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Free CPN Practice Questions PDF

Get a free CPN practice questions PDF you can study anywhere — 15 exam-style questions, each with a full rationale and a key takeaway, plus a quick-reference cheat sheet.

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  • 💡 Key Takeaways — the one transferable rule per question
  • 🔍 Hint highlights — the decisive cue phrases in each stem
  • 📖 Full rationales — why every option is right or wrong

Every CPN question is written to the current exam outline for quick learning and a clear pass strategy.

Sample CPN questions (in the PDF)

Question 1

A nurse is preparing to administer an intramuscular injection to a 7-year-old child who has severe atopic dermatitis with excoriated skin on both extremities. How should the nurse proceed with pain mitigation?

  • A) Apply the vibrating cold device directly over the excoriated skin.
  • B) Use a vapocoolant spray directly on the compromised skin area.
  • C) Place the vibrating cold device proximally on intact skin tissue.
  • D) Administer the injection without utilizing any topical pain mitigation.

💡 Key Takeaway

Pain mitigation devices can be placed on proximal intact skin when the injection site area is compromised.

Show rationale

When using a vibrating cold device, it is crucial to avoid placing the frozen ice pack or vibrating unit directly over broken, irritated, or excoriated skin to prevent further tissue damage and infection. However, the nurse can still utilize the Gate Control Theory by placing the device proximally on healthy, intact skin to intercept the pain signals. Option A is incorrect because applying the device over excoriated skin can exacerbate the dermatitis and cause severe discomfort. Option B is incorrect because vapocoolant sprays contain propellants that will burn and irritate compromised skin. Option D is incorrect because the nurse should always attempt to provide appropriate pain management, and alternative placements allow for effective mitigation without compromising the child's skin integrity.

Question 2

A 4-year-old child who recently achieved daytime continence begins having frequent accidents and using baby talk during clinic visits. The parent recently separated from a partner following a history of frequent loud altercations. Which assessment finding best differentiates trauma-induced regression from a normative stress response?

  • A) The child exhibits transient clinging behavior during the visit.
  • B) The child displays intense hyperarousal and exaggerated startle.
  • C) The child requests a pacifier when feeling tired or hungry.
  • D) The child demonstrates occasional resistance to following rules.

💡 Key Takeaway

Severe autonomic dysregulation differentiates trauma-induced behavioral regression from typical developmental stress responses in preschool children.

Show rationale

While transient clinging and occasional rule resistance can be normative stress responses to family transitions, intense hyperarousal and an exaggerated startle response are specific indicators of trauma exposure. Children exposed to domestic violence often exhibit profound autonomic nervous system dysregulation alongside behavioral regression. Assessing for hyperarousal helps distinguish trauma-induced regression from typical developmental setbacks. Option A is a common, mild stress response. Option C reflects typical self-soothing behavior. Option D is developmentally appropriate limit-testing for a preschooler, lacking the severity of trauma-related dysregulation.

Question 3

The parents of a 2-week-old newborn are distressed after newborn screening results indicate the infant has sickle cell trait. The parents are distressed and ask what treatments their baby needs right now.

  • A) Explain the infant needs lifelong daily prophylactic oral folic acid supplementation.
  • B) Clarify the infant is a healthy carrier and will not develop disease.
  • C) Schedule the infant for baseline hemoglobin electrophoresis testing at six months.
  • D) Refer the family to a pediatric hematologist for immediate chronic disease management.

💡 Key Takeaway

Sickle cell trait is a benign carrier state requiring parental reassurance rather than medical intervention.

Show rationale

Newborn screening reliably identifies sickle cell trait, which frequently causes profound parental anxiety due to confusion with the actual disease. The primary nursing action is to provide clear education that the trait is a benign carrier state and the child will not develop sickle cell disease. Options A and D involve interventions and referrals that are standard for managing sickle cell disease, not the trait, and would unnecessarily elevate parental fear. Option C is redundant and unnecessary because the newborn screening has already confirmed the diagnosis using highly sensitive methods like electrophoresis or high-performance liquid chromatography.

Question 4

A 16-year-old with a history of depression is preparing for discharge, and the nurse is creating a discharge safety plan.

  • A) Instruct the parents to remove all potentially dangerous items from the home.
  • B) Provide a standardized safety contract for the teen and parents to sign.
  • C) Guide the teen to identify personal warning signs and preferred support contacts.
  • D) Remind the teen to call the emergency hotline if symptoms suddenly worsen.

💡 Key Takeaway

Collaborative safety planning that respects the adolescent's input is more effective than standardized or parent-directed interventions.

Show rationale

Guiding the adolescent to identify their own warning signs and preferred contacts respects their input and ensures the safety plan is personalized and realistic. This collaborative approach increases the likelihood that the teen will actually use the plan. Option A is incorrect because focusing exclusively on the parents removes the teen from the process, failing to build their self-regulation skills. Option B is incorrect because a standardized contract does not reflect the adolescent's unique triggers or coping strategies, making it less effective than a personalized plan. Option D is incorrect because simply reminding the teen to call a hotline is a directive approach that lacks the comprehensive, collaborative planning needed for effective mental health support. Engaging teens directly is vital.

Question 5

A 4-month-old infant who is exclusively breastfed presents to the clinic with poor weight gain over the last month despite regular pancreatic enzyme administration. Which dietary adjustment is most appropriate?

  • A) Switch the infant completely to a standard formula.
  • B) Fortify expressed breast milk with high-calorie formula powder.
  • C) Introduce solid foods like rice cereal to feedings.
  • D) Restrict feeding times to increase the infant's hunger.

💡 Key Takeaway

Infants with cystic fibrosis often require fortified breast milk to meet their high caloric demands.

Show rationale

Infants with CF often struggle with poor weight gain due to malabsorption and increased metabolic demand. The best approach is to increase the caloric density of their intake by fortifying breast milk with high-calorie formula powder, which preserves the immunological benefits of breast milk while providing necessary calories. Switching entirely to standard formula (Option A) removes breast milk benefits and may still lack sufficient calories for a CF patient. Introducing solids at four months (Option C) is developmentally inappropriate and lacks dense calories. Restricting feeds (Option D) will only worsen the poor weight gain.

Question 6

A mother brings her 18-month-old toddler, born at 28 weeks gestation, for a well-child visit. The clinic uses the ASQ-3. How should the nurse prepare the screening tool?

  • A) Use the 15-month questionnaire based on corrected age.
  • B) Use the 18-month questionnaire based on chronologic age.
  • C) Administer the Denver II instead due to extreme prematurity.
  • D) Delay formal screening until the child reaches 24 months.

💡 Key Takeaway

Prematurity must be corrected for developmental screening until a child reaches 24 months of chronologic age.

Show rationale

When using standardized tools like the ASQ-3 or Denver II, you must calculate the corrected age for any child born before 37 weeks gestation until they reach 24 months of age. Since this child was born at 28 weeks, they are 12 weeks or about 3 months premature. Subtracting 3 months from their 18-month chronologic age gives a corrected age of 15 months, making option A the best choice. Option B is incorrect because using chronologic age would falsely lower the child's scores. Option C is unnecessary as the ASQ-3 is perfectly valid for premature infants when adjusted correctly. Option D is unsafe because early identification of delays is critical, especially for high-risk premature infants.

Is the CPN practice PDF free?
Yes — the CPN PDF (15 questions with rationales and a cheat sheet) is completely free, no account required.
What's inside the PDF?
15 real exam-style CPN questions, a full rationale and key takeaway for each, and a one-page cheat sheet of high-yield facts.
How do I get the full question bank?
The free PDF is a sample. Scan the QR code inside it (or tap the link) to get the app with the complete CPN bank, a timed exam simulator, and offline study.

Try three CPN practice questions first

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Question 1

A nurse is caring for an adolescent patient admitted for severe anorexia nervosa. The patient tearfully asks the nurse to keep recent purging behavior a secret, stating they only trust this specific nurse. How should the nurse respond?

Why C is the answer

Patients may sometimes attempt to draw nurses into a special relationship by asking them to keep secrets, which is a dangerous boundary violation. Option C is correct because the nurse must gently but firmly explain that information affecting the patient's health and safety cannot be kept secret from the treatment team. Option A is incorrect; while building trust is important, agreeing to keep secrets enables harmful behavior and fractures the care team's approach. Option B is incorrect because merely documenting the behavior without actively communicating it to the team fails to address the immediate clinical risk and still participates in a form of secrecy. Option D is a near-miss; while a psychiatric consult is appropriate for the condition, the nurse must not delay sharing critical safety information with the primary team under the guise of waiting for a consult.

🔑 Key takeaway

Keeping secrets for a patient is a boundary violation that compromises patient safety and team-based care.

Question 2

A 16-year-old is admitted with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 4 after a motor vehicle collision. The patient is ventilator-dependent and hemodynamically unstable.

Why A is the answer

Hospitals are mandated to notify the procurement organization of all imminent deaths, typically defined by specific clinical triggers such as a Glasgow Coma Scale of 5 or less in a ventilator-dependent patient. Option A is correct because early notification allows the organization to evaluate suitability before death is declared. Option B is incorrect; the family should not be approached until the patient is formally evaluated. Option C delays necessary evaluation and violates early notification protocols. Option D is premature and does not address the immediate regulatory requirement for procurement organization notification.

🔑 Key takeaway

Early clinical triggers require hospitals to notify the procurement organization before brain death is formally declared.

Question 3

The nurse is preparing to perform a Finnegan score on a two-day-old neonate exposed to fentanyl. The infant is currently in a brightly lit room with loud alarms sounding nearby and is crying continuously. What is the most appropriate nursing action?

Why C is the answer

Finnegan scoring is designed to measure the baseline severity of withdrawal symptoms, but scores can be falsely elevated by external stressors. When an infant is in a brightly lit room with excessive noise, the nurse should first optimize the environment by dimming lights, reducing noise, and attempting to console the infant before finalizing the score. Option C is correct because it ensures the score reflects true withdrawal rather than acute environmental overstimulation. Option A and Option D are incorrect because scoring a highly stimulated infant leads to inaccurate, inflated totals that may trigger unnecessary medications. Option B is incorrect because medication decisions must always be based on accurate, standardized scoring, not situational distress.

🔑 Key takeaway

Finnegan scoring should reflect the infant's true withdrawal state after optimizing nonpharmacologic environmental interventions.

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CPN · Exam Simulator

A nurse is preparing to administer an intramuscular injection to a 7-year-old child who has severe atopic derm…

A) Apply the vibrating cold device directly
B) Use a vapocoolant spray directly on the
C) Place the vibrating cold device proximal
D) Administer the injection without utilizi
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