NCLEX (National

Council Licensur e
Examination)
By Nargis.
Quoted From CliffsTestPrep®
NCLEX-RN® An American BookWorks
Corporation Project.
NCLEX
 The NCLEX (National Council Licensure
Examination) is required in order for you to
obtain a license to practice as a registered
nurse. The exam is administered by the
National Council of State Boards
of Nursing and ensures that your license is
acceptable throughout the entire United State
and its territories. You will answer anywhere
from 75 to 265 questions.
 By passing this test, you will be able to
practice as a registered nurse. The test
itself is based on the specialized
knowledge
 that you should have at this point, and it
tests your skills and ability to meet the
various requirements that will be required
within the nursing process.
 Because this is a test of basic
competency, you will be able to
demonstrate your abilities as an
entry-level nurse on this exam.
 Because this is a test of basic
competency, you will be able to
demonstrate your abilities as an
entry-level nurse on this exam.
Certain important concepts are integrated
throughout the Client Needs categories
and subcategories:

1. Nursing Process. This is the

scientific approach to client care that
includes data collection, planning,
and implementation and evaluation.
2. Caring. This is the interaction
between you, as the registered nurse,
and the clients, their families, or their
significant others. Client care requires
mutual respect and trust.
3. Communication and Documentation. It is of
utmost importance that you are able to be
clear and concise in our interactions with
those of the families as well as those of others
on your healthcare team. This requires the
ability to communicate both verbally and
nonverbally and to be accountable in keeping
and maintaining records and patients’ charts.
4. Teaching and Learning. You must
demonstrate the appropriate skills
and attitudes that promote changes in
yourself and others, by learning and
teaching. Being an effective RN requires
the ability to share information with
clients and their families.
Exam Prep Tips
 After learning the materials, you
might want to use a number of
testing tips:
 Read the questions carefully.
 Look for keywords.
 Watch for specific details.
Eliminate options that are
clearly wrong or incorrect.
By systematically eliminating distracters that
are clearly incorrect, you increase the
probability of selecting the correct option.
 Look for the answer that differs from the
other options: This testing strategy
is called odd answer out. An example of this
type of question follows:
 The nurse is attempting to evaluate the
client’s knowledge of diabetes. Which
statement made by the client indicates a
need for further teaching?
A. The client states that he will check his blood
glucose levels before meals.
B. The client selects a 10-ounce steak from his
menu.
C. The client demonstrates how he will give
himself insulin.
D. The client verbalizes understanding of ways to
improve circulation.
 Answer B is correct. Answers A, C, and
D all indicate knowledge of diabetes.
Answer B indicates that the client lacks
understanding because the portion size
for steak is 3 ounces
Look for Opposite
Answers
 When you see opposites, one of these
options is usually correct. Here is an
example of this testing strategy:
Client with hemophilia is admitted with
bleeding. Which action by the nurse
indicates
an understanding of hemophilia?
 A. The nurse applies heat to the joints.
 B. The nurse applies ice to the joints.
 C. The nurse offers to perform passive
range of motion.
 D. The nurse elevates the extremity.
 Answer B is correct. Hemophilia is a
genetically obtained disorder in which
there is an absence of clotting factor.
Applying heat vasodilates and causes
increased bleeding.
 This answer is the opposite of the
correct choice, which is answer B.
Answer C is incorrect.
Types of Questions
 Most of the questions are multiple choice with
four options. There are, however, other types
of questions, such as fill-in the blanks, and
even identifying items with “hot spots.” What
this means is that you’ll be given an illustration,
table, or perhaps a chart, Because it’s
computerized, the machine can identify the
spot where you’ve clicked.
The Multiple-Choice Format
The Multiple-Choice Format
 Most of the standardized tests that you’ve probably taken
throughout your educational career have contained multiple
choice questions. For some reason, these types of questions
give a large percentage of test takers a difficult time. If you
approach these questions carefully, they should be easier than
you think. and you have to click on it with the on-screen cursor to
identify the correct answer.
 First, read the question and see whether you know the answer. If
you know it
 automatically, you can look at the choices and select the correct
one. Let’s look at a very simple example here.
Example
Mammography is used to detect
which of the following
conditions?
 1. pain
 2. tumor
 3. edema
 4. epilepsy
 mammography is used to detect tumors
or cysts in the breasts. It is not used to
detect any of the other conditions. Of
course, you should know that a
mammogram is the image produced by
a low-dose x-ray of the breast.
 Epilepsy is a disorder of the central
nervous system.
EXERCISE
1. Which of the following questions, when asked by
the nurse, assesses for the major defining
characteristic of disturbed body image?
1. “How do you feel about this disability?”
2. “How would you describe your usual
mood?”
3. “How does your family feel about your
illness?”
4. “Do you feel fearful, anxious, or nervous?”
Answer

3. The major defining characteristic of body

image disturbance is verbal or nonverbal
negative responses to actual or perceived
changes in structure and/or function of the
body. Asking how the client feels about their
disability will give them a chance to assess
whether there is a negative or positive
response to the change that has occurred.
2. When a child demonstrates a positive
Babinski sign, which age child would be
most important for the nurse to follow-
up?
1. 4 months
2. 8 months
3. 12 months
4. 16 months
Answer
 (4) The Babinski sign is positive in children
12 months of age and younger. A 16-month-
old with a positive
 Babinski would be cause for concern and
require further evaluation. A positive Babinski
is normal for a 4-, 8-,
 and 12-month-old child and not a cause for
follow-up. Health Promotion and Maintenance
 3. Which of the following clinical manifestation
should the nurse document as a positive sign
of pregnancy?
1. amenorrhea
2. uterine soufflé
3. positive pregnancy test
4. fetal heartbeat
Answer
 (4) Fetal heartbeat can be detected with
Doppler as early as 10–12 weeks of
pregnancy and is considered a
positive or diagnostic sign of pregnancy.
 Amennorrhea, the absence of menses, is
considered a presumptive sign of pregnancy.
It is a more helpful sign when more than one
cycle has been missed.
4. Your patient’s blood work shows a low serum
albumin level. She is receiving the anticonvulsant
phenytoin (Dilantin), which is 90–95 percent
protein bound. You should monitor your patient
for signs of:
 1. hypokalemia.
 2. CNS depression.
 3. drug toxicity.
 4. hyperalbuminemia.
Answer

 (3) With a low serum albumin more

free phenytoin is available in the
circulation. Free phenytoin is the
active
 form of the drug. Hypoalbuminemia does
not induce hypokalemia, CNS
depression, or hyperalbuminemia.
 Pharmacological Therapies
5. Which blood type is known as the
universal recipient?
 1. A
 2. B
 3. AB
 4. O
Answer

 (3) Type AB is the universal recipient,

as the other blood types are
compatible when it is given. When the
remaining
 options are given to someone with a
different blood type, it can cause a
transfusion reaction. Reduction of Risk
 Potential.
6. A client with which of the following
conditions is at risk for developing a low
magnesium level?
 1. prostatitis
 2. lymphoma
 3. pericarditis
 4. alcoholism
Answer

 (4) Alcoholism creates risk for

developing a low magnesium level
due to nutritional deficiency. The
other
conditions do not. Reduction of Risk
Potential.
7. Continuous Passive Motion Devices (CMP) are:
1. machines that are used to stimulate nerve
pathways all over the body.
2. used exclusively with Cardiovascular
Accident (CVA) clients.
3. used to stimulate regeneration of particular
tissues.
4. devices for passive range of motion of arms
and fingers.
Answer

 (3) The purposes of the continuous

passive devices (CPD) to move the
knee joint without weight bearing or
 straining muscles and stimulating
regeneration of articular tissues following
orthopedic surgery for the knee.
 Basic Care and Comfort
8. Which finding, assessed during a bed
bath, indicates to the nurse that the
client has poor hygiene practices?
1. dry, flaking skin
2. strong breath odor
3. itchy patches on the scalp
4. unkempt finger and toenails
Answer

 (4) Unkempt finger and toenails would

be an area that is not cared for; the
other areas could mean under lying
possible disease processes or a scalp
that has acquired soborrhea, or not
thoroughly cleaned. Basic Care and
Comfort.
9. The signs and symptoms of smallpox
are similar to those of:
 1. measles.
 2. meningitis.
 3. botulism.
 4. chicken pox.
 (4) The signs and symptoms of small
pox are similar to those of chicken
pox. In chicken pox, the rash appears
first on the trunk and spreads to the
extremities. In smallpox, the rash begins
on the extremities and spreads to the
trunk. Safety and Infection Control