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ATI HEALTH ASSESSMENT FINAL EXAM
2026/2027 – 3-VERSION TEST BANK (A, B, C): 210
UNIQUE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION & HEALTH
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED
RATIONALES, HIGH-YIELD CONTENT, FIRST-
TIME PASS GUARANTEED (GRADED A+)
# VERSION A: PHYSICAL EXAMINATION & HEALTH
ASSESSMENT (Questions A1–A70)
**A1.** A nurse is preparing to percuss a patient’s abdomen. Which
sound is expected over a normal air-filled stomach?
A) Resonance
B) Hyperresonance
C) Tympany
D) Dullness
**Answer: C**
*Rationale:* Tympany is a high-pitched, drum-like sound over air-filled
viscera (stomach/bowel). Resonance = lung; hyperresonance =
hyperinflated lung; dullness = liver.
*High Yield:* Percussion tones: Tympany > Resonance > Dullness
> Flat.
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**A2.** During abdominal assessment, the nurse identifies a pulsatile
mass just left of midline. What is the priority action?
A) Auscultate for bruits
B) Palpate to determine size
C) Measure abdominal girth
D) Notify the provider immediately
**Answer: D**
*Rationale:* Pulsatile mass may be abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
Palpation risks rupture. Immediate notification is critical.
*High Yield:* Never palpate a suspected AAA.
**A3.** The nurse assesses jugular venous pressure (JVP). At what
degree of head elevation is the exam performed?
A) Supine, head flat
B) 30–45 degrees
C) Sitting upright at 90 degrees
D) Left lateral recumbent
**Answer: B**
*Rationale:* 30–45° allows visualization of jugular venous pulsations.
Higher angle collapses vein; lower angle overfills.
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*High Yield:* JVP reflects right atrial pressure. Normal <3 cm
above sternal angle.
**A4.** A patient reports sudden, severe “tearing” chest pain radiating
to the back. This is classic for:
A) Myocardial infarction
B) Pericarditis
C) Aortic dissection
D) Pulmonary embolism
**Answer: C**
*Rationale:* Aortic dissection pain is tearing/ripping, often
interscapular. MI = crushing; pericarditis = pleuritic; PE = sharp,
pleuritic.
*High Yield:* Hypertension + tearing pain = aortic dissection until
proven otherwise.
**A5.** At which location does the nurse auscultate the mitral valve?
A) 2nd ICS, right sternal border
B) 2nd ICS, left sternal border
C) 4th ICS, left sternal border
D) 5th ICS, midclavicular line
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**Answer: D**
*Rationale:* Mitral valve at apex (5th ICS, MCL). Aortic = 2nd ICS
RSB; Pulmonic = 2nd ICS LSB; Tricuspid = 4th ICS LSB.
*High Yield:* “APE To Man” – Aortic, Pulmonic, Erb’s, Tricuspid,
Mitral.
**A6.** A nurse notes bounding carotid pulses in a young adult with
weight loss and heat intolerance. This suggests:
A) Aortic stenosis
B) Hyperthyroidism
C) Cardiac tamponade
D) Dehydration
**Answer: B**
*Rationale:* Bounding pulses occur in high-output states:
hyperthyroidism, fever, anemia, pregnancy.
*High Yield:* Correlate with tachycardia, widened pulse pressure.
**A7.** While palpating the thyroid, the nurse asks the patient to
swallow. Why?
A) To relax sternocleidomastoid
B) To elevate the thyroid gland
C) To reduce gag reflex
ATI HEALTH ASSESSMENT FINAL EXAM
2026/2027 – 3-VERSION TEST BANK (A, B, C): 210
UNIQUE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION & HEALTH
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED
RATIONALES, HIGH-YIELD CONTENT, FIRST-
TIME PASS GUARANTEED (GRADED A+)
# VERSION A: PHYSICAL EXAMINATION & HEALTH
ASSESSMENT (Questions A1–A70)
**A1.** A nurse is preparing to percuss a patient’s abdomen. Which
sound is expected over a normal air-filled stomach?
A) Resonance
B) Hyperresonance
C) Tympany
D) Dullness
**Answer: C**
*Rationale:* Tympany is a high-pitched, drum-like sound over air-filled
viscera (stomach/bowel). Resonance = lung; hyperresonance =
hyperinflated lung; dullness = liver.
*High Yield:* Percussion tones: Tympany > Resonance > Dullness
> Flat.
,2|Page
**A2.** During abdominal assessment, the nurse identifies a pulsatile
mass just left of midline. What is the priority action?
A) Auscultate for bruits
B) Palpate to determine size
C) Measure abdominal girth
D) Notify the provider immediately
**Answer: D**
*Rationale:* Pulsatile mass may be abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
Palpation risks rupture. Immediate notification is critical.
*High Yield:* Never palpate a suspected AAA.
**A3.** The nurse assesses jugular venous pressure (JVP). At what
degree of head elevation is the exam performed?
A) Supine, head flat
B) 30–45 degrees
C) Sitting upright at 90 degrees
D) Left lateral recumbent
**Answer: B**
*Rationale:* 30–45° allows visualization of jugular venous pulsations.
Higher angle collapses vein; lower angle overfills.
,3|Page
*High Yield:* JVP reflects right atrial pressure. Normal <3 cm
above sternal angle.
**A4.** A patient reports sudden, severe “tearing” chest pain radiating
to the back. This is classic for:
A) Myocardial infarction
B) Pericarditis
C) Aortic dissection
D) Pulmonary embolism
**Answer: C**
*Rationale:* Aortic dissection pain is tearing/ripping, often
interscapular. MI = crushing; pericarditis = pleuritic; PE = sharp,
pleuritic.
*High Yield:* Hypertension + tearing pain = aortic dissection until
proven otherwise.
**A5.** At which location does the nurse auscultate the mitral valve?
A) 2nd ICS, right sternal border
B) 2nd ICS, left sternal border
C) 4th ICS, left sternal border
D) 5th ICS, midclavicular line
, 4|Page
**Answer: D**
*Rationale:* Mitral valve at apex (5th ICS, MCL). Aortic = 2nd ICS
RSB; Pulmonic = 2nd ICS LSB; Tricuspid = 4th ICS LSB.
*High Yield:* “APE To Man” – Aortic, Pulmonic, Erb’s, Tricuspid,
Mitral.
**A6.** A nurse notes bounding carotid pulses in a young adult with
weight loss and heat intolerance. This suggests:
A) Aortic stenosis
B) Hyperthyroidism
C) Cardiac tamponade
D) Dehydration
**Answer: B**
*Rationale:* Bounding pulses occur in high-output states:
hyperthyroidism, fever, anemia, pregnancy.
*High Yield:* Correlate with tachycardia, widened pulse pressure.
**A7.** While palpating the thyroid, the nurse asks the patient to
swallow. Why?
A) To relax sternocleidomastoid
B) To elevate the thyroid gland
C) To reduce gag reflex
