NIH STROKE SCALE EXAM 2025
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
How many items on the NIH stroke scale? - ANS 11
NIH Stroke scale is - ANS an 11-item clinical evaluation instrument widely used in clinical
trials and practice to assess neurologic outcome and degree of recovery from stroke.
NIH Stroke Scale is used to quantify the effects of acute cerebral ischemia on levels of ... (7
items) - ANS levels of:
consciousness
vision
motor function (facial and extremities)
cerebellar function
sensation
language
extinction or inattention
NIH SS is used to measure patient's status after a stroke and to assess the outcome after -
ANS treatment
1
Page
@COPYRIGHT @THEBRIGHT 2025/2026
, Should the patient be coached? Should you go back and rethink a particular assessment? -
ANS NO
Having what when using NIH scale is important? - ANS reference materials
DO NOT RATE what you think the patient wants to do or what you think they can do, RATE
ONLY - ANS rate only what they actually do
use patient"s first response? - ANS YES - DO NOT USE SUMMARY OF RESPONSES
re ataxia score
1-if real weak, assume ataxia score is...
2-if they can hold leg or arm up w/ minimal drift but are all over place when trying finger to
nose test, that's probably...
3) Important to know if ataxia is present or not and if present in _____ or _______ limbs
4) if patient very weak or paralyzed, the ataxia score is... - ANS 1) 0
2) ataxia
3) 1 or 2
4) 0
You should only score loss of sensation if you can really demonstrate... - ANS that they have
loss of sensation
if patient has sensory loss from neuropathy, do you count thatt? - ANS no, but you do if
there's loss on top of the neuropathy
aphasia is difficult because it can take a while to go through the battery and it can be subjective
as to whether it is one of which classification? - ANS mild, mod, severe
2
Page
@COPYRIGHT @THEBRIGHT 2025/2026
, start to recognise aphasia when you meet them and start talking and you don't get a history
of... - ANS what happened
dysarthria is interesting because there are many cultural things about slurred ________? -
ANS speech.
Score is associated with prognosis? - ANS YES
Is NIH scale a measure of disability? - ANS NO. The NIH scale is a measure of impairments.
The NIH scale creates a common currency so that everybody understands the patient's level
of... - ANS deficit, by giving a number that communicates to other professionals how sick the
patient is
how much time to budget to perorm NIH scale - ANS 7-10 mins
What effort should be recorded? Do not do what? - ANS The patient's first effort. Don't go
back and change scores.
IMPORTANT CONVENTIONS IN ADMINISTRATION:
Administer scale items in their exact ______
-Avoid ______ing patient
-Accept patient's _______ effort
-Score only what the patient _______
-Be consistent
-Include all _________s into scoring, including those that may be from _________s ______s -
ANS -order
-coaching
3
Page
-first
@COPYRIGHT @THEBRIGHT 2025/2026
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
How many items on the NIH stroke scale? - ANS 11
NIH Stroke scale is - ANS an 11-item clinical evaluation instrument widely used in clinical
trials and practice to assess neurologic outcome and degree of recovery from stroke.
NIH Stroke Scale is used to quantify the effects of acute cerebral ischemia on levels of ... (7
items) - ANS levels of:
consciousness
vision
motor function (facial and extremities)
cerebellar function
sensation
language
extinction or inattention
NIH SS is used to measure patient's status after a stroke and to assess the outcome after -
ANS treatment
1
Page
@COPYRIGHT @THEBRIGHT 2025/2026
, Should the patient be coached? Should you go back and rethink a particular assessment? -
ANS NO
Having what when using NIH scale is important? - ANS reference materials
DO NOT RATE what you think the patient wants to do or what you think they can do, RATE
ONLY - ANS rate only what they actually do
use patient"s first response? - ANS YES - DO NOT USE SUMMARY OF RESPONSES
re ataxia score
1-if real weak, assume ataxia score is...
2-if they can hold leg or arm up w/ minimal drift but are all over place when trying finger to
nose test, that's probably...
3) Important to know if ataxia is present or not and if present in _____ or _______ limbs
4) if patient very weak or paralyzed, the ataxia score is... - ANS 1) 0
2) ataxia
3) 1 or 2
4) 0
You should only score loss of sensation if you can really demonstrate... - ANS that they have
loss of sensation
if patient has sensory loss from neuropathy, do you count thatt? - ANS no, but you do if
there's loss on top of the neuropathy
aphasia is difficult because it can take a while to go through the battery and it can be subjective
as to whether it is one of which classification? - ANS mild, mod, severe
2
Page
@COPYRIGHT @THEBRIGHT 2025/2026
, start to recognise aphasia when you meet them and start talking and you don't get a history
of... - ANS what happened
dysarthria is interesting because there are many cultural things about slurred ________? -
ANS speech.
Score is associated with prognosis? - ANS YES
Is NIH scale a measure of disability? - ANS NO. The NIH scale is a measure of impairments.
The NIH scale creates a common currency so that everybody understands the patient's level
of... - ANS deficit, by giving a number that communicates to other professionals how sick the
patient is
how much time to budget to perorm NIH scale - ANS 7-10 mins
What effort should be recorded? Do not do what? - ANS The patient's first effort. Don't go
back and change scores.
IMPORTANT CONVENTIONS IN ADMINISTRATION:
Administer scale items in their exact ______
-Avoid ______ing patient
-Accept patient's _______ effort
-Score only what the patient _______
-Be consistent
-Include all _________s into scoring, including those that may be from _________s ______s -
ANS -order
-coaching
3
Page
-first
@COPYRIGHT @THEBRIGHT 2025/2026
