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

Answer: D

Switch to skim milk but keep the same daily volume to prevent obesity: Whole milk is recommended from 12 to 24 months for brain development; changing the type does not fix excess volume or poor iron intake.

Continue the current intake, since milk supplies all nutrients a toddler needs: Cow's milk is low in iron, and large volumes displace iron-rich foods and can cause occult GI blood loss, which leads to iron-deficiency anemia.

Replace most of the milk with 100% fruit juice to add vitamins and calories: Juice adds sugar without iron. The AAP limits juice to about 4 oz/day for toddlers.

Limit milk to about 16 to 24 oz a day and offer iron-rich solid foods: Correct. Excess cow's milk (more than about 24 oz/day) is a leading cause of toddler iron-deficiency anemia. Limiting milk to 2 to 3 cups a day and offering iron-rich foods addresses the cause; the pallor also warrants hemoglobin screening.

Toddlers aged 1 to 2 years: whole milk 16 to 24 oz/day. More than 24 oz/day plus pallor suggests iron-deficiency anemia (screen hemoglobin at about 12 months).

Answer: C

Turn the seat forward now, because the child is older than 12 months: Age 12 months is an outdated minimum. Current AAP guidance does not use a fixed age to turn the seat.

Turn the seat forward once the child's feet touch the vehicle seat back: Leg contact with the seat back is not a safety concern and is not a reason to turn the seat; leg injuries are rare in rear-facing children.

Keep it rear-facing until the seat's rear-facing limit is reached: Correct. The AAP recommends rear-facing as long as possible, until the child reaches the highest height or weight allowed by the seat's manufacturer, because rear-facing best supports the head, neck and spine in a crash.

Switch to a belt-positioning booster seat at age 2 years: Booster seats are for children who have outgrown a forward-facing harness seat, typically at school age, not toddlers.

Child passenger safety: rear-facing until the seat's rear-facing limit, then a forward-facing harness, then a booster until the lap-shoulder belt fits (usually 4 ft 9 in and 8 to 12 years), and the back seat until age 13.

Answer: C

Interview the teen with the parent present so the parent can confirm the answers: Adolescents are less likely to disclose risk behaviors with a parent present, and a parent cannot reliably report the teen's private behaviors.

Give the parent a written questionnaire to complete about the teen's behaviors: Parental proxy reports miss much adolescent risk behavior; the adolescent is the best source.

Interview the teen alone after explaining confidentiality and its limits: Correct. A private interview, with the limits of confidentiality explained (risk of harm to self or others, abuse), builds trust and increases honest disclosure in a HEADSS assessment.

Skip sensitive topics because they are not related to abdominal pain: Sexual activity, substance use and mood are directly relevant to abdominal pain (pregnancy, STI/PID, substance effects) and to overall health.

HEADSS/HEEADSSS: interview adolescents alone, explain confidentiality and its limits, start with less sensitive topics (home, school) before drugs, sexuality and suicide.

Answer: B

About 0.6%, minimal dehydration: This confuses the 0.6-kg loss with a percentage; the loss must be divided by the pre-illness weight.

About 6%, moderate dehydration: Correct. Percent dehydration = (10.0 - 9.4) / 10.0 x 100 = 6%. Acute weight loss reflects fluid loss; about 6% falls in the moderate range (about 5 to 10% in infants).

About 10%, severe dehydration: 10% would require a loss of 1 kg; the actual loss is 0.6 kg.

About 3%, mild dehydration: 3% would equal a 0.3-kg loss, half the actual change.

Percent dehydration = (pre-illness weight - current weight) / pre-illness weight x 100; 1 kg of acute loss is about 1 L of fluid. Confirm with clinical signs (mucous membranes, tears, capillary refill, fontanelle, urine output).

Answer: C

4.2 mL: 4.2 mL contains about 338 mg, half the ordered dose. This error comes from splitting the daily dose a second time.

6.75 mL: This treats the suspension as 100 mg/mL; the actual concentration is 80 mg/mL (400 mg/5 mL).

8.4 mL: Correct. Safety check: 675 mg x 2 = 1,350 mg/day / 15 kg = 90 mg/kg/day (within 80 to 90). Volume: 675 mg / 80 mg/mL = 8.44 mL, rounded to 8.4 mL.

16.9 mL: 16.9 mL contains about 1,350 mg, the whole daily dose given at once.

Pediatric dose safety: (1) compute mg/kg/day from the order and compare with the reference range; (2) volume = ordered dose / concentration (mg/mL). Measure with an oral syringe.

Answer: C

Assessing a newly admitted infant's work of breathing: Assessment, especially initial assessment, requires RN judgment and cannot be delegated.

Teaching a parent how to use an epinephrine auto-injector: Patient and family teaching requires RN knowledge and evaluation of learning, so it is not delegated to UAP.

Measuring intake and output for a stable child on IV fluids: Correct. Measuring and recording intake and output for a stable patient is a routine, predictable task within UAP scope. The RN keeps responsibility for interpreting the data.

Evaluating a child's response to a dose of IV morphine: Evaluating response to medication requires nursing judgment and cannot be delegated.

Delegate to UAP routine, predictable tasks for stable patients with predictable outcomes (vital signs in stable patients, I&O, hygiene). Keep assessment, teaching, evaluation and judgment with the RN (the 'five rights of delegation').