0/1 scoring · 31 questions in 7 sets
NCLEX Matrix Multiple Choice Practice Questions
Practice NCLEX matrix multiple choice questions: one answer per row in an exam-style grid, with a rationale per row. Sets 1 and 2 are free, with no sign-up.
The format
What is a Matrix Multiple Choice question on the NCLEX?
An NCLEX matrix question is a grid. Each row is a finding, action or statement, and in a matrix multiple-choice item you choose exactly one column for it, such as Indicated, Not Indicated, or Contraindicated.
Every row must have one answer before you can continue.
Practice sets
31 Matrix Multiple Choice questions in 7 sets
Each set covers one clinical topic and opens in the NCLEX-style test interface. Submit each answer to see the correct answer and a rationale for every option. Your progress and score are saved in this browser.
Neuro
Maternity
Mental Health
Sample question
Try a Matrix Multiple Choice question
Open the sample to see the format on the exam screen, with the correct answer marked and the reason each option is right or wrong. To answer questions yourself, start a set above.
Sample question: answer and rationaleFor each potential nursing action, click to specify whether the action is indicated or not indicated for the care of the client.
The nurse in the emergency department is caring for a 76-year-old female client.
For each potential nursing action, click to specify whether the action is indicated or not indicated for the care of the client.
| Potential Nursing Actions | Indicated | Not Indicated |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the door to the room closed. | ✓ | |
| Request a positive-pressure private room. | ✓ | |
| Put on a gown and gloves before entering the room. | ✓ | |
| Put on a fit-tested N95 respirator before entering the room. | ✓ | |
| Use standard precautions alone once the blisters are covered. | ✓ | |
| Place a surgical mask on the client for transport to radiology. | ✓ |
Note: Each row must have 1 response option selected.
Correct answer and rationale
Matrix Multiple Choice · 0/1 scoring
The deciding cue is the diagnosis: disseminated herpes zoster needs airborne and contact precautions together, in any client, for the whole illness. Airborne precautions mean an airborne infection isolation room with negative pressure and the door kept closed, and a fit-tested N95 or higher respirator put on before entry. Contact precautions add a gown and gloves on entry. A positive-pressure room is part of the protective environment for recipients of an allogeneic stem-cell transplant and is not used for an airborne infection. Covering the lesions and using standard precautions alone is the plan for localized shingles in a client with a healthy immune system, not for disseminated disease. For transport, the client wears a surgical mask and the infected area is covered.
Takeaway: disseminated shingles is handled like chickenpox, with airborne plus contact precautions: negative-pressure room, closed door, N95, gown and gloves.
Why each option is right or wrong
- Keep the door to the room closed.: Indicated. Airborne precautions use a negative-pressure airborne infection isolation room, and its door is kept closed.
- Request a positive-pressure private room.: Not indicated. A positive-pressure room is part of the protective environment for recipients of an allogeneic stem-cell transplant. An airborne infection calls for a negative-pressure room.
- Put on a gown and gloves before entering the room.: Indicated. Disseminated herpes zoster needs contact precautions as well: a gown and gloves on entry.
- Put on a fit-tested N95 respirator before entering the room.: Indicated. A fit-tested N95 or higher respirator is put on before entering the room of a client on airborne precautions.
- Use standard precautions alone once the blisters are covered.: Not indicated. Covering the lesions and using standard precautions alone is the plan for localized shingles in a client with a healthy immune system. Disseminated disease needs airborne and contact precautions for the whole illness.
- Place a surgical mask on the client for transport to radiology.: Indicated. A client on airborne precautions wears a surgical mask during transport, and the infected area is covered.
Sources
Scoring
How Matrix Multiple Choice questions are scored
Each row is scored 0/1 on its own and the rows are added up, so the maximum score equals the number of rows. There is no penalty for a wrong row.
On-screen note: “Each row must have 1 response option selected.”
Scoring rules: NCSBN, Next Generation NCLEX. Last reviewed October 13, 2026.
How to answer Matrix Multiple Choice questions
- Judge each row independently. The answer in one row doesn't constrain the next.
- Re-read the column headings. "Contraindicated" and "Not indicated" mean different things.
- Use the chart data on the left for every row, not just the first one.
FAQ
Matrix Multiple Choice questions: FAQ
How many points is a matrix question worth?
What is a matrix question on the NCLEX?
How do you answer a matrix multiple-choice question?
Keep practicing
Other NCLEX question types
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Matrix Multiple Response set 1 · Prioritization & Safety