complaints of stomach pain that comes and
goes for the past two weeks. The nurse asks additional questions about the
nature of this pain and finds that it is relieved with antacids and he feels better
after eating. The patient mentions that he had some similar pain about two
years ago, but it stopped after about a month and he never sought care for it.
This is most likely which type of gastrointestinal disorder?
Cholecystitis
Pancreatitis
Duodenal ulcer
Stress ulcer
Duodenal ulcer
Which immunoglobulin is responsible for Type 1 allergic responses?
IgA
IgE
, Page 4 of 107
IgG
IgM
IgE
A middle-aged male patient presents to the ED with complaint of fever. He is
awake, alert, and in no acute distress. On arrival, vital signs are BP 118/58 mm
Hg, HR 112 beats/min, RR 20 breaths/min, SpO2 95%, T 38.8 C (101.9 F). His
medical history includes human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and he is taking
antiviral medications. Using a 5-level triage system, this patient would be
triaged as which acuity level?
Acuity Level 4 (non-urgent)
Acuity Level 2 (emergent)
Acuity Level 1 (life-threatening situation)
Acuity Level 3 (urgent)
Acuity Level 2 (emergent)
An 84-year-old male with a decreased level of consciousness presents to the
emergency department from a nursing home. The patient has a history of
hypertension, gout, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is allergic
to penicillin. Current medications include docusate, albuterol inhaler,
colchicine, and metoprolol. Vital signs on arrival are BP 78/48 mm Hg, HR 60
beats/min, RR 28 breaths/min, T 35.3 C (95.6 F), and SpO2 92% without
supplemental oxygen. Which type of shock do these clinical manifestations
represent?
Obstructive
Septic
Anaphylactic
Hypovolemic
Septic
A 56-year-old female presents to the emergency department with complaints of
abdominal pain for 5 days. The patient was involved in a motor vehicle crash,
but did not feel that she needed to come to the emergency department. Upon
examination, the patient has no active bowel sounds and the abdomen is rigid.
The patient has which gastrointestinal emergency?
Peritonitis
