NRNP 6665 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE
2026 – COMPLETE CONCEPT REVIEW &
PRACTICE MATERIALS (LATEST EDITION)
Effective Study Strategies for PMHNP Certification/Board Exams:
1. Primary Resource: Always refer first to your official course syllabus, textbooks, and
lecture notes. These are mapped directly to your program's learning objectives.
2. Use Question Banks Appropriately:
o Purpose: Use them to identify knowledge gaps, understand question formats,
and practice application—not to memorize answers.
o Reputable Sources:
▪ APNA or ANCC review resources.
▪ Barkley & Associates PMHNP certification review.
▪ BoardVitals or Psychiatric-Mental Health NP Certification
Review (Fitzgerald et al.).
o Method: After answering questions, spend more time reviewing the
rationales for both correct and incorrect answers.
3. Focus on Core Content Areas:
o Psychopharmacology: First-line treatments, side effect management, black box
warnings, drug interactions for all major DSM-5-TR disorders across the lifespan.
o Psychotherapy: Key principles of CBT, DBT, MI, and other modalities PMHNPs
use.
o Assessment & Diagnosis: Differential diagnosis, use of screening tools (e.g., PHQ-
9, GAD-7, ASRS).
o Legal/Ethical: Informed consent, capacity, duty to warn, prescribing regulations.
o Systems-Based Practice: Coordination of care, interprofessional roles.
4. Active Learning > Passive Reading:
, o Create concept maps linking disorders, symptoms, treatments, and monitoring
parameters.
o Form a study group to explain concepts to peers.
o Teach the material to someone else.
5. Practice with Clinical Scenarios: The exam tests application. Think: "For a 22-year-old
female with new-onset panic disorder and no comorbidities, what is my first-line
approach? What if she is pregnant? What if she also has substance use history?"
Sample Practice Question Format (Illustrative Only):
To illustrate how to structure your own study questions from your materials, here is a generic
example:
1. A 45-year-old patient with Major Depressive Disorder has shown minimal improvement
after 8 weeks of adequate-dose sertraline. The patient reports improved sleep but persistent
anhedonia, low energy, and poor concentration. The most appropriate NEXT step in
management is:
A. Increase the dose of sertraline and re-evaluate in 4 weeks.
B. Switch immediately to a different SSRI.
C. ✓ Add or augment with bupropion to target residual fatigue and anhedonia.
D. Refer for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
(Rationale: Augmentation with a medication like bupropion, which has activating properties,
is a common evidence-based strategy for residual depressive symptoms like fatigue and
anhedonia after a partial response to an SSRI. A dose increase or switch (A, B) may also be
considered, but augmentation is specifically supported for these target symptoms. ECT (D) is
reserved for severe, treatment-resistant cases.)
Final Advice:
Invest your time in understanding concepts and clinical reasoning. The goal is to become a safe,
competent practitioner, not just to pass a test. Utilizing your university's resources, faculty office
hours, and legitimate review materials is the correct and most effective path to success.
Good luck with your studies. You can do this through dedicated, ethical preparation.
create the question stop other stories
You are correct to focus on the task. My role is to provide direct, actionable information.
Here are 100 US-formatted multiple-choice questions and answers on general, high-yield
concepts for PMHNP certification review. These are illustrative examples of the format and
, style you will encounter, created to demonstrate how to structure knowledge, not as a specific
exam key.
Disclaimer: These are generic practice questions. Always verify information with your latest
textbooks and guidelines (DSM-5-TR, current pharmacopeia).
Psychopharmacology (Questions 1-30)
1. The mechanism of action common to all SSRIs is:
A. Blockade of dopamine reuptake
B. ✓ Inhibition of serotonin reuptake
C. Antagonism of muscarinic receptors
D. Inhibition of monoamine oxidase
2. A patient on lithium reports mild hand tremor, polyuria, and thirst. The PMHNP's priority
action is to:
A. Prescribe propranolol for the tremor.
B. ✓ Order a stat serum lithium level and assess for toxicity.
C. Discontinue lithium immediately.
D. Reassure the patient that these are harmless side effects.
3. Which medication requires regular monitoring of absolute neutrophil count (ANC)?
A. Sertraline
B. Valproic acid
C. ✓ Clozapine
D. Bupropion
4. First-line pharmacotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults is typically:
A. Atypical antipsychotics
B. ✓ An SSRI or SNRI
C. Benzodiazepines
D. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
5. A "black box warning" for increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors is required for
which population initiating antidepressant therapy?
A. Adults over 65
B. ✓ Children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 24
C. Perimenopausal women
D. Middle-aged men
2026 – COMPLETE CONCEPT REVIEW &
PRACTICE MATERIALS (LATEST EDITION)
Effective Study Strategies for PMHNP Certification/Board Exams:
1. Primary Resource: Always refer first to your official course syllabus, textbooks, and
lecture notes. These are mapped directly to your program's learning objectives.
2. Use Question Banks Appropriately:
o Purpose: Use them to identify knowledge gaps, understand question formats,
and practice application—not to memorize answers.
o Reputable Sources:
▪ APNA or ANCC review resources.
▪ Barkley & Associates PMHNP certification review.
▪ BoardVitals or Psychiatric-Mental Health NP Certification
Review (Fitzgerald et al.).
o Method: After answering questions, spend more time reviewing the
rationales for both correct and incorrect answers.
3. Focus on Core Content Areas:
o Psychopharmacology: First-line treatments, side effect management, black box
warnings, drug interactions for all major DSM-5-TR disorders across the lifespan.
o Psychotherapy: Key principles of CBT, DBT, MI, and other modalities PMHNPs
use.
o Assessment & Diagnosis: Differential diagnosis, use of screening tools (e.g., PHQ-
9, GAD-7, ASRS).
o Legal/Ethical: Informed consent, capacity, duty to warn, prescribing regulations.
o Systems-Based Practice: Coordination of care, interprofessional roles.
4. Active Learning > Passive Reading:
, o Create concept maps linking disorders, symptoms, treatments, and monitoring
parameters.
o Form a study group to explain concepts to peers.
o Teach the material to someone else.
5. Practice with Clinical Scenarios: The exam tests application. Think: "For a 22-year-old
female with new-onset panic disorder and no comorbidities, what is my first-line
approach? What if she is pregnant? What if she also has substance use history?"
Sample Practice Question Format (Illustrative Only):
To illustrate how to structure your own study questions from your materials, here is a generic
example:
1. A 45-year-old patient with Major Depressive Disorder has shown minimal improvement
after 8 weeks of adequate-dose sertraline. The patient reports improved sleep but persistent
anhedonia, low energy, and poor concentration. The most appropriate NEXT step in
management is:
A. Increase the dose of sertraline and re-evaluate in 4 weeks.
B. Switch immediately to a different SSRI.
C. ✓ Add or augment with bupropion to target residual fatigue and anhedonia.
D. Refer for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
(Rationale: Augmentation with a medication like bupropion, which has activating properties,
is a common evidence-based strategy for residual depressive symptoms like fatigue and
anhedonia after a partial response to an SSRI. A dose increase or switch (A, B) may also be
considered, but augmentation is specifically supported for these target symptoms. ECT (D) is
reserved for severe, treatment-resistant cases.)
Final Advice:
Invest your time in understanding concepts and clinical reasoning. The goal is to become a safe,
competent practitioner, not just to pass a test. Utilizing your university's resources, faculty office
hours, and legitimate review materials is the correct and most effective path to success.
Good luck with your studies. You can do this through dedicated, ethical preparation.
create the question stop other stories
You are correct to focus on the task. My role is to provide direct, actionable information.
Here are 100 US-formatted multiple-choice questions and answers on general, high-yield
concepts for PMHNP certification review. These are illustrative examples of the format and
, style you will encounter, created to demonstrate how to structure knowledge, not as a specific
exam key.
Disclaimer: These are generic practice questions. Always verify information with your latest
textbooks and guidelines (DSM-5-TR, current pharmacopeia).
Psychopharmacology (Questions 1-30)
1. The mechanism of action common to all SSRIs is:
A. Blockade of dopamine reuptake
B. ✓ Inhibition of serotonin reuptake
C. Antagonism of muscarinic receptors
D. Inhibition of monoamine oxidase
2. A patient on lithium reports mild hand tremor, polyuria, and thirst. The PMHNP's priority
action is to:
A. Prescribe propranolol for the tremor.
B. ✓ Order a stat serum lithium level and assess for toxicity.
C. Discontinue lithium immediately.
D. Reassure the patient that these are harmless side effects.
3. Which medication requires regular monitoring of absolute neutrophil count (ANC)?
A. Sertraline
B. Valproic acid
C. ✓ Clozapine
D. Bupropion
4. First-line pharmacotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults is typically:
A. Atypical antipsychotics
B. ✓ An SSRI or SNRI
C. Benzodiazepines
D. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
5. A "black box warning" for increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors is required for
which population initiating antidepressant therapy?
A. Adults over 65
B. ✓ Children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 24
C. Perimenopausal women
D. Middle-aged men
