PMHNP Comprehensive Exam Questions
and Answers Graded A+
Stages of Change (Transtheoretical Model) - Correct answer-(Prochaska &
DiClemente)
● Precontemplation—little to no awareness of the problem or intent to change
● Contemplation—thinking about making a change in the next 6 months, weigh
pros and cons
● Preparation—prepare to make change within the next month, start to make small
changes
● Action—enacted the change for 1 day-6 months
● Maintenance—maintained behavior/change for 6 months or longer
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Correct answer-● Physiological (food, water,
shelter, warmth)
● Safety (security, stability, freedom from fear)
● Belonging/love (friends, family, spouse, lover)
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,● Self-esteem (achievement, mastery, recognition, respect)
● Self-actualization (pursue, inner talent, creativity, fulfillment)
Benner's Model - Correct answer-● Novice—unconscious incompetence, no
experience, governed by rules and regulations
● Advanced beginner—able to analyze and deliberately act
● Competency/proficiency—2-5 yrs experience, able to synthesize info/coordinate
● Expert—flexible, intuitive, efficient
MMSE Scoring - Correct answer-○ 23-30 normal
○ 19-23 borderline
○ <19 impaired
MMSE components - Correct answer-● Orientation
● Registration (repeat 3 words)
● Attention and Calculation (count backwards from 100 by 7, spell words
backward)
● Recall (repeat the same 3 words from immediate recall)
● Language (name an object, repeat a phrase, read a sentence, write a sentence,
copy intersecting pentagons)
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,Levels of Prevention - Correct answer-· Primary prevention—methods to avoid
occurrence of disease (most population-based health promotion efforts)
· Secondary prevention—methods to diagnose and treat existent disease in early
stages before it causes significant morbidity
· Tertiary prevention—methods to reduce negative impact of existent disease by
restoring function and reducing disease-related complications
· Quaternary prevention—methods to mitigate or avoid results of unnecessary or
excessive interventions in the health system
frontal lobe - Correct answer-A region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized
areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement
-prefrontal, motor strip, EPS, basal ganglia
temporal lobe - Correct answer-hearing, language (Wernicke's), memory, emotion
parietal lobe - Correct answer-sensory processing and input
components of the limbic system - Correct answer-interpreting significance of
sensory input; hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, cingulate gyrus, thalamus
anterior cingulate cortex - Correct answer-integrating complex external
information; empathy, emotion processing
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, posterior cingulate cortex - Correct answer-participates in memory and visual
processing; day dreaming, values, relevance to self
hypothalamus & what NTs does it balance - Correct answer-homeostasis (food,
water, temperature), controls pituitary release, balance of DA and 5HT
posterior pituitary - Correct answer-ADH and oxytocin
thalamus - Correct answer-relay station for incoming sensory information,
allowing for processing and interpretation according to other structures' input
cerebellum - Correct answer-control center for controlling voluntary movement,
fine tunes movement
cerebellar lesion symptoms - Correct answer-ataxia, awkward, tremor with effort,
difficulty with sequential movements, balance
brainstem - Correct answer-responsible for automatic survival functions; midbrain,
pons, medulla
where is dopamine produced - Correct answer-substantia nigra
where is serotonin produced - Correct answer-raphe nuclei
where is norepinephrine produced - Correct answer-locus coeruleus in the pons
where is acetylcholine produced - Correct answer-Nucleus basalis of Meynert
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and Answers Graded A+
Stages of Change (Transtheoretical Model) - Correct answer-(Prochaska &
DiClemente)
● Precontemplation—little to no awareness of the problem or intent to change
● Contemplation—thinking about making a change in the next 6 months, weigh
pros and cons
● Preparation—prepare to make change within the next month, start to make small
changes
● Action—enacted the change for 1 day-6 months
● Maintenance—maintained behavior/change for 6 months or longer
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Correct answer-● Physiological (food, water,
shelter, warmth)
● Safety (security, stability, freedom from fear)
● Belonging/love (friends, family, spouse, lover)
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,● Self-esteem (achievement, mastery, recognition, respect)
● Self-actualization (pursue, inner talent, creativity, fulfillment)
Benner's Model - Correct answer-● Novice—unconscious incompetence, no
experience, governed by rules and regulations
● Advanced beginner—able to analyze and deliberately act
● Competency/proficiency—2-5 yrs experience, able to synthesize info/coordinate
● Expert—flexible, intuitive, efficient
MMSE Scoring - Correct answer-○ 23-30 normal
○ 19-23 borderline
○ <19 impaired
MMSE components - Correct answer-● Orientation
● Registration (repeat 3 words)
● Attention and Calculation (count backwards from 100 by 7, spell words
backward)
● Recall (repeat the same 3 words from immediate recall)
● Language (name an object, repeat a phrase, read a sentence, write a sentence,
copy intersecting pentagons)
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,Levels of Prevention - Correct answer-· Primary prevention—methods to avoid
occurrence of disease (most population-based health promotion efforts)
· Secondary prevention—methods to diagnose and treat existent disease in early
stages before it causes significant morbidity
· Tertiary prevention—methods to reduce negative impact of existent disease by
restoring function and reducing disease-related complications
· Quaternary prevention—methods to mitigate or avoid results of unnecessary or
excessive interventions in the health system
frontal lobe - Correct answer-A region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized
areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement
-prefrontal, motor strip, EPS, basal ganglia
temporal lobe - Correct answer-hearing, language (Wernicke's), memory, emotion
parietal lobe - Correct answer-sensory processing and input
components of the limbic system - Correct answer-interpreting significance of
sensory input; hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, cingulate gyrus, thalamus
anterior cingulate cortex - Correct answer-integrating complex external
information; empathy, emotion processing
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, posterior cingulate cortex - Correct answer-participates in memory and visual
processing; day dreaming, values, relevance to self
hypothalamus & what NTs does it balance - Correct answer-homeostasis (food,
water, temperature), controls pituitary release, balance of DA and 5HT
posterior pituitary - Correct answer-ADH and oxytocin
thalamus - Correct answer-relay station for incoming sensory information,
allowing for processing and interpretation according to other structures' input
cerebellum - Correct answer-control center for controlling voluntary movement,
fine tunes movement
cerebellar lesion symptoms - Correct answer-ataxia, awkward, tremor with effort,
difficulty with sequential movements, balance
brainstem - Correct answer-responsible for automatic survival functions; midbrain,
pons, medulla
where is dopamine produced - Correct answer-substantia nigra
where is serotonin produced - Correct answer-raphe nuclei
where is norepinephrine produced - Correct answer-locus coeruleus in the pons
where is acetylcholine produced - Correct answer-Nucleus basalis of Meynert
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
