NMC Licensing Examination — Registered General Nurse

Sample Nursing practice questions

Try these 12 questions from different topics. Open "Show answer" to check yourself and read the explanation.

1. Question 1 · Foundations of Nursing Practice

   A nurse receives a newly admitted patient. Which action should come first in a systematic nursing process?

   1. A.Collect and validate assessment data
   2. B.Select interventions before assessment
   3. C.Evaluate outcomes before planning care
   4. D.Write discharge instructions without interviewing the patient
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   Answer: A. Collect and validate assessment data

   Assessment provides the information needed to identify needs, plan care and judge later outcomes.

2. Question 2 · Health Assessment & Vital Signs

   A blood-pressure reading is unexpectedly very different from the patient's previous readings. What is the safest immediate nursing action?

   1. A.Record the value without checking it
   2. B.Assess the patient and repeat the measurement using correct technique
   3. C.Change the value to match the previous chart
   4. D.Wait until the next shift before reassessing
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   Answer: B. Assess the patient and repeat the measurement using correct technique

   An unexpected vital sign should be interpreted with the patient's clinical condition and verified before decisions are made.

3. Question 3 · Infection Prevention & Patient Safety

   A nurse is about to examine a patient for the first time. Which WHO hand-hygiene moment applies immediately before contact?

   1. A.Before touching the patient
   2. B.After touching patient surroundings
   3. C.After body-fluid exposure risk
   4. D.After touching the patient
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   Answer: A. Before touching the patient

   Cleaning hands before touching a patient is WHO Moment 1 and protects the patient from organisms carried on the healthcare worker’s hands.

4. Question 4 · Cardiovascular & Respiratory Nursing

   A patient suddenly develops severe difficulty breathing. Which assessment priority is most appropriate?

   1. A.Complete the dietary history first
   2. B.Delay assessment until routine observations are due
   3. C.Begin discharge education
   4. D.Assess airway and breathing immediately
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   Answer: D. Assess airway and breathing immediately

   Time-sensitive breathing problems require immediate systematic assessment and early intervention.

5. Question 5 · Gastrointestinal, Renal & Endocrine Nursing

   A conscious patient with diabetes is sweating, trembling and has a low capillary glucose result. What should the nurse do first?

   1. A.Give a fast-acting oral carbohydrate according to protocol and reassess
   2. B.Give a long-acting sedative
   3. C.Restrict all oral intake for 12 hours
   4. D.Wait for the next routine glucose check
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   Answer: A. Give a fast-acting oral carbohydrate according to protocol and reassess

   A conscious person with hypoglycaemia needs prompt glucose treatment followed by reassessment and further care according to protocol.

6. Question 6 · Neurological & Musculoskeletal Nursing

   A patient has an acute change in mental status. Which bedside test is important during the initial assessment because a reversible problem may mimic neurological disease?

   1. A.Visual acuity alone
   2. B.Capillary blood glucose
   3. C.Routine body-mass index
   4. D.Elective bone-density testing
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   Answer: B. Capillary blood glucose

   Hypoglycaemia is a rapidly reversible cause of altered mental status and should be checked during emergency assessment.

7. Question 7 · Peri-operative, Emergency & Critical Care

   During the initial assessment of a critically ill patient, which problem should be addressed first?

   1. A.A threatened airway
   2. B.A minor skin abrasion
   3. C.A request for a routine diet
   4. D.A long-standing non-urgent complaint
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   Answer: A. A threatened airway

   The structured emergency-care approach prioritises immediately life-threatening airway, breathing and circulation problems before non-urgent findings.

8. Question 8 · Medication Administration & Calculations

   A prescription requires 250 mg of a medicine. The available liquid contains 125 mg in 5 mL. What volume should be administered?

   1. A.2.5 mL
   2. B.5 mL
   3. C.20 mL
   4. D.10 mL
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   Answer: D. 10 mL

   Required volume equals prescribed dose divided by stock dose, multiplied by stock volume: 250/125 x 5 = 10 mL.

9. Question 9 · Adverse Reactions & Medication Safety

   Which sequence includes the medication-use processes highlighted by WHO’s Medication Without Harm challenge?

   1. A.Prescription, preparation, dispensing, administration and monitoring
   2. B.Ordering, advertising, selling and discarding only
   3. C.Diagnosis, surgery and discharge only
   4. D.Manufacturing and transport only
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   Answer: A. Prescription, preparation, dispensing, administration and monitoring

   WHO frames medication safety across prescribing, preparation, dispensing, administration and monitoring, with patients and professionals sharing responsibility.

10. Question 10 · Antenatal & Postnatal Nursing

    A pregnant patient reports a severe headache and visual disturbance. What is the safest nursing response?

    1. A.Reassure her that this is always normal
    2. B.Arrange urgent assessment for a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy
    3. C.Advise her to wait until the next routine visit
    4. D.Recommend an unreviewed herbal remedy
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    Answer: B. Arrange urgent assessment for a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy

    Severe headache and visual symptoms can indicate pre-eclampsia and require prompt assessment and escalation.

11. Question 11 · Paediatric Nursing & Childhood Illness

    Which finding is a general danger sign in a sick young child and requires urgent assessment or referral?

    1. A.The child asks to play
    2. B.The child has a healed scratch
    3. C.The child is unable to drink or breastfeed
    4. D.The child prefers one food to another
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    Answer: C. The child is unable to drink or breastfeed

    Inability to drink or breastfeed is an IMCI danger sign associated with serious illness.

12. Question 12 · Mental Health Nursing

    A patient says they intend to harm themselves today and have access to the means. What should the nurse do first?

    1. A.Promise to keep the plan secret
    2. B.Send the patient home alone to rest
    3. C.Challenge the patient to prove the statement
    4. D.Keep the patient in a secure supportive environment and do not leave them alone
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    Answer: D. Keep the patient in a secure supportive environment and do not leave them alone

    Imminent self-harm risk requires immediate safety, supervision, removal of means where possible and urgent specialist support.