NCLEX-RN · United States / Canada / Australia · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), delivered at Pearson VUE centres
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersThe habits that decide who leaves the ward alive
In the exams: NORCET: Mains — nursing practice, case-scenario based (100 questions); NCLEX-RN: Safe and Effective Care Environment (17–33%); NMC Test of Competence — CBT: Part B — Clinical (100 marks, 68% to pass); NMC Test of Competence — OSCE: Clinical skills stations (Remaining stations); NMCN Professional Examination: Foundations and fundamentals of nursing (Core paper); Nursing Council of Kenya Licensure Examination: Fundamentals and clinical skills (Core); Saudi Nursing Licensure Examination: Safe and effective care (Core); NMBA Outcomes-Based Assessment: Safe and effective practice (Both stages)
How our questions for NCLEX-RN spread across the units of Infection Prevention and Control. Difficulty: 20 easy, 55 medium, 15 hard.
| End-of-manual check | 12 | |
| Transmission-Based Precautions | 8 | |
| Hand Hygiene, Properly Understood | 7 | |
| Personal Protective Equipment | 7 | |
| Device-Associated Infection | 7 | |
| The Chain of Infection | 6 | |
| Standard Precautions | 6 | |
| Aseptic Technique | 6 | |
| The Environment and Equipment | 6 | |
| Antimicrobial Stewardship as Nursing Work | 6 | |
| Outbreaks, Surveillance and Speaking Up | 6 | |
| Protecting Yourself | 5 | |
| Why This Subject Is Different | 4 | |
| Carrying This Into a Real Ward | 4 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Which is removed last when taking off personal protective equipment, and why?
D. The mask or respirator, as its front is the most contaminated
Removal runs from most to least contaminated while keeping hands away from dirty outer surfaces, so gloves come off first and the mask last, handled only by its straps. The front of a mask is the dirtiest surface in the ensemble and it sits inches from the face, which is why touching it during removal is the error examiners watch for.
Further reading: SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
Why is a prevention bundle audited as all-or-nothing?
C. The evidence supports the elements delivered together, not separately
Bundles were studied and shown to work as complete sets, so compliance means every element for every patient. Delivering four of five elements does not produce four-fifths of the benefit, because the omitted element is frequently the route the infection actually takes.
Further reading: SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
Why is infection prevention weighted heavily in licensing examinations?
B. It is one of the commonest harms in healthcare
Healthcare-associated infection is among the most frequent harms anywhere; examinations reflect its importance.
Further reading: Laisha original question, written to the SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
Which approach makes infection prevention habits most reliable?
C. Building them into routines and the environment
Habits that depend on memory fail when memory is scarce; placing hand rub at the point of care and building steps into routines makes them survive pressure.
Further reading: Laisha original question, written to the SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
Why are rings and wristwatches removed for clinical work?
A. They hold organisms and prevent proper decontamination
Jewellery, artificial nails and long sleeves harbour organisms and block effective hand hygiene.
Further reading: Laisha original question, written to the SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
What is the key competency within standard precautions?
C. Assessing the risk of each task before starting
The list hides the real skill: predicting what this task will expose you to and protecting against it.
Further reading: Laisha original question, written to the SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
What is the most useful principle in choosing protective equipment?
C. Choose by exposure, not by diagnosis
The task's expected exposure determines what is worn.
Further reading: Laisha original question, written to the SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
Which item is removed first when taking off protective equipment?
B. Gloves
Gloves are the most contaminated and come off first; the mask or respirator comes last, handled by its straps.
Further reading: Laisha original question, written to the SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
A nurse has just emptied a catheter bag. Which hand hygiene moment applies?
C. After body fluid exposure risk
Emptying a bag carries body fluid exposure risk; hand hygiene follows, whether or not gloves were worn.
Further reading: Laisha original question, written to the SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
What does disinfection achieve that cleaning does not?
C. It kills most remaining organisms
Disinfection reduces organisms to a safe level but does not reliably kill spores; sterilisation does.
Further reading: Laisha original question, written to the SUNYRA nursing manual: Infection Prevention and Control
Ten here, 90 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to NCLEX-RN in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
Free for ten days, then one subscription of US$10 a month. We would rather say so here than have you find it later.
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