CENP Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: C

Decide the allocation herself and announce it, so the disagreement ends immediately: A forcing approach ends the dispute quickly but does not address underlying interests, so it is likely to come back.

Assign the float pool to the director with more seniority to preserve the reporting structure: Seniority does not address operational needs and can deepen resentment.

Bring both directors together to define shared goals and jointly design the allocation criteria: Correct. A collaborative (problem-solving) approach brings out both parties' interests and builds shared ownership of the solution, which is best for important, recurring conflicts.

Avoid becoming involved and tell both directors to settle the issue between themselves: Avoidance after repeated escalation lets the conflict and its effect on staff continue.

For important, recurring conflicts where both parties' commitment matters, collaboration (win-win problem solving) beats forcing, avoiding or accommodating.

Answer: B

Root cause analysis: RCA is retrospective; it investigates a sentinel or adverse event after it has happened.

Failure mode and effects analysis: Correct. FMEA is prospective: it maps a new or changed process, identifies possible failure modes, rates them and prioritizes risk reduction before harm happens.

Pareto chart of past medication errors: A Pareto chart ranks the frequency of existing problems; it does not systematically predict failures in a new process.

Annual patient satisfaction survey: Satisfaction surveys measure experience, not process failure risk.

FMEA = prospective (before harm, new or high-risk processes); RCA = retrospective (after an event). The Joint Commission expects both in a proactive safety program.

Answer: A

Create a sense of urgency by sharing why the current approach is not working: Correct. Kotter's first step is to establish urgency, then build a guiding coalition, form a strategic vision and continue through the later steps.

Anchor the new scheduling approach in the culture through policy and hiring: Anchoring change in the culture is Kotter's final (eighth) step.

Generate short-term wins by celebrating early adopter units: Short-term wins come later, once the vision has been communicated and obstacles removed.

Refreeze the new behaviors with standardized scheduling rules: Refreezing is a stage of Lewin's three-stage model, not the first step of Kotter's model.

Kotter: urgency → coalition → vision → communicate → remove barriers → short-term wins → build on change → anchor in culture. Lewin: unfreeze → change → refreeze.

Answer: A

Decline the offer and disclose it according to the organization's conflict-of-interest policy: Correct. Accepting gifts of value from a vendor during a pending decision creates a conflict of interest; the leader declines and follows disclosure policy.

Accept the trip as long as she attends at least some of the educational sessions: Educational content does not remove the conflict created by an expensive gift during an active purchasing decision.

Accept the trip but excuse herself from only the final contract signature: Stepping back only at signature does not remove the influence the gift may have on the evaluation.

Accept the trip and offer a similar trip from a competing vendor to keep it fair: Taking gifts from several vendors multiplies conflicts rather than removing them.

Conflict of interest: avoid gifts or benefits that could influence, or appear to influence, decisions; disclose and step back as policy requires.

Answer: A

8.4 FTEs: Correct. 2 RNs × 24 hours × 365 days = 17,520 hours; 17,520 ÷ 2,080 ≈ 8.4 FTEs (more are needed once vacation, sick and education time are added).

4.2 FTEs: This covers only one RN position 24/7 (8,760 ÷ 2,080).

11.2 FTEs: This overestimates the productive requirement; it is not based on 17,520 hours ÷ 2,080.

16.8 FTEs: This double-counts, equal to four RNs around the clock.

FTEs = required hours ÷ 2,080 (one FTE's annual paid hours). One position covered 24/7 ≈ 4.2 productive FTEs; add a non-productive factor for total paid FTEs.

Answer: C

Spending was $40,000 over budget, an unfavorable variance requiring cuts: This compares actual spending with the static budget and ignores the 10% higher volume, which justifies more spending.

Spending was $50,000 under budget because volume rose by 10%: $50,000 is the volume-driven increase in allowed expense, not the efficiency result.

Spending was $10,000 under the volume-adjusted budget, a favorable result: Correct. Flexible budget = 4,400 days × $125/day = $550,000; actual $540,000 is $10,000 below it, so the cost per patient day was favorable even though total spending rose.

Spending was $10,000 over the volume-adjusted budget, an unfavorable result: The direction is reversed; actual spending ($540,000) is less than the flexible budget ($550,000).

Flexible budget = budgeted cost per unit × actual volume. Compare actual with flexible to judge efficiency; the static-budget difference mixes volume and efficiency effects.