HESI RN Exit Exam Practice Test 2026-2027 and Free Sample Questions

A registered nurse is caring for a patient three days after a total knee replacement. The patient suddenly develops dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, tachycardia of 122 beats per minute, and an oxygen saturation of 86 percent. Which action should the nurse take first?

A registered nurse reviews the morning labs for a patient receiving heparin therapy for deep vein thrombosis. The activated partial thromboplastin time is markedly above the therapeutic range and the patient has new bruising. Which medication should the nurse anticipate administering?

A registered nurse is preparing to administer the first dose of intravenous potassium chloride to a patient with hypokalemia. Which action is essential before administering this medication?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient with sepsis. Over the past hour the blood pressure has dropped from 110 over 70 to 84 over 50, the heart rate has risen to 124 beats per minute, and the patient is increasingly confused. Which action should the nurse take first?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient with a traumatic brain injury who is at risk for increased intracranial pressure. Which nursing intervention helps prevent further rises in intracranial pressure?

A registered nurse is planning assignments. Which task is most appropriate to delegate to a licensed practical nurse caring for a stable patient?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient receiving intravenous furosemide for fluid overload. Which finding should prompt the nurse to hold the medication and contact the provider?

A registered nurse is monitoring a patient receiving a unit of packed red blood cells. Twenty minutes into the transfusion the patient develops fever, chills, flank pain, and dark colored urine. After stopping the transfusion and maintaining the intravenous line with normal saline, what should the nurse do next?

A registered nurse must infuse 500 mL of intravenous fluid over 4 hours using a pump. What rate in milliliters per hour should the nurse program?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient who reports crushing substernal chest pain radiating to the left arm. The patient is diaphoretic and anxious. After applying oxygen, which action should the nurse take next?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient with a chest tube connected to a closed drainage system. The nurse notes continuous bubbling in the water seal chamber. What does this finding most likely indicate?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient with a serum sodium level of 122 mEq per L. The patient is confused and reports a headache. Which intervention should the nurse anticipate?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient becomes increasingly drowsy, and an arterial blood gas shows a rising carbon dioxide level with a falling pH. Which action should the nurse take first?

A registered nurse discovers a medication error after administering a double dose of a routine antihypertensive medication to a patient. Which action should the nurse take first?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis. The patient is receiving an intravenous insulin infusion and intravenous fluids. The most recent glucose is 248 mg per dL, down from 520 mg per dL. Which order should the nurse anticipate next?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient who is scheduled for surgery in the morning and says, I am so scared that something will go wrong during the operation. Which response by the nurse is most therapeutic?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient on the first day after a total thyroidectomy. The patient reports tingling around the mouth and in the fingertips. Which complication should the nurse suspect?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient with Clostridioides difficile infection. Which infection control measure is most appropriate for this patient?

A registered nurse is caring for a patient taking digoxin who reports nausea, visual changes described as yellow halos around lights, and a heart rate of 48 beats per minute. Which laboratory value should the nurse check first?