APEA Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Exam –Direct Content Questions with Detailed Rationales | instant pdf download

APEA Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
(PMHNP) Exam –Direct Content Questions with Detailed
Rationales | instant pdf download

APEA PMHNP Exam set with detailed rationales, organized by the content blueprint for ANCC
and AANP certification exams . These questions cover psychiatric assessment, DSM-5 criteria,
psychopharmacology, psychotherapy modalities, and ethics .


About the APEA PMHNP Exam
The APEA PMHNP Review Course & Clinical Update is designed to prepare candidates for
certification exams from ANCC and AANP, with content reflecting the official exam blueprints .
The exam covers 17+ hours of content across 21 lectures, including:
 Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation
 Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Bipolar Disorder
 Schizophrenia Spectrum & Psychosis
 Personality Disorders & Substance Use Disorders
 Psychopharmacology (Neurotransmitters, Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, Mood
Stabilizers)
 Child & Adolescent Mental Health
 Theoretical Foundations of Psychotherapy


Section 1: Psychiatric Assessment & The Mental Status Exam (Questions 1-20)
1. A charge nurse is discussing mental status exams with a newly licensed nurse. Which
statement indicates an understanding of the teaching? (Select all that apply)
 A) "To assess cognitive ability, I should ask the client to count backward by sevens."
 B) "To assess affect, I should observe the client's facial expression."
 C) "To assess language ability, I should instruct the client to write a sentence."
 D) "To assess remote memory, I should have the client repeat a list of objects."

,  E) "To assess the client's abstract thinking, I should ask the client to identify our most
recent presidents."
Answer: A, B, C
Rationale: For cognitive ability, serial sevens (or spelling "world" backward) is standard. Affect is
assessed by observing facial expression. Language ability is assessed through writing, reading,
and comprehension tasks. Remote memory is assessed with long-term recall (childhood
events), while repeating objects tests immediate memory. Abstract thinking is tested by
interpreting proverbs or similarities, not by identifying presidents (which tests fund of
knowledge) .
2. A nurse in an outpatient mental health clinic is preparing to conduct an initial client
interview. Which action should the nurse identify as the priority?
 A) Coordinate holistic care with social services.
 B) Identify the client's perception of her mental health status.
 C) Include the client's family in the interview.
 D) Teach the client about her current mental health disorder.
Answer: B – Identify the client's perception of her mental health status
Rationale: The priority during an initial psychiatric interview is to understand the client's
perception of their own mental health status and reason for seeking care. Establishing rapport
and understanding the client's perspective precedes teaching, family involvement, or care
coordination .
3. A nurse is told during change of shift report that a client is stuporous. When assessing the
client, which finding should the nurse expect?
 A) The client arouses briefly in response to a sternal rub.
 B) The client has a Glasgow Coma Scale score less than 7.
 C) The client exhibits decorticate rigidity.
 D) The client is alert but disoriented to time and place.
Answer: A – The client arouses briefly in response to a sternal rub
Rationale: Stupor is a state of unresponsiveness where the client can be aroused only by
vigorous or painful stimulation (e.g., sternal rub) and then returns to unresponsiveness. GCS <7
indicates coma. Decorticate rigidity suggests brain injury. Alert but disoriented describes
confusion, not stupor .

,4. A nurse is planning a peer group about the DSM-5. Which information is appropriate to
include? (Select all that apply)
 A) The DSM-5 includes client education handouts for mental health disorders.
 B) The DSM-5 establishes diagnostic criteria for individual mental health disorders.
 C) The DSM-5 indicates recommended pharmacological treatment for mental health
disorders.
 D) The DSM-5 assists nurses in planning care for clients with mental health disorders.
 E) The DSM-5 indicates expected assessment findings of mental health disorders.
Answer: B, D, E
Rationale: The DSM-5 provides diagnostic criteria (B), helps guide care planning (D), and
describes expected assessment findings (E). It does not include client education handouts (A)
nor does it specify pharmacological treatments (C)—that information comes from treatment
guidelines .
5. What is the most common mental health disorder in the United States?
 A) Bipolar disorder
 B) Schizophrenia
 C) Depression
 D) Generalized anxiety disorder
Answer: C – Depression
Rationale: Major depressive disorder is the most common mental health disorder and a leading
cause of disability in the United States .
6. Which mnemonic helps screen for depression symptoms?
 A) MSE
 B) GAD-7
 C) SIG-E-CAPS
 D) CAGE
Answer: C – SIG-E-CAPS
Rationale: SIG-E-CAPS (Sleep, Interest, Guilt, Energy, Concentration, Appetite, Psychomotor,
Suicidality) is a mnemonic for the nine DSM-5 criteria for major depressive disorder .

, 7. What is the first-line treatment for major depressive disorder?
 A) Pharmacotherapy alone
 B) Psychotherapy alone
 C) Combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy
 D) Electroconvulsive therapy
Answer: C – Combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy
Rationale: Guidelines recommend a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy as
first-line treatment for major depressive disorder, as this approach has superior outcomes
compared to either modality alone .
8. A nurse in an emergency mental health facility is caring for a group of clients. Which client
requires a temporary emergency admission?
 A) A client with schizophrenia who has delusions of grandeur
 B) A client with manifestations of depression who attempted suicide a year ago
 C) A client with borderline personality disorder who assaulted a homeless man with a
metal rod
 D) A client with bipolar disorder who paces quickly around the room while talking to
himself
Answer: C – Client with borderline personality disorder who assaulted a homeless man with a
metal rod
Rationale: Temporary emergency admission is indicated when the client poses an imminent
danger to themselves or others. Assaulting another person with a weapon is a clear danger to
others. Pacing and talking to oneself (D) does not necessarily meet this threshold .
9. A nurse decides to put a client with a psychotic disorder in seclusion overnight because the
unit is short-staffed and the client frequently fights. The nurse's actions are an example of
which tort?
 A) Invasion of privacy
 B) False imprisonment
 C) Assault
 D) Battery
Answer: B – False imprisonment