INDIANA QMA STATE EXAM 2026 – COMPLETE PRACTICE
EXAM 300 QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED VERIFIED ANSWERS
WITH EXPERT RATIONALES (100% CORRECT) / A
LREADY GRADED A+
SECTION 1: ROLE, RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE OF PRACTICE (Questions 1-50)
1. A Qualified Medication Aide (QMA) in Indiana may administer medications in
which setting?
A) Acute care hospital
B) Long-term care facility (skilled nursing facility) under the supervision
of a licensed nurse
C) Independent physician's office
D) Patient's private home as a home health aide
Answer: B
Rationale: The ISDH permits QMAs to administer medications only in licensed
long-term care facilities (nursing homes) under the delegation and supervision
of an RN or LPN [1†L27-L29]. QMAs work under direct supervision and cannot
practice independently in acute care, physician offices, or home health
settings [1†L33-L36].
2. Which of the following tasks is OUTSIDE the scope of practice for a QMA?
A) Administering oral medications from a medication cart
B) Applying transdermal patches
C) Administering intravenous (IV) push medications
D) Instilling eye drops as prescribed
Answer: C
Rationale: QMAs are not permitted to administer IV push medications or any
IV medications. IV administration is strictly a nursing task under Indiana
regulations [1†L12-L16]. QMAs may administer oral, topical, ophthalmic, and
certain other routine medications, but parenteral routes like IV are outside
their scope [1†L18-L22].
1
,3. A QMA observes a resident having difficulty swallowing a large tablet. The
most appropriate action is to:
A) Crush the tablet without checking
B) Notify the licensed nurse and follow facility policy
C) Have the resident chew the tablet
D) Skip the dose
Answer: B
Rationale: The QMA should never crush or split a medication without verifying
safety [6†L7]. Certain medications (enteric-coated, time-released, sublingual,
multi-layer) cannot be crushed or altered [6†L22-L29]. The nurse must be
notified so an alternate formulation can be requested from the physician
[6†L20-L22].
4. What is the minimum passing score required for the Indiana QMA State Exam?
A) 70%
B) 75%
C) 80%
D) 85%
Answer: C
Rationale: The Indiana QMA State Exam requires a minimum passing score of
80%
to achieve certification.
5. How many classroom hours are required for QMA training in Indiana?
A) 40 hours
B) 50 hours
C) 60 hours
D) 75 hours
Answer: C
Rationale: Indiana requires 60 hours of classroom instruction as part of the
100-hour total training program [2†L7-L9][2†L12-L13].
2
,6. A QMA may administer medications only under the supervision of which
healthcare professional?
A) Physician
B) Pharmacist
C) Licensed nurse (RN or LPN)
D) Another QMA
Answer: C
Rationale: QMAs work under the direct supervision of a registered nurse (RN)
or licensed practical nurse (LPN) [1†L27-L29][1†L33-L36]. The nurse delegates
medication administration tasks and provides oversight.
7. Which of the following best describes the QMA's role in medication
administration?
A) Independently prescribing medications
B) Administering routine oral and topical medications in long-term care
settings
C) Performing medication reconciliation for new admissions
D) Adjusting medication dosages based on vital signs
Answer: B
Rationale: QMAs administer medications as delegated by a licensed nurse
[1†L38-L42].
They do not prescribe, reconcile independently, or adjust doses. Their role
focuses on safe, routine administration of approved medications in long-term
care settings [3†L34-L35].
8. A QMA is asked to administer a medication through a nasogastric (NG) tube.
What should the QMA do?
A) Administer it as requested
B) Crush the tablet and mix with water before administering
C) Refuse and inform the nurse that this is outside the QMA scope of practice
D) Check with the pharmacist
Answer: C
Rationale: In Indiana, QMAs are generally not permitted to administer
3
, medications via NG tubes. This procedure is outside the standard QMA scope
of practice and should be performed by a licensed nurse [1†L18-L22].
9. The QMA is responsible for:
A) Ordering medications from the pharmacy
B) Counting narcotics at the end of each shift
C) Diagnosing medical conditions
D) Performing physical assessments
Answer: B
Rationale: QMAs may participate in controlled substance counts under nurse
supervision [6†L34-L36]. Diagnosing and assessing are nursing/physician roles.
QMAs cannot order medications or perform independent assessments.
10. A resident requests a medication that is not due for another 2 hours. The
QMA should:
A) Administer it early to please the resident
B) Document the request and give it
C) Explain the schedule and notify the nurse if the resident is in distress
D) Give half the dose now and half later
Answer: C
Rationale: Medications must be administered according to the prescribed
schedule. If a resident is in distress, the nurse should be notified for
assessment. Early administration or altering the dose is unsafe and
outside QMA scope.
11. The primary source of delegation for a QMA is:
A) The facility administrator
B) The attending physician
C) The licensed nurse on duty
D) The pharmacist
Answer: C
Rationale: The licensed nurse on duty (RN or LPN) is responsible for
delegating medication administration tasks to the QMA [1†L27-L29].
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EXAM 300 QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED VERIFIED ANSWERS
WITH EXPERT RATIONALES (100% CORRECT) / A
LREADY GRADED A+
SECTION 1: ROLE, RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE OF PRACTICE (Questions 1-50)
1. A Qualified Medication Aide (QMA) in Indiana may administer medications in
which setting?
A) Acute care hospital
B) Long-term care facility (skilled nursing facility) under the supervision
of a licensed nurse
C) Independent physician's office
D) Patient's private home as a home health aide
Answer: B
Rationale: The ISDH permits QMAs to administer medications only in licensed
long-term care facilities (nursing homes) under the delegation and supervision
of an RN or LPN [1†L27-L29]. QMAs work under direct supervision and cannot
practice independently in acute care, physician offices, or home health
settings [1†L33-L36].
2. Which of the following tasks is OUTSIDE the scope of practice for a QMA?
A) Administering oral medications from a medication cart
B) Applying transdermal patches
C) Administering intravenous (IV) push medications
D) Instilling eye drops as prescribed
Answer: C
Rationale: QMAs are not permitted to administer IV push medications or any
IV medications. IV administration is strictly a nursing task under Indiana
regulations [1†L12-L16]. QMAs may administer oral, topical, ophthalmic, and
certain other routine medications, but parenteral routes like IV are outside
their scope [1†L18-L22].
1
,3. A QMA observes a resident having difficulty swallowing a large tablet. The
most appropriate action is to:
A) Crush the tablet without checking
B) Notify the licensed nurse and follow facility policy
C) Have the resident chew the tablet
D) Skip the dose
Answer: B
Rationale: The QMA should never crush or split a medication without verifying
safety [6†L7]. Certain medications (enteric-coated, time-released, sublingual,
multi-layer) cannot be crushed or altered [6†L22-L29]. The nurse must be
notified so an alternate formulation can be requested from the physician
[6†L20-L22].
4. What is the minimum passing score required for the Indiana QMA State Exam?
A) 70%
B) 75%
C) 80%
D) 85%
Answer: C
Rationale: The Indiana QMA State Exam requires a minimum passing score of
80%
to achieve certification.
5. How many classroom hours are required for QMA training in Indiana?
A) 40 hours
B) 50 hours
C) 60 hours
D) 75 hours
Answer: C
Rationale: Indiana requires 60 hours of classroom instruction as part of the
100-hour total training program [2†L7-L9][2†L12-L13].
2
,6. A QMA may administer medications only under the supervision of which
healthcare professional?
A) Physician
B) Pharmacist
C) Licensed nurse (RN or LPN)
D) Another QMA
Answer: C
Rationale: QMAs work under the direct supervision of a registered nurse (RN)
or licensed practical nurse (LPN) [1†L27-L29][1†L33-L36]. The nurse delegates
medication administration tasks and provides oversight.
7. Which of the following best describes the QMA's role in medication
administration?
A) Independently prescribing medications
B) Administering routine oral and topical medications in long-term care
settings
C) Performing medication reconciliation for new admissions
D) Adjusting medication dosages based on vital signs
Answer: B
Rationale: QMAs administer medications as delegated by a licensed nurse
[1†L38-L42].
They do not prescribe, reconcile independently, or adjust doses. Their role
focuses on safe, routine administration of approved medications in long-term
care settings [3†L34-L35].
8. A QMA is asked to administer a medication through a nasogastric (NG) tube.
What should the QMA do?
A) Administer it as requested
B) Crush the tablet and mix with water before administering
C) Refuse and inform the nurse that this is outside the QMA scope of practice
D) Check with the pharmacist
Answer: C
Rationale: In Indiana, QMAs are generally not permitted to administer
3
, medications via NG tubes. This procedure is outside the standard QMA scope
of practice and should be performed by a licensed nurse [1†L18-L22].
9. The QMA is responsible for:
A) Ordering medications from the pharmacy
B) Counting narcotics at the end of each shift
C) Diagnosing medical conditions
D) Performing physical assessments
Answer: B
Rationale: QMAs may participate in controlled substance counts under nurse
supervision [6†L34-L36]. Diagnosing and assessing are nursing/physician roles.
QMAs cannot order medications or perform independent assessments.
10. A resident requests a medication that is not due for another 2 hours. The
QMA should:
A) Administer it early to please the resident
B) Document the request and give it
C) Explain the schedule and notify the nurse if the resident is in distress
D) Give half the dose now and half later
Answer: C
Rationale: Medications must be administered according to the prescribed
schedule. If a resident is in distress, the nurse should be notified for
assessment. Early administration or altering the dose is unsafe and
outside QMA scope.
11. The primary source of delegation for a QMA is:
A) The facility administrator
B) The attending physician
C) The licensed nurse on duty
D) The pharmacist
Answer: C
Rationale: The licensed nurse on duty (RN or LPN) is responsible for
delegating medication administration tasks to the QMA [1†L27-L29].
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