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ATI SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECTRUM
DISORDERS AND PSYCHOSIS – 2026 FINAL
EXAM PRACTICE COMPLETE (100) CURRENT
TESTING QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED
EXPLANATIONS|GUARANTEED PASS.
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Ace the ATI Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Psychosis Final
Exam with practice questions covering schizophrenia symptoms
(positive, negative, cognitive), other psychotic disorders,
antipsychotic medications, side effects. This study resource helps
reinforce essential nursing concepts and supports effective
preparation for ATI assessments. Designed for nursing and mental
health students.
Multiple choice.
Section 1: Foundational Concepts & Symptoms (Questions
1–20)
1. A client with schizophrenia tells the nurse, “The CIA is
monitoring my brain waves through satellites.” The nurse
documents this finding as which type of symptom?
A) Negative symptom
B) Positive symptom – delusion
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C) Cognitive symptom
D) Affective symptom
Answer: B. Positive symptom – delusion
Explanation: Positive symptoms are excesses or distortions
of normal functioning. Delusions are fixed, false beliefs not
shared by others. This paranoid delusion of persecution is a
classic positive symptom of schizophrenia.
2. A client stands motionless for hours in a bizarre posture,
resisting attempts to reposition. The nurse should document
this as:
A) Waxy flexibility
B) Akathisia
C) Catatonia (catatonic stupor)
D) Anergia
Answer: C. Catatonia (catatonic stupor)
Explanation: Catatonic stupor is a state of markedly
decreased reactivity to the environment, often with
immobility, mutism, and maintenance of rigid postures.
Waxy flexibility is a related symptom where limbs can be
moved into positions that are then held.
3. Which of the following is an example of a negative
symptom of schizophrenia?
A) Auditory hallucinations
B) Avolition (lack of motivation)
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C) Disorganized speech
D) Suspiciousness
Answer: B. Avolition (lack of motivation)
Explanation: Negative symptoms are deficits in normal
functioning, including avolition, anhedonia, asociality,
affective flattening, and alogia. Hallucinations, delusions,
and disorganized speech are positive symptoms.
4. A nurse observes a client rubbing their arm and saying,
“The bugs are crawling under my skin.” This is an example of:
A) Illusion
B) Tactile hallucination
C) Idea of reference
D) Somatic delusion
Answer: B. Tactile hallucination
Explanation: Tactile (haptic) hallucinations involve feeling
sensations on or under the skin without a physical stimulus.
“Formication” (feeling bugs crawling) is a common tactile
hallucination, often related to substance withdrawal or
psychosis.
5. A client with schizophrenia has difficulty with executive
functioning, attention, and working memory. The nurse
recognizes these as:
A) Positive symptoms
B) Negative symptoms
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C) Cognitive symptoms
D) Affective symptoms
Answer: C. Cognitive symptoms
Explanation: Cognitive symptoms include deficits in
attention, memory, executive function, and processing
speed. They are often the most disabling and persist even
when positive symptoms are controlled.
6. The nurse is assessing a client who reports hearing a voice
that says, “You are worthless.” The voice is not accompanied
by any external stimulus. This is best described as:
A) Illusion
B) Auditory hallucination
C) Depersonalization
D) Derealization
Answer: B. Auditory hallucination
Explanation: Auditory hallucinations are false perceptions of
sound without an external source. They are the most
common type of hallucination in schizophrenia, often
derogatory or commanding.
7. A client tells the nurse, “I am Jesus Christ, here to save the
world.” The nurse should document this as:
A) Grandiose delusion
B) Somatic delusion
C) Persecutory delusion
D) Nihilistic delusion
ATI SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECTRUM
DISORDERS AND PSYCHOSIS – 2026 FINAL
EXAM PRACTICE COMPLETE (100) CURRENT
TESTING QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED
EXPLANATIONS|GUARANTEED PASS.
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Ace the ATI Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Psychosis Final
Exam with practice questions covering schizophrenia symptoms
(positive, negative, cognitive), other psychotic disorders,
antipsychotic medications, side effects. This study resource helps
reinforce essential nursing concepts and supports effective
preparation for ATI assessments. Designed for nursing and mental
health students.
Multiple choice.
Section 1: Foundational Concepts & Symptoms (Questions
1–20)
1. A client with schizophrenia tells the nurse, “The CIA is
monitoring my brain waves through satellites.” The nurse
documents this finding as which type of symptom?
A) Negative symptom
B) Positive symptom – delusion
, Page 2 of 58
C) Cognitive symptom
D) Affective symptom
Answer: B. Positive symptom – delusion
Explanation: Positive symptoms are excesses or distortions
of normal functioning. Delusions are fixed, false beliefs not
shared by others. This paranoid delusion of persecution is a
classic positive symptom of schizophrenia.
2. A client stands motionless for hours in a bizarre posture,
resisting attempts to reposition. The nurse should document
this as:
A) Waxy flexibility
B) Akathisia
C) Catatonia (catatonic stupor)
D) Anergia
Answer: C. Catatonia (catatonic stupor)
Explanation: Catatonic stupor is a state of markedly
decreased reactivity to the environment, often with
immobility, mutism, and maintenance of rigid postures.
Waxy flexibility is a related symptom where limbs can be
moved into positions that are then held.
3. Which of the following is an example of a negative
symptom of schizophrenia?
A) Auditory hallucinations
B) Avolition (lack of motivation)
, Page 3 of 58
C) Disorganized speech
D) Suspiciousness
Answer: B. Avolition (lack of motivation)
Explanation: Negative symptoms are deficits in normal
functioning, including avolition, anhedonia, asociality,
affective flattening, and alogia. Hallucinations, delusions,
and disorganized speech are positive symptoms.
4. A nurse observes a client rubbing their arm and saying,
“The bugs are crawling under my skin.” This is an example of:
A) Illusion
B) Tactile hallucination
C) Idea of reference
D) Somatic delusion
Answer: B. Tactile hallucination
Explanation: Tactile (haptic) hallucinations involve feeling
sensations on or under the skin without a physical stimulus.
“Formication” (feeling bugs crawling) is a common tactile
hallucination, often related to substance withdrawal or
psychosis.
5. A client with schizophrenia has difficulty with executive
functioning, attention, and working memory. The nurse
recognizes these as:
A) Positive symptoms
B) Negative symptoms
, Page 4 of 58
C) Cognitive symptoms
D) Affective symptoms
Answer: C. Cognitive symptoms
Explanation: Cognitive symptoms include deficits in
attention, memory, executive function, and processing
speed. They are often the most disabling and persist even
when positive symptoms are controlled.
6. The nurse is assessing a client who reports hearing a voice
that says, “You are worthless.” The voice is not accompanied
by any external stimulus. This is best described as:
A) Illusion
B) Auditory hallucination
C) Depersonalization
D) Derealization
Answer: B. Auditory hallucination
Explanation: Auditory hallucinations are false perceptions of
sound without an external source. They are the most
common type of hallucination in schizophrenia, often
derogatory or commanding.
7. A client tells the nurse, “I am Jesus Christ, here to save the
world.” The nurse should document this as:
A) Grandiose delusion
B) Somatic delusion
C) Persecutory delusion
D) Nihilistic delusion
