2025 Physical Assessment HESI Practice Exam for Aspiring Nurses – Study Smarter and Score Higher

• Practice exam for Physical Assessment HESI 2025
• Targeted questions for aspiring nurses
• Focuses on physical assessment skills
• Helps you study smarter and score higher
• Builds confidence and exam readiness

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During a well-baby check for several 4-month-old infants, a nurse recognizes that which
infant needs further assessment of an abnormal finding? a. The infant who is unable to sit
independently
b. The infant whose head circumference and chest circumference are equal
c. The infant whose weight has doubled since birth
d. The infant whose length falls in the 90th percentile on growth charts – – correct ans- ANS:
B
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A This is not an expected motor skill for a 4-month-old; it is expected at 6 months of age.
B At four months of age, the head circumference should be larger than the chest
circumference.
C This is a normal finding; infants generally double their birth weight by age 4 to 5 months.
D This is not an abnormal finding, especially if weight is normal; the height of the parents
should also be considered.
What is the correct order for abdominal assessment?
A. Inspection, palpation, auscultation, percussion
B. Inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation
C. Auscultation, inspection, palpation, percussion
D. Palpation, inspection, auscultation, percussion – – correct ans- -B. Inspection, auscultation,
percussion, palpation
The correct order for abdominal assessment is inspection, auscultation, percussion,
palpation. Palpation is the last step in abdominal assessment. Auscultation follows
assessment because percussion and palpation can alter the frequency and intensity of bowel
sounds.
What should you do if a patient is ticklish when you are palpating the abdomen?
A. Distract the patient by talking to him or her.
B. Do not palpate the abdomen in the upper quadrants.
C. Do only deep palpation of all four quadrants.
D. Place your hand over the patient’s hand during palpation. – – correct ans- -D. Place your
hand over the patient’s hand during palpation.
Rationale: Place your hand over the patient’s hand during palpation, leaving your fingers free
to palpate. Palpate with a firm hand or place your hand over the patient’s during palpation.
All quadrants are palpated for a thorough abdominal assessment. The abdominal
assessment begins with light palpation.
The nurse can best determine the effect of crying on a patient’s apical pulse by doing what?
A. Measuring the patient’s apical pulse before and after crying
B. Assessing the patient’s apical pulse 30 minutes after crying
C. Comparing the patient’s post-crying apical pulse rate with her baseline or previous rate
D. Measuring the patient’s pulse deficit after crying – – correct ans- -C. Comparing the
patient’s post-crying apical pulse rate with her baseline or previous rate
The comparison of apical pulse rates at these times is the best means of evaluating the
effect of crying on the patient’s apical pulse rate. These values would be available data to
compare. It is unlikely that the nurse will have the opportunity to measure the patient’s
apical pulse before and after crying. The time interval of 30 minutes is too long to effectively
assess the effect of the crying on the apical pulse. Pulse deficit indicates alterations in
cardiac output, not the effect of the emotional reaction.