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Sample Test Questions

Adult Nurse Practitioner Exam Sample Questions

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. During an annual health visit, a 15-year-old female patient is found to have grown 5 in (12.7 cm) over the past year. She has not reached menarche. Her mother is concerned because the patient's sister reached menarche at age 11 and the mother reached menarche at age 12. Examination reveals that the patient's breasts are enlarged, with the areolae forming a mound above the general contour of each breast, and that the left breast is larger than the right. Axillary hair is absent and the pubic hair is dark, coarse, curly, dense, and similar in pattern to that of an adult female. These findings are consistent with a diagnosis of:

hypothyroidism.
normal development.
polycystic ovary syndrome.
Turner syndrome.


2. A pale, thin 54-year-old male patient reports a two-month history of numbness in his feet. Past medical history includes hypertension and a subtotal gastrectomy. An examination reveals a decreased vibratory sensation and position sense. Blood tests indicate a hematocrit of 27%, mean corpuscular volume of 105 fL, mean  corpuscular hemoglobin of 45 pg, and reticulocytes of 1.5%. The diagnosis is:

chronic simple anemia.
folate deficiency anemia.
iron deficiency anemia.
vitamin B12  deficiency anemia.


3. Upon referral from a gynecologist, an adult nurse practitioner evaluates an 89-year-old female nursing home resident for vaginal bleeding. The patient has a history of occasional periods of confusion and memory loss. The gynecologist recommended dilation and curettage and the patient consented to the procedure after the gynecologist answered her questions, but the patient's daughter protests. The nurse practitioner's ethical duty is to support the:

daughter, because she might file a lawsuit over unsatisfactory care.
daughter, because the patient is occasionally confused and incapable of granting informed consent.
nursing home administration, which may choose to support either the patient or the daughter.
patient, who has given informed consent.


4. A 16-year-old patient has been diagnosed with mononucleosis and has a positive throat culture for group Alpha-hemolytic streptococcal infection. The medication of choice for this patient is:

amoxicillin (Amoxil).
doxycycline (Vibramycin).
erythromycin (E-Mycin).
trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim).


5. A 70-year-old patient reports fatigue and a nonproductive cough with pain on inspiration and expiration. The patient denies a sore throat, fever, nasal congestion, or postnasal drip. Examination reveals a well-developed patient in no acute distress who is afebrile and has respirations of 32 breaths/min. The patient's lungs have diminished breath sounds. The heart rate is 70 beats/min, regular with no murmur. There is no edema of the extremities. An adult nurse practitioner orders:

a chest x-ray.
a lung perfusion scan.
over-the-counter treatments for symptomatic relief.
pulmonary function tests.


6. Before placing a patient with onychomycosis on a pulsed dose of itraconazole (Sporanox), which laboratory values does an adult nurse practitioner obtain?

Liver function studies
Platelet count
Renal function studies
White blood cell count


7. An adult nurse practitioner is educating a female patient about her newly diagnosed phobia. The nurse practitioner explains that phobias differ from other anxiety disorders in that phobias:

are innate and can be prevented.
are related to specific trigger experiences.
occur at a later age.
often involve depressive symptoms.


8. A 70-year-old female patient visits the adult nurse practitioner for a yearly evaluation. Which physical examination finding receives the highest priority for immediate treatment?

Atrophy of vaginal rugae
Cystocele present
Palpable ovary
Pessary in place


9. A 30-year-old female patient has a two-week history of nausea, vomiting, decreased weight, and abdominal pain, and a long-term history of multiple sexual partners. The patient's physical examination reveals abdominal tenderness, and icteric sclerae and skin. Which laboratory test rules out active hepatitis B?

Antibody
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Immune globulin G
Surface antigen


10. A 78-year-old male patient comes to the ambulatory care clinic and reports an inability to void. The adult nurse practitioner has difficulty inserting a urinary catheter due to an obstruction. The nurse practitioner's action is to:

obtain consent from the patient to perform prostatic massage.
perform a suprapubic aspiration to relieve bladder distention.
prescribe an oral loop diuretic.
refer the patient to a urologist for further treatment.


11. A patient comes to the clinic with reports of acute pain and loss of vision in the right eye. The adult nurse practitioner informs the patient that these symptoms require:

assessment with a split lamp.
examination with an otoscope.
immediate referral to an ophthalmologist.
treatment with several ophthalmologic agents.


12. A 45-year-old patient with diabetes comes to the clinic for an annual appointment. The patient declines a parenteral influenza vaccination because a friend "came down with the flu after receiving the vaccination."  The adult nurse practitioner explains that the vaccination is:

a polysaccharide, so it may cause a mild case of influenza.
activated, so it may cause a mild case of influenza.
inactivated, and this is unable to cause influenza.
live attenuated, so it may cause a mild case of influenza.


13. An institutional review board rejects an adult nurse practitioner's research proposal on the grounds that the:

chosen statistics were not optimal to meet research objectives.
literature review was insufficient to develop the research question.
proposed budget did not cover the cost of the study.
subject's rights were not clearly protected.


14. A patient informs an adult nurse practitioner, "I want to stop smoking." The nurse practitioner responds:

“Do you have any ideas about how you would like to quit smoking?”
“Does your health insurance cover smoking cessation?”
“I will develop a plan for you to stop smoking.”
“Quitting smoking is the most important thing you can do for your health.”


15. An adult nurse practitioner is responsible for billing codes that are selected and submitted to third party payors when:

a certified coder has selected the code.
a change has occurred in the insurance carrier.
a misprint has appeared in the coding book.
the evaluation and management criteria have changed.


16. Many patients view illness as a distortion in the balance of some aspect of their lives, and believe that folk medicine can remedy this. When encountering such beliefs, an adult nurse practitioner's appropriate action is to:

discuss these remedies and include them in the management plan.
educate these patients about evidence-based practice that is specific to their present condition.
promote scientifically proven treatment measures.
refer the patient to a homeopathic specialist.


17. An adult nurse practitioner is designing a research study to investigate the efficacy of a patient education tool for adults with low literacy levels. Which action reflects the nurse's inclusion of ethical principles in the research plan?

Ensuring that the participants understand their right to withdraw from the study at any time, without incurring penalties
Explaining the study in scientific, medical, and nursing terms so as not to patronize the participants
Testing the study's informed consent form on nursing doctoral candidates at a local university to validate its clarity
Using large print in the content of the study's informed consent form


18. An adult nurse practitioner evaluates a patient who has been a victim of domestic violence. After the office visit, law enforcement authorities contact the nurse practitioner, requesting information regarding any visible injuries observed during the visit. The nurse practitioner's response is to:

call the patient to obtain consent.
provide the written record, as requested.
refer the request to the office manager.
require a court order for release.


19. An adult nurse practitioner witnesses a coworker's injury due to a chemical spill. To which regulatory agency is this incident reported?

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
American Association of Poison Control Centers
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
State health department


20. When interviewing a female adolescent patient about her sexual history, an adult nurse practitioner's most effective strategy is to:

acknowledge the patient’s feelings about the information.
conduct the history as part of the physical examination.
maintain an open attitude about the information that is divulged.
suggest that the patient reschedule the appointment and bring a friend.


21. The practical application of findings from a set of studies is known as:

critical analysis.
data implementation.
guideline development.
research utilization.


22. An adult nurse practitioner is encouraging an older adult patient to reminisce about successful life accomplishments. Which theoretical framework is the nurse practitioner using?

Erikson's model of psychosocial development
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory
Rogers' science of unitary human beings
Roy's adaptation model


23. An adult nurse practitioner evaluates a new patient, an African American with hypertension who has been taking lisinopril (Prinivil). To optimize the patient's response, a more effective pharmacological treatment is:

a beta-blocker.
a direct-acting vasodilator.
a thiazide diuretic.
an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor.


24. Initial measures to prevent deformity and maintain function for the knee during an acute inflammatory reaction secondary to injury include:

a hot daily shower followed by a short period of exercise.
application of a splint to the joint followed by application of heat.
cautious performance of active range-of-motion exercises.
total immobilization of the joint and performance of isometric exercises.


25. A 34-year-old truck driver reports a sharp pain in the lower back that worsens with ambulation. The symptoms began after a strenuous three-day driving trip. During an examination, the patient has difficulty walking on the heels and shows weakness in the extensors of the big toes. The initial differential diagnosis is:

compression fracture.
L-1 root irritation.
L-5 root irritation.
ruptured disc.

 

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