NCLEX-PN practice test

NCLEX-PN Coordinated Care Practice Test

Assigning tasks to AP, when to notify the RN, client rights, confidentiality, advance directives and ethics. Here are 10 NCLEX-PN coordinated care questions, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-14 by the Tigertest team. Based on the NCSBN 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan Client Needs categories. Original questions, not affiliated with NCSBN.

1. 1.

   The PN's written assignment includes a procedure the PN has never performed. What should the PN do?

   • A.

     Look up the procedure and perform it

   • B.

     Tell the RN the procedure is new to the PN

   • C.

     Ask an AP to demonstrate the procedure

   • D.

     Skip the procedure and chart it as refused

   Answer: B.

   A nurse performs only tasks for which they have the training and competence, so the PN tells the RN, who can reassign the task or supervise. Reading about a procedure does not make the PN competent, and an AP cannot teach a nursing skill.

2. 2.

   A resident's daughter asks the PN to leave the morning medications at the bedside so her mother can take them later. What should the PN do?

   • A.

     Leave the cup and chart the dose as given

   • B.

     Ask the daughter to give the medications later

   • C.

     Stay until the resident takes the medications

   • D.

     Hold the medications until the next scheduled time

   Answer: C.

   The nurse who prepares a medication stays with the client until it is taken and then documents it. Medications left at the bedside can be lost, taken twice or taken by someone else, and the daughter is not authorized to give them.

3. 3.

   The RN is making assignments on a medical-surgical unit. Which client is the most appropriate for the RN to assign to the PN?

   • A.

     Stable client with COPD taking oral antibiotics

   • B.

     Newly admitted client with chest pain awaiting evaluation

   • C.

     Client whose blood transfusion started 10 minutes ago

   • D.

     Client with new confusion the morning after surgery

   Answer: A.

   The PN cares for clients whose condition is stable and predictable, such as a client with COPD who is improving on oral antibiotics. A new admission with chest pain, the first 15 minutes of a transfusion and new postoperative confusion all need the RN's assessment and judgment.

4. 4.

   The PN is assigning tasks to assistive personnel (AP) on a long-term care unit. Which task is appropriate to assign to the AP?

   • A.

     Reinforce teaching about a new inhaler

   • B.

     Walk a stable resident in the hallway

   • C.

     Check a new skin tear and describe it

   • D.

     Give a scheduled oral medication

   Answer: B.

   Walking a stable resident is a routine task with a predictable outcome that AP can perform. Reinforcing teaching, collecting data on a new skin tear and giving medications require nursing knowledge and stay with the PN.

5. 5.

   A competent adult client refuses the scheduled morning dose of warfarin. What should the PN do?

   • A.

     Ask the family to persuade the client

   • B.

     Mix the crushed tablet into applesauce

   • C.

     Hold the dose and chart it as given

   • D.

     Document the refusal and notify the RN

   Answer: D.

   A competent adult has the right to refuse any medication, so the PN documents the refusal and tells the RN, who informs the provider. Hiding a medication in food or charting a held dose as given is deceptive and falsifies the record.

6. 6.

   In a crowded elevator, a coworker asks the PN about the diagnosis of a well-known client on the unit. Which response is appropriate?

   • A.

     "I can't discuss any client here."

   • B.

     "Only if you promise not to repeat it."

   • C.

     "It has already been in the news."

   • D.

     "Ask the charge nurse after the shift."

   Answer: A.

   Client information is shared only with staff who need it for care and never in a public place. A promise of secrecy or the diagnosis being in the news does not remove the client's right to privacy.

7. 7.

   A client asks the PN what a durable power of attorney for health care does. Which explanation is correct?

   • A.

     Lists the treatments you refuse at the end of life

   • B.

     Gives your lawyer control of your finances

   • C.

     Names someone to make care decisions if you can't

   • D.

     Takes effect only after a terminal diagnosis

   Answer: C.

   A durable power of attorney for health care names a person to make health decisions when the client can no longer make them. A living will is the document that lists treatment wishes, and neither document deals with finances.

8. 8.

   The PN is giving a handoff report at the end of the shift. Which information is most important to include?

   • A.

     The client walked in the hall twice

   • B.

     The client's family asked about visiting hours

   • C.

     The client prefers the window blinds closed

   • D.

     A pending potassium level for a digoxin client

   Answer: D.

   A pending lab result that can change care, such as a potassium level in a client taking digoxin, must be handed off so the next nurse follows it up. Routine activity and preferences are documented but are not safety-critical.

9. 9.

   A provider calls the unit with a new prescription for a high-alert IV medication. The PN answers the phone. Per facility policy and state scope, PNs on the unit do not take telephone orders for high-alert medications. What should the PN do?

   • A.

     Write the order and read it back

   • B.

     Transfer the call to the RN

   • C.

     Ask the provider to call back later

   • D.

     Enter the order for the RN to co-sign

   Answer: B.

   When policy and state scope exclude the PN from taking the order, the PN hands the call to the RN, who takes and reads back the prescription. Writing or entering the order, even for a co-signature, is practicing outside the allowed role.

10. 10.

    A client scheduled for a colonoscopy tells the PN, "I signed the form, but I don't know what they're going to do." What should the PN do?

    • A.

      Explain the risks of the procedure to the client

    • B.

      Reassure the client that the form is signed

    • C.

      Notify the RN before the procedure

    • D.

      Ask the family to explain the procedure

    Answer: C.

    A signed form is not valid consent if the client does not understand the procedure, so the PN tells the RN, who contacts the provider to explain it again. Explaining risks and benefits is the provider's responsibility, not the nurse's or the family's.