NCLEX True or False Quiz

On this page
Read it as written
Judge exactly what the sentence says, not what you assume it means. A statement that is true in most circumstances but stated as an absolute is false, and that single habit — noticing “always”, “never”, “all” — carries directly into the multiple-choice paper.
The 40 statements
Potassium may be given by rapid intravenous push when the level is critically low.
Show answer
False
Potassium is never pushed. It is always diluted and infused on a pump.
Alcohol-based hand rub is effective against Clostridioides difficile spores.
Show answer
False
Soap and water are required; alcohol does not kill spores.
A change in level of consciousness is the earliest sign of increasing intracranial pressure.
Show answer
True
The Cushing triad is a late finding.
Jaundice appearing in a newborn at 12 hours of age is a normal finding.
Show answer
False
Jaundice in the first 24 hours is always pathological.
In anaphylaxis, diphenhydramine should be given before epinephrine.
Show answer
False
Epinephrine is always first. Antihistamines are adjuncts.
The cane is held on the side of the weaker leg.
Show answer
False
The cane goes in the hand opposite the weak leg and advances with it.
Four raised side rails are considered a restraint.
Show answer
True
Two raised rails are usually a safety measure.
Warfarin therapy is monitored with the activated partial thromboplastin time.
Show answer
False
Warfarin follows the PT and INR. The aPTT follows heparin.
A client on warfarin should stop eating all green vegetables.
Show answer
False
Consistency of vitamin K intake matters, not elimination.
Disappearance of wheezing in an acute asthma attack always indicates improvement.
Show answer
False
A silent chest with worsening distress means airflow is nearly absent.
Neurogenic shock presents with bradycardia rather than tachycardia.
Show answer
True
Loss of sympathetic tone after high spinal injury.
Clamping a chest tube is appropriate when a client becomes dyspnoeic.
Show answer
False
Clamping traps air and can cause a tension pneumothorax.
Reddened bony prominences should be massaged to improve circulation.
Show answer
False
Massage damages already compromised capillaries.
The provider performing a procedure is responsible for obtaining informed consent.
Show answer
True
The nurse witnesses the signature and confirms understanding.
An incident report should be referenced in the client’s medical record.
Show answer
False
The record contains only the clinical facts and the client’s response.
Assessment can be delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel when a unit is short staffed.
Show answer
False
Staffing pressure never changes scope of practice.
In a chronic carbon dioxide retainer, the target oxygen saturation is 88 to 92 percent.
Show answer
True
Higher saturations can worsen carbon dioxide retention.
Metformin should be held before and after iodinated contrast studies.
Show answer
True
This reduces the risk of lactic acidosis if renal function declines.
Asking a client directly about suicidal thoughts increases the risk of suicide.
Show answer
False
Asking directly does not increase risk and is essential for assessment.
Late decelerations indicate uteroplacental insufficiency.
Show answer
True
Stop the oxytocin, reposition, give oxygen and notify.
A boggy fundus after birth should be massaged before giving a uterotonic.
Show answer
True
Massage is immediate, needs no order and often restores tone.
Total parenteral nutrition may be stopped abruptly if the next bag is unavailable.
Show answer
False
Abrupt cessation causes rebound hypoglycaemia. Hang 10 percent dextrose.
A dusky purple stoma is an expected finding in the first post-operative week.
Show answer
False
It indicates compromised perfusion and is reported immediately.
Pulse oximetry is unreliable in carbon monoxide poisoning.
Show answer
True
The reading is falsely high because carboxyhaemoglobin is read as oxygenated.
Thiamine should be given before or with glucose in a client with chronic alcohol use.
Show answer
True
Giving glucose first can precipitate Wernicke encephalopathy.
Extended-release tablets may be crushed for a client with difficulty swallowing.
Show answer
False
Crushing delivers the entire dose at once.
Room number and bed letter are acceptable client identifiers.
Show answer
False
Location is never an identifier. Use name and date of birth.
Restraints may be ordered on a PRN basis for an agitated client.
Show answer
False
PRN restraint orders are prohibited. Each episode needs a fresh time-limited order.
New confusion in an older adult is a normal part of aging.
Show answer
False
Acute confusion is delirium until proved otherwise and always has a cause.
Blood must be administered with 0.9 percent sodium chloride only.
Show answer
True
Dextrose solutions cause haemolysis.
A client with tuberculosis requires droplet precautions.
Show answer
False
Tuberculosis requires airborne precautions with a negative-pressure room and N95.
Fresh flowers are permitted in the room of a severely neutropenic client.
Show answer
False
Flowers and standing water harbour organisms.
A competent adult may refuse treatment that would save their life.
Show answer
True
Autonomy includes the right to refuse.
The nurse should push a prolapsed umbilical cord back into the vagina.
Show answer
False
Never replace the cord. Lift the presenting part off it instead.
Insulin drives potassium into cells, lowering the serum level.
Show answer
True
This is why potassium is monitored closely during ketoacidosis treatment.
A silent chest, absent bowel sounds, and no tidalling in a chest tube are all expected findings.
Show answer
False
All three suggest a problem and require assessment.
Pain unrelieved by opioids after casting suggests compartment syndrome.
Show answer
True
Relieve the constriction and notify immediately. Do not elevate above heart level.
Family members may press the patient-controlled analgesia button when the client is asleep.
Show answer
False
Only the client may press it. Proxy dosing defeats the safety feature.
The first action after a client falls is to help them back into bed.
Show answer
False
Assess the client before moving them.
Hearing is generally the last sense to fade at the end of life.
Show answer
True
Encourage family to keep speaking to an unresponsive client.
More NCLEX practice and review
Everything on this site tagged NCLEX lives in the NCLEX category.
Sources
