1|Page
HESI CAT EXAM NEWEST 2026 ACTUAL EXAM TEST
BANK| HESI COMPUTERIZED ADAPTIVE TESTING
(CAT) EXAM PREP WITH 550 REAL EXAM QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) ALREADY GRADED A+ (BRAND NEW!!)
Which screening report will help the nurse determine skeletal growth in
a child?
1. Electroencephalogram reports
2. Radiographs of the hand and wrist
3. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
4. Denver Developmental Screening Test - Correct Answer -2
Skeletal growth in a child can be determined from the ossification
centers. At 5 to 6 months of age, the capitate and hamate bones in the
wrist are the earliest centers. Therefore radiographs of the hand and wrist
will help determine skeletal growth in the child. Electroencephalogram
reports will help assess a child's brain activity. MRI is used to scan the
internal structures of a client. The Denver Developmental Screening Test
is used to understand developmental issues of a child.
Which stages would the nurse explain that a toddler goes through,
according to Freud's theory? Select all that apply.
1. Oral
2. Anal
3. Phallic
pg. 1
,2|Page
4. Genital
5. Latency - Correct Answer -1, 2
According to Freud's theory, a toddler goes through the oral and anal
stages. The phallic stage is seen in children between the ages of 3 to 6
years. The genital stage is seen during puberty through adulthood. The
latency stage is seen in children ages 6 to 12 years of age.
A client is found to have a borderline personality disorder. What
behavior does the nurse consider is most typical of these clients?
1. Inept
2. Eccentric
3. Impulsive
4. Dependent - Correct Answer -3
Impulsive, potentially self-damaging behaviors are typical of clients
with this personality disorder. Inept behavior, by itself, is not typical of
clients with any specific personality disorder. Eccentric behavior is more
typical of the client with a schizotypal personality disorder. Dependent
behavior is more typical of the client with a dependent personality
disorder.
Which identity may fail to develop if the adolescent fails to feel a sense
of belonging and acceptance?
1. Sexual identity
2. Group identity
3. Family identity
pg. 2
,3|Page
4. Health identity - Correct Answer -2
Failure to feel acceptance and belonging results in failure to establish a
group identity. A lack of physical evidence of maturity can predispose
the adolescent to fail to establish a sexual identity. Adolescents depend
on these physical cues because they want assurance of maleness or
femaleness and do not wish to be different from their peers. If an
adolescent fails to foster independence and balance in the family
structure, it may hamper family identity. Healthy adolescents evaluate
their own health on the basis of feelings of well-being, ability to function
normally, and absence of symptoms.
A nurse is caring for a client exhibiting compulsive behaviors. The nurse
concludes that the compulsive behavior usually incorporates the use of
which defense mechanism?
1. Projection
2. Regression
3. Displacement
4. Rationalization - Correct Answer -3
Displacement is the unconscious redirection of an emotion from a
threatening source to a nonthreatening source. Projection is the
attribution of one's unacceptable feelings and thoughts to someone else.
Regression is the return to an earlier, more comfortable level of
behavior; it is a retreat from the present. Rationalization is the attempt to
make unacceptable behavior or feelings acceptable by justifying the
reasons for them.
pg. 3
, 4|Page
A client is admitted to the psychiatric unit with the diagnosis of
obsessive-compulsive disorder. The client washes her hands more than
20 times a day, and they are raw and bloody. What defense mechanism
does the nurse conclude that the client is using to ease anxiety?
1. Undoing
2. Projection
3. Introjection
4. Displacement - Correct Answer -1
Undoing is an act that partially negates a previous one; the client is using
this defense mechanism to atone for unacceptable acts or wishes. The
client is not attributing self-thoughts or impulses to another person or
group, which is called projection. The client is not absorbing into the
self a hated or loved object (introjection). Displacement is the
transferring of feelings from one person, object, or experience onto
another, less threatening person, object, or experience.
What characteristic is most essential for the nurse caring for a client
undergoing mental health care?
1. Empathy
2. Sympathy
3. Organization
4. Authoritarianism - Correct Answer -1
Empathy—understanding and to some extent sharing the emotions of
another—encourages the expression of feelings. Empathy is an essential
tool in caring for emotionally ill clients. Sympathy, or feeling sorry for
someone, may further decrease the client's feelings of self-worth.
pg. 4
HESI CAT EXAM NEWEST 2026 ACTUAL EXAM TEST
BANK| HESI COMPUTERIZED ADAPTIVE TESTING
(CAT) EXAM PREP WITH 550 REAL EXAM QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) ALREADY GRADED A+ (BRAND NEW!!)
Which screening report will help the nurse determine skeletal growth in
a child?
1. Electroencephalogram reports
2. Radiographs of the hand and wrist
3. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
4. Denver Developmental Screening Test - Correct Answer -2
Skeletal growth in a child can be determined from the ossification
centers. At 5 to 6 months of age, the capitate and hamate bones in the
wrist are the earliest centers. Therefore radiographs of the hand and wrist
will help determine skeletal growth in the child. Electroencephalogram
reports will help assess a child's brain activity. MRI is used to scan the
internal structures of a client. The Denver Developmental Screening Test
is used to understand developmental issues of a child.
Which stages would the nurse explain that a toddler goes through,
according to Freud's theory? Select all that apply.
1. Oral
2. Anal
3. Phallic
pg. 1
,2|Page
4. Genital
5. Latency - Correct Answer -1, 2
According to Freud's theory, a toddler goes through the oral and anal
stages. The phallic stage is seen in children between the ages of 3 to 6
years. The genital stage is seen during puberty through adulthood. The
latency stage is seen in children ages 6 to 12 years of age.
A client is found to have a borderline personality disorder. What
behavior does the nurse consider is most typical of these clients?
1. Inept
2. Eccentric
3. Impulsive
4. Dependent - Correct Answer -3
Impulsive, potentially self-damaging behaviors are typical of clients
with this personality disorder. Inept behavior, by itself, is not typical of
clients with any specific personality disorder. Eccentric behavior is more
typical of the client with a schizotypal personality disorder. Dependent
behavior is more typical of the client with a dependent personality
disorder.
Which identity may fail to develop if the adolescent fails to feel a sense
of belonging and acceptance?
1. Sexual identity
2. Group identity
3. Family identity
pg. 2
,3|Page
4. Health identity - Correct Answer -2
Failure to feel acceptance and belonging results in failure to establish a
group identity. A lack of physical evidence of maturity can predispose
the adolescent to fail to establish a sexual identity. Adolescents depend
on these physical cues because they want assurance of maleness or
femaleness and do not wish to be different from their peers. If an
adolescent fails to foster independence and balance in the family
structure, it may hamper family identity. Healthy adolescents evaluate
their own health on the basis of feelings of well-being, ability to function
normally, and absence of symptoms.
A nurse is caring for a client exhibiting compulsive behaviors. The nurse
concludes that the compulsive behavior usually incorporates the use of
which defense mechanism?
1. Projection
2. Regression
3. Displacement
4. Rationalization - Correct Answer -3
Displacement is the unconscious redirection of an emotion from a
threatening source to a nonthreatening source. Projection is the
attribution of one's unacceptable feelings and thoughts to someone else.
Regression is the return to an earlier, more comfortable level of
behavior; it is a retreat from the present. Rationalization is the attempt to
make unacceptable behavior or feelings acceptable by justifying the
reasons for them.
pg. 3
, 4|Page
A client is admitted to the psychiatric unit with the diagnosis of
obsessive-compulsive disorder. The client washes her hands more than
20 times a day, and they are raw and bloody. What defense mechanism
does the nurse conclude that the client is using to ease anxiety?
1. Undoing
2. Projection
3. Introjection
4. Displacement - Correct Answer -1
Undoing is an act that partially negates a previous one; the client is using
this defense mechanism to atone for unacceptable acts or wishes. The
client is not attributing self-thoughts or impulses to another person or
group, which is called projection. The client is not absorbing into the
self a hated or loved object (introjection). Displacement is the
transferring of feelings from one person, object, or experience onto
another, less threatening person, object, or experience.
What characteristic is most essential for the nurse caring for a client
undergoing mental health care?
1. Empathy
2. Sympathy
3. Organization
4. Authoritarianism - Correct Answer -1
Empathy—understanding and to some extent sharing the emotions of
another—encourages the expression of feelings. Empathy is an essential
tool in caring for emotionally ill clients. Sympathy, or feeling sorry for
someone, may further decrease the client's feelings of self-worth.
pg. 4
