Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing latest
Questions
These sample questions apply to all exams taken on or after October 25, 2014.
The following sample questions are similar to those on the examination but do not represent
the full range of content or levels of difficulty. The answers to the sample questions are
provided after the last question. Please note: Taking these or any sample question(s) is not
a requirement to sit for an actual certification examination. Completion of these or any other
sample question(s) does not imply eligibility for certification or successful performance on
any certification examination.
To respond to the sample questions, first enter your first and last names in the boxes below
(this information will not be recorded; it is strictly for purposes of identifying your results).
Then click the button corresponding to the best answer for each question. When you are
finished, click the "Evaluate" button at the bottom of the page. A new browser window will
open, displaying your results, which you may print, if you wish.
This practice exam is not timed, and you may take it as many times as you wish. Good luck!
First name: Last name:
1. A 17-year-old patient with anorexia nervosa has just been released from the hospital. To facilitate
recovery at home, the psychiatric-mental health nurse instructs the family to:
discourage the patient from sneaking food between meals, by unobtrusively reducing access to
the kitchen.
encourage the patient's interest in menu planning, food magazines, and cooking lessons, by
leaving information and materials around the house.
permit the patient to eat her meals privately to discourage family preoccupation with meals.
recommend that the patient joins in routine family meals and clears the dishes after dinner, even
if they do not eat.
2. A patient is admitted to the inpatient unit with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The patient has had
episodes of school absenteeism, withdrawal from friends, and bizarre behavior, including talking to
his or her "keeper." The psychiatric-mental health nurse's most appropriate response is to:
acknowledge that the patient's perceptions seem real to him or her, and refocus the patient's
attention on a task or activity.
encourage the patient to express his or her thoughts, to determine the meaning they have for
the patient.
ignore the patient's bizarre behavior, because it will diminish after he or she has been given the
correct medication.
inform the patient that his or her perceptions of reality have become distorted because of the
, illness.
3. A supervisor observes inconsistency in the psychiatric-mental health nurse's behavior toward a
patient; the nurse is unreasonably concerned, overly kind, or irrationally hostile. The most
appropriate explanation is that the nurse is displaying:
countertransference.
empathic resonance.
splitting behavior.
transference.
4. The first step in the treatment of incest is to:
believe the child who reports the activity.
notify the proper authorities.
objectively confront the accused family member.
remove the child from the home.
5. A couple in counseling reports fighting with their child when they are angry with each other. This
behavior typifies:
coalition.
indirect communication.
transference.
triangulation.
6. The severe feeling of restlessness produced by some psychotropic medications, which is often
misinterpreted by patients as anxiety or a recurrence of psychiatric symptoms, is known as:
akathisia.
akinesia.
bradykinesia.
dystonia.
7. During an initial patient interview, the psychiatric-mental health nurse begins by asking the patient
to describe their:
current situation.
feelings about the current situation.
personal history.
thoughts about the current situation.
Questions
These sample questions apply to all exams taken on or after October 25, 2014.
The following sample questions are similar to those on the examination but do not represent
the full range of content or levels of difficulty. The answers to the sample questions are
provided after the last question. Please note: Taking these or any sample question(s) is not
a requirement to sit for an actual certification examination. Completion of these or any other
sample question(s) does not imply eligibility for certification or successful performance on
any certification examination.
To respond to the sample questions, first enter your first and last names in the boxes below
(this information will not be recorded; it is strictly for purposes of identifying your results).
Then click the button corresponding to the best answer for each question. When you are
finished, click the "Evaluate" button at the bottom of the page. A new browser window will
open, displaying your results, which you may print, if you wish.
This practice exam is not timed, and you may take it as many times as you wish. Good luck!
First name: Last name:
1. A 17-year-old patient with anorexia nervosa has just been released from the hospital. To facilitate
recovery at home, the psychiatric-mental health nurse instructs the family to:
discourage the patient from sneaking food between meals, by unobtrusively reducing access to
the kitchen.
encourage the patient's interest in menu planning, food magazines, and cooking lessons, by
leaving information and materials around the house.
permit the patient to eat her meals privately to discourage family preoccupation with meals.
recommend that the patient joins in routine family meals and clears the dishes after dinner, even
if they do not eat.
2. A patient is admitted to the inpatient unit with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The patient has had
episodes of school absenteeism, withdrawal from friends, and bizarre behavior, including talking to
his or her "keeper." The psychiatric-mental health nurse's most appropriate response is to:
acknowledge that the patient's perceptions seem real to him or her, and refocus the patient's
attention on a task or activity.
encourage the patient to express his or her thoughts, to determine the meaning they have for
the patient.
ignore the patient's bizarre behavior, because it will diminish after he or she has been given the
correct medication.
inform the patient that his or her perceptions of reality have become distorted because of the
, illness.
3. A supervisor observes inconsistency in the psychiatric-mental health nurse's behavior toward a
patient; the nurse is unreasonably concerned, overly kind, or irrationally hostile. The most
appropriate explanation is that the nurse is displaying:
countertransference.
empathic resonance.
splitting behavior.
transference.
4. The first step in the treatment of incest is to:
believe the child who reports the activity.
notify the proper authorities.
objectively confront the accused family member.
remove the child from the home.
5. A couple in counseling reports fighting with their child when they are angry with each other. This
behavior typifies:
coalition.
indirect communication.
transference.
triangulation.
6. The severe feeling of restlessness produced by some psychotropic medications, which is often
misinterpreted by patients as anxiety or a recurrence of psychiatric symptoms, is known as:
akathisia.
akinesia.
bradykinesia.
dystonia.
7. During an initial patient interview, the psychiatric-mental health nurse begins by asking the patient
to describe their:
current situation.
feelings about the current situation.
personal history.
thoughts about the current situation.
