NURS 142 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE 2026-
2027
1. What are you looking for when inspecting the head?: size, shape, symmetry,
deformities, facial symmetry, facial expression, skin color, erect, proportional to body
size. look at hair for color and hygiene
2. What are you looking for when palpating the head?: texture of hair, infesta-
tions, masses, lesions, and mobility
3. What are you looking for when inspecting the neck?: trachea (midline), le-
sions, fullness of neck, swelling, erythema, and ROM when laterally turning head
4. What are you looking for when palpating the neck?: the ROM in shoulders
when shrugging against resistance
5. What are you looking for when inspecting the lymph nodes?: redness and
swelling
6. What is the expected finding when palpating the lymph nodes?: non palpable
and no tenderness
7. What is the unexpected finding when palpating lymph nodes and what
would you assess?: palpable: size, shape, symmetry, temperature, mobility, char-
acter, consistency, and tenderness
8. What are the lymph nodes of the head?: pre auricular, post auricular, occipital,
tonsiller, submandibular, submental, anterior cervical chain, posterior cervical chain,
and supraclavicular
9. Where is the pre auricular lymph node?: in front of the ear
10. Where is the post auricular lymph node?: behind the ear
11. Where is the occipital lymph node?: base of the skull
12. Where is the tonsillar lymph node?: by tonsils, the angle of the mandible
13. Where is the submandibular lymph node?: under the mandible
14. Where is the sub mental lymph node?: under the chin
15. Where are the anterior cervical chain lymph nodes?: in the front of the side
of the neck
16. Where are the posterior cervical chain lymph nodes?: in the back of the side
of the neck
17. Where are the supra-clavicular lymph nodes?: just above the clavicle (shrug
shoulders to reach them)
18. What are you looking for when inspecting the nose?: if its midline, symmet-
rical, skin smooth, no swelling, no lesions, color consistent with facial complexion,
nares patent, and no drainage
19. What are you looking for when inspecting the external part of the mouth?-
: symmetry, lip color, moisture, lesions, and oral competency
20. What are you looking for when inspecting the internal part of the mouth?-
: color and moisture of buccal mucosa, floor of mouth, and gums
general appearance of the teeth: how many, alignment, dental work, color, signs of
,NURS 142 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE 2026-
2027
decay, dentures and fit, and abnormal odor
color and intactness of hard and soft palate
uvula lift, midline and symmetry of uvula and tongue
general salivary flow
21. What is the scale for grading tonsils?: +1 pillar
+2 beyond pillar
+3 see them
+4 touching
22. What is halitosis?: bad breath
23. What is anosmia?: loss of smell
24. How can anosmia affect the elderly?: can happen with dementia. decreases
appetite and overall food intake
25. What are you looking for when inspecting the eyes?: symmetry, alignment
of outer canthus with pinna of ears, obvious deformities, eye shape and symmetry,
clarity of cornea, color of sclera, clarity of conjunctiva, color and symmetry of iris,
fullness and symmetry of eyelashes and eyebrows, ability to close eyelids all the
way while blinking and symmetry, and drooping
26. What is ptosis?: eyelid drooping
27. What are you looking for when palpating the eyes?: if the orbits are tender
and if the lacrimal apparatus is tender or swollen
28. What chart is used to measure distance vision?: snellen chart
29. What chart is used to measure near vision?: jaeger chart
30. How can color blindness be tested?: on the snellen chart
31. What does the corneal light reflex test test for?: strabismus
32. What are you looking for when performing the corneal light reflex test?: -
symmetry of reflection of light on the cornea
33. What test would you perform if the patient was strabismus positive?: cov-
er/uncover test
34. What is strabismus?: lazy eye
35. What are you looking for when performing the six cardinal fields of gaze?-
: symmetry and smoothness of the eye and no nystagmus
36. What is nystagmus?: involuntary shakiness of eyes
37. What are you looking for when performing the pupillary reflex test?: size,
shape, symmetry, direct pupillary constriction and accommodation, PERRLA
38. What is the expected finding after performing the pupillary reflex test?: -
consensual response
39. What does PERRLA stand for?: pupils equal, round, reactive to light, and
accommodation
40. What does a dead retina indicate?: blindness
,NURS 142 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE 2026-
2027
41. What does intraocular mean?: the lens and back
42. What does extra ocular mean?: in front of the lens
43. What determines eyesight?: the lens and how light hits the retina
44. What is glaucoma?: increased intraocular pressure
45. What is a cataract?: clouding of the lens
46. What are you looking for when inspecting the ears?: symmetry, size, shape,
auricle alignment, skin color and condition
external auditory meatus: discharge, redness, edema, scaling
47. What parts of the ear do you palpate during assessment?: auricle down to
lobe, mastoid process, and the pre auricular and post auricular lymph nodes
48. What are you looking for when palpating the ear and associated struc-
tures?: massess and tenderness
49. What hearing test of you perform during an ear assessment?: the whisper
test
50. What can cause lower set ears?: neurodevelopment problems such as Down
syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome
51. What can cause conductive hearing loss as we age?: collapsed cartilage in
ear canal
52. What is vertigo?: spinning sensation
53. What tool does the Rinne test use and how to perform it?: place a tuning
fork on mastoid process
54. What is placing a tuning fork on the mastoid process and example of?: -
bone conduction
55. What tool does the Weber test use and how to perform it?: place a tuning
fork on top of head
56. What is the expected finding of the Weber test?: bilateral hearing, ringing on
top of head
57. If a patient hears the tuning fork unilaterally only in their bad ear, what is
this a sign of?: conductive hearing loss
58. If a patient hears the tuning fork unilaterally only in their good ear, what is
this a sign of?: sensorineural hearing loss, translation problem
59. What structures are you assessing when performing a musculoskeletal
assessment?: muscles, bones, joints, and connective tissues
60. What are the different types of joints?: - ball and socket
- hinge
- pivot
- saddle
- gliding (plane)
- condyloid
2027
1. What are you looking for when inspecting the head?: size, shape, symmetry,
deformities, facial symmetry, facial expression, skin color, erect, proportional to body
size. look at hair for color and hygiene
2. What are you looking for when palpating the head?: texture of hair, infesta-
tions, masses, lesions, and mobility
3. What are you looking for when inspecting the neck?: trachea (midline), le-
sions, fullness of neck, swelling, erythema, and ROM when laterally turning head
4. What are you looking for when palpating the neck?: the ROM in shoulders
when shrugging against resistance
5. What are you looking for when inspecting the lymph nodes?: redness and
swelling
6. What is the expected finding when palpating the lymph nodes?: non palpable
and no tenderness
7. What is the unexpected finding when palpating lymph nodes and what
would you assess?: palpable: size, shape, symmetry, temperature, mobility, char-
acter, consistency, and tenderness
8. What are the lymph nodes of the head?: pre auricular, post auricular, occipital,
tonsiller, submandibular, submental, anterior cervical chain, posterior cervical chain,
and supraclavicular
9. Where is the pre auricular lymph node?: in front of the ear
10. Where is the post auricular lymph node?: behind the ear
11. Where is the occipital lymph node?: base of the skull
12. Where is the tonsillar lymph node?: by tonsils, the angle of the mandible
13. Where is the submandibular lymph node?: under the mandible
14. Where is the sub mental lymph node?: under the chin
15. Where are the anterior cervical chain lymph nodes?: in the front of the side
of the neck
16. Where are the posterior cervical chain lymph nodes?: in the back of the side
of the neck
17. Where are the supra-clavicular lymph nodes?: just above the clavicle (shrug
shoulders to reach them)
18. What are you looking for when inspecting the nose?: if its midline, symmet-
rical, skin smooth, no swelling, no lesions, color consistent with facial complexion,
nares patent, and no drainage
19. What are you looking for when inspecting the external part of the mouth?-
: symmetry, lip color, moisture, lesions, and oral competency
20. What are you looking for when inspecting the internal part of the mouth?-
: color and moisture of buccal mucosa, floor of mouth, and gums
general appearance of the teeth: how many, alignment, dental work, color, signs of
,NURS 142 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE 2026-
2027
decay, dentures and fit, and abnormal odor
color and intactness of hard and soft palate
uvula lift, midline and symmetry of uvula and tongue
general salivary flow
21. What is the scale for grading tonsils?: +1 pillar
+2 beyond pillar
+3 see them
+4 touching
22. What is halitosis?: bad breath
23. What is anosmia?: loss of smell
24. How can anosmia affect the elderly?: can happen with dementia. decreases
appetite and overall food intake
25. What are you looking for when inspecting the eyes?: symmetry, alignment
of outer canthus with pinna of ears, obvious deformities, eye shape and symmetry,
clarity of cornea, color of sclera, clarity of conjunctiva, color and symmetry of iris,
fullness and symmetry of eyelashes and eyebrows, ability to close eyelids all the
way while blinking and symmetry, and drooping
26. What is ptosis?: eyelid drooping
27. What are you looking for when palpating the eyes?: if the orbits are tender
and if the lacrimal apparatus is tender or swollen
28. What chart is used to measure distance vision?: snellen chart
29. What chart is used to measure near vision?: jaeger chart
30. How can color blindness be tested?: on the snellen chart
31. What does the corneal light reflex test test for?: strabismus
32. What are you looking for when performing the corneal light reflex test?: -
symmetry of reflection of light on the cornea
33. What test would you perform if the patient was strabismus positive?: cov-
er/uncover test
34. What is strabismus?: lazy eye
35. What are you looking for when performing the six cardinal fields of gaze?-
: symmetry and smoothness of the eye and no nystagmus
36. What is nystagmus?: involuntary shakiness of eyes
37. What are you looking for when performing the pupillary reflex test?: size,
shape, symmetry, direct pupillary constriction and accommodation, PERRLA
38. What is the expected finding after performing the pupillary reflex test?: -
consensual response
39. What does PERRLA stand for?: pupils equal, round, reactive to light, and
accommodation
40. What does a dead retina indicate?: blindness
,NURS 142 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE 2026-
2027
41. What does intraocular mean?: the lens and back
42. What does extra ocular mean?: in front of the lens
43. What determines eyesight?: the lens and how light hits the retina
44. What is glaucoma?: increased intraocular pressure
45. What is a cataract?: clouding of the lens
46. What are you looking for when inspecting the ears?: symmetry, size, shape,
auricle alignment, skin color and condition
external auditory meatus: discharge, redness, edema, scaling
47. What parts of the ear do you palpate during assessment?: auricle down to
lobe, mastoid process, and the pre auricular and post auricular lymph nodes
48. What are you looking for when palpating the ear and associated struc-
tures?: massess and tenderness
49. What hearing test of you perform during an ear assessment?: the whisper
test
50. What can cause lower set ears?: neurodevelopment problems such as Down
syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome
51. What can cause conductive hearing loss as we age?: collapsed cartilage in
ear canal
52. What is vertigo?: spinning sensation
53. What tool does the Rinne test use and how to perform it?: place a tuning
fork on mastoid process
54. What is placing a tuning fork on the mastoid process and example of?: -
bone conduction
55. What tool does the Weber test use and how to perform it?: place a tuning
fork on top of head
56. What is the expected finding of the Weber test?: bilateral hearing, ringing on
top of head
57. If a patient hears the tuning fork unilaterally only in their bad ear, what is
this a sign of?: conductive hearing loss
58. If a patient hears the tuning fork unilaterally only in their good ear, what is
this a sign of?: sensorineural hearing loss, translation problem
59. What structures are you assessing when performing a musculoskeletal
assessment?: muscles, bones, joints, and connective tissues
60. What are the different types of joints?: - ball and socket
- hinge
- pivot
- saddle
- gliding (plane)
- condyloid
