HESI PN Practice Exam 2026:
Comprehensive Questions with Detailed
Answer Rationales
1. The nurse is planning care for the a client who has fourth degree
midline laceration that occurred during vaginal delivery of an 8
pound 10 ounce infant. What intervention has the highest
priority?
A. Administer Prescribed stool softner
B. Administer prescribed PRN sleep medications.
C. Encourage breastfeeding to promote uterine involution
D. Encourage use of prescribed analgesic perineal sprays. -
answer-A. Administer Prescribed stool softner
2. The nurse is palpating the right upper hypochondriac region of the
abdomen of a client. What organ lies underneath this area.
A. Duodenum
B. Gastric Pylorus
C. Liver
D. Spleen - answer-C. Liver
3. A client comes to the antepartal clinic and tells the nurse that she
is 6 weeks pregnant. Which sign is she most likely to report?
, A. Decreased sexual libido
B. Amenorrhea
C. Quickening
D. Nocturia - answer-B Amenorrhea
4. A client's daughter phones the charge nurse to report that the
night nurse did not provide good care for her mother. What
response should the nurse make?
A. Ask for a description of what happened during the night
B. Tell the daughter to talk to the unit's nurse manager
C. Reassure the daughter that the mother will get better care.
D. Explain that all the staff are doing the best they can. -
answer-A. Ask for a description of what happened during the
night
5. A hosptitalized toddler who is recovering from a sickle cell crisis
holds a toy and say's "mine". According to Erikson's theory of
psychosocial development, this child's behavior is a
demonstration of which developmental stage?
A. Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt.
B. Industry vs. Inferiority
C. intiative vs. Guilt
D. Trust vs. Mistrust - answer-A. Autonomy vs. Shame and
doubt.
,6. Which action should the nurse implement in caring for a client
following an electroencephalogram (EEG)?
A. Monitor the client's vital signs q4h
B. Assess for sensation in the client's lower extremities
C. Instruct the client to maintain bed rest for eight hours
D. Wash any paste from the client's hair and scalp - answer-D.
Wash any paste from the client's hair and scalp
7. The nurse is caring for a 75- year-old male client who is beginning
to form a decubitus ulcer at the coccyx. Which intervention will be
most helpfull in preventing further development of the
decubitus?
A. Encourage the client to eat foods high in protein
B. Assess the client with daily range of motion exercises
C. Teach the family how to perform sterile wound care
D. Ensure the IV fluids are administered as prescribed - answer-
A. Encourage the client to eat foods high in protein
8. What is the homeostatic cellular transport mechanism that moves
water from a hypotonic to a hypertonic fluid space?
A. Filtration
B. Diffusion
C. Osmosis
D. Active transport - answer-C. Osmosis
, 9. The nurse is taking blood presure of a client admitted with a
possible myocardial infarction. When taking the client's BP at the
brachial artery, the nurse should place the client's arm in which
position?
A. Slightly above the level of the heart
B. At the level of the heart
C. At the level of comfort for the client
D. Below the level of the heart - answer-B. At the level of the
heart
10. What are the final parameters that produce blood pressure?
(select all that apply)
A. Heart rate
B. Stroke volume
C. Peripheral resistance
D. Neuroendocring hormones
E. Muscle tone - answer-A. Heart rate
11. B. Stroke volume
12. C. Peripheral resistance
13. A client begins an antidepressant drug during the second
day of hospitalization. Which assessment is most important for
the nurse to include in this client's plan of care while the client is
taking the antidepressant?
Comprehensive Questions with Detailed
Answer Rationales
1. The nurse is planning care for the a client who has fourth degree
midline laceration that occurred during vaginal delivery of an 8
pound 10 ounce infant. What intervention has the highest
priority?
A. Administer Prescribed stool softner
B. Administer prescribed PRN sleep medications.
C. Encourage breastfeeding to promote uterine involution
D. Encourage use of prescribed analgesic perineal sprays. -
answer-A. Administer Prescribed stool softner
2. The nurse is palpating the right upper hypochondriac region of the
abdomen of a client. What organ lies underneath this area.
A. Duodenum
B. Gastric Pylorus
C. Liver
D. Spleen - answer-C. Liver
3. A client comes to the antepartal clinic and tells the nurse that she
is 6 weeks pregnant. Which sign is she most likely to report?
, A. Decreased sexual libido
B. Amenorrhea
C. Quickening
D. Nocturia - answer-B Amenorrhea
4. A client's daughter phones the charge nurse to report that the
night nurse did not provide good care for her mother. What
response should the nurse make?
A. Ask for a description of what happened during the night
B. Tell the daughter to talk to the unit's nurse manager
C. Reassure the daughter that the mother will get better care.
D. Explain that all the staff are doing the best they can. -
answer-A. Ask for a description of what happened during the
night
5. A hosptitalized toddler who is recovering from a sickle cell crisis
holds a toy and say's "mine". According to Erikson's theory of
psychosocial development, this child's behavior is a
demonstration of which developmental stage?
A. Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt.
B. Industry vs. Inferiority
C. intiative vs. Guilt
D. Trust vs. Mistrust - answer-A. Autonomy vs. Shame and
doubt.
,6. Which action should the nurse implement in caring for a client
following an electroencephalogram (EEG)?
A. Monitor the client's vital signs q4h
B. Assess for sensation in the client's lower extremities
C. Instruct the client to maintain bed rest for eight hours
D. Wash any paste from the client's hair and scalp - answer-D.
Wash any paste from the client's hair and scalp
7. The nurse is caring for a 75- year-old male client who is beginning
to form a decubitus ulcer at the coccyx. Which intervention will be
most helpfull in preventing further development of the
decubitus?
A. Encourage the client to eat foods high in protein
B. Assess the client with daily range of motion exercises
C. Teach the family how to perform sterile wound care
D. Ensure the IV fluids are administered as prescribed - answer-
A. Encourage the client to eat foods high in protein
8. What is the homeostatic cellular transport mechanism that moves
water from a hypotonic to a hypertonic fluid space?
A. Filtration
B. Diffusion
C. Osmosis
D. Active transport - answer-C. Osmosis
, 9. The nurse is taking blood presure of a client admitted with a
possible myocardial infarction. When taking the client's BP at the
brachial artery, the nurse should place the client's arm in which
position?
A. Slightly above the level of the heart
B. At the level of the heart
C. At the level of comfort for the client
D. Below the level of the heart - answer-B. At the level of the
heart
10. What are the final parameters that produce blood pressure?
(select all that apply)
A. Heart rate
B. Stroke volume
C. Peripheral resistance
D. Neuroendocring hormones
E. Muscle tone - answer-A. Heart rate
11. B. Stroke volume
12. C. Peripheral resistance
13. A client begins an antidepressant drug during the second
day of hospitalization. Which assessment is most important for
the nurse to include in this client's plan of care while the client is
taking the antidepressant?
