{"id":4175,"date":"2024-08-14T19:53:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T19:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/?p=4175"},"modified":"2026-03-20T13:50:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T21:50:45","slug":"nclex-qotd-mental-status-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/nclex-qotd-mental-status-assessment","title":{"rendered":"NCLEX-RN\u00ae Question of the Day: Mental status assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In This Article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/nclex-qotd-mental-status-assessment\/#The_correct_answers_to_todays_NCLEX-RN%C2%AE_Question_are%E2%80%A6\" >The correct answers to today&#8217;s NCLEX-RN\u00ae Question are&#8230;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/nclex-qotd-mental-status-assessment\/#Major_Takeaway\" >Major Takeaway<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/nclex-qotd-mental-status-assessment\/#Incorrect_Answer_Explanations\" >Incorrect Answer Explanations<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Prepare for the NCLEX-RN with this essential question: The nurse is conducting a mental status assessment on an adult client with no previous medical or psychiatric history. Which assessment finding(s) should the nurse anticipate?&nbsp;Test your nursing knowledge now!<br><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nurse is conducting a mental status assessment on an adult client with no previous medical or psychiatric history. Which assessment finding(s) should the nurse anticipate?&nbsp;<strong>Select all that apply.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A. Rational thoughts\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>B.&nbsp;Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>C.&nbsp;Pressured speech&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>D.&nbsp;Smooth body movements<\/strong><strong>E.&nbsp;Intact short-term memory&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>F.&nbsp;Client can name the month and date, but not the year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scroll down for the correct answer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_correct_answers_to_todays_NCLEX-RN%C2%AE_Question_are%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>The correct answers to today&#8217;s NCLEX-RN\u00ae Question are&#8230;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A.&nbsp;Rational thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rationale:&nbsp;<\/strong>Rational thoughts are an anticipated finding during a mental status assessment. The presence of perceptual and thought disturbances such as hallucinations, which can be visual, auditory, or tactile; or illusions, are abnormal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>B.&nbsp;Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rationale:&nbsp;<\/strong>A GCS score of 15 is a normal finding, and does not indicate brain injury. A score of 8 or less indicates severe brain injury; 9-12 indicates moderate brain injury; 13-15 indicates mild to no brain injury. Therefore, this is an anticipated finding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>D.&nbsp;Smooth body movements&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rationale:&nbsp;<\/strong>Smooth body movements are an anticipated finding of a mental status assessment. Abnormal findings include restlessness or fidgeting, which could be a sign of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>E.&nbsp;Intact short-term memory<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rationale:&nbsp;<\/strong>Intact short-term memory is an anticipated finding during the mental status assessment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Major_Takeaway\"><\/span>Major Takeaway<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nurse should recognize normal findings associated with the mental status assessment. The nurse will observe the client\u2019s appearance when they move into the exam room. When evaluating appearance, the nurse should expect their posture to be erect and relaxed; and their movement to be smooth and purposeful. The nurse should assess the client\u2019s behavior, beginning with their level of consciousness. The client should be awake, alert, oriented, and responsive to both internal to environmental stimuli. Also, the nurse should observe the client\u2019s facial expressions which can reveal information about their emotional state. Their expressions should vary throughout the conversation and be appropriate to the context. The nurse should also assess the client\u2019s speech, paying attention to their tone, pace, word choice, and articulation. Their speech should be effortless, with appropriate variations in tone. To assess the client\u2019s orientation to person, the nurse will ask them to state their first and last name or how old they are. For orientation to place, the nurse will ask them where they are or the city or state they are in. For time, the nurse will ask them to tell them the day, month, or year. To assess the client\u2019s memory, immediate recall and recent and long-term memory will be assessed. To evaluate immediate recall, the nurse can ask the client to listen to and then repeat a short sentence or series of numbers. For recent memory, the nurse should ask about the recent past, like what the client ate for breakfast. To assess the client\u2019s thought process,the nurse will evaluate whether their thoughts make sense and are rational.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Incorrect_Answer_Explanations\"><\/span>Incorrect Answer Explanations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>C. Pressured speech<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rationale:&nbsp;<\/strong>Pressured, or rapid-paced speech, is an abnormal finding and is associated with mania in clients with bipolar disorder. This is not a finding that the nurse should anticipate during the mental status assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>F.&nbsp;Client can name the month and date, but not the year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rationale:&nbsp;<\/strong>A client who cannot remember the year, but can remember the month and date requires follow-up and is not an anticipated finding during the mental status assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/plans\/rn\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"904\" height=\"324\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_a82cbc.png?w=904\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4040\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_a82cbc.png 904w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_a82cbc.png?resize=300,108 300w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_a82cbc.png?resize=768,275 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 904px) 100vw, 904px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Want more NCLEX-RN\u00ae-style practice questions? Try Osmosis by Elsevier today! Access your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/login?type=create\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free trial<\/a>&nbsp;and find out why millions of current and future clinicians and caregivers love learning with us.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prepare for the NCLEX-RN with this essential question: The nurse is conducting a mental status assessment on an adult client with no previous medical or psychiatric history. Which assessment finding(s) should the nurse anticipate?&nbsp;Test your nursing knowledge now! The nurse is conducting a mental status assessment on an adult client with no previous medical or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":279,"featured_media":4176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20,29,1367,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exam-prep","category-nclex","category-nclex-rn","category-nursing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>NCLEX-RN\u00ae Question of the Day: Mental status assessment - Osmosis Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/nclex-qotd-mental-status-assessment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NCLEX-RN\u00ae Question of the Day: Mental status assessment - Osmosis Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prepare for the NCLEX-RN with this essential question: The nurse is conducting a mental status assessment on an adult client with no previous medical or psychiatric history. 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