+/- scoring · 29 questions in 6 sets
NCLEX SATA Questions (Select All That Apply)
Practice NCLEX SATA (select all that apply) questions with +/- partial-credit scoring and a rationale for every option. Sets 1 and 2 are free, with no sign-up.
The format
What is a SATA question on the NCLEX?
SATA (select all that apply) questions on the NCLEX list five to ten options, and any number of them may be correct, from one to all but one.
On the Next Generation NCLEX these items earn partial credit, which changes how you should approach them.
Practice sets
29 SATA questions in 6 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
Pediatrics
Mental Health
Sample question
Try a SATA 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 rationaleA medical unit has an outbreak of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection. A client on the unit has frequent liquid stools and a positive stool test for the organism. Which of the following actions should the nurse include in the client's care? Select all that apply.
A medical unit has an outbreak of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection. A client on the unit has frequent liquid stools and a positive stool test for the organism. Which of the following actions should the nurse include in the client's care? Select all that apply.
Correct answer and rationale
Select All That Apply · +/- scoring
The cues are a confirmed C. difficile infection with frequent liquid stool during a unit outbreak. C. difficile needs contact precautions: a single room with its own toilet, a gown and gloves on entry, equipment such as a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff kept in the room, and cleaning with a sporicidal (EPA List K) disinfectant daily and at discharge. The gown and gloves come off inside the room, and hands are cleaned right after the gloves are removed. Alcohol has poor activity against C. difficile spores, so during an outbreak CDC advises washing hands with soap and water after care of these clients. An N95 respirator belongs to airborne precautions (for example tuberculosis or measles), not to an organism shed in stool. Precautions continue until at least 48 hours after the diarrhea resolves, and the facility may keep them longer.
Takeaway: C. difficile means contact precautions, soap-and-water handwashing during an outbreak, a sporicidal disinfectant, and precautions for at least 48 hours after diarrhea stops.
Why each option is right or wrong
- Place the client in a private room with a dedicated toilet.: Correct. A client with C. difficile gets a single room with its own toilet; cohorting is only with other confirmed C. difficile clients.
- Put on a gown and gloves before entering the room.: Correct. Contact precautions call for a gown and gloves on entry to the room.
- Wash hands with soap and water after removing gloves.: Correct. Alcohol has poor activity against C. difficile spores, so during an outbreak hands are washed with soap and water right after the gloves come off. Outside an outbreak, alcohol-based hand rub is acceptable in routine care unless hands are visibly soiled or facility policy requires soap and water.
- Remove the gown and gloves in the hallway after leaving the room.: Incorrect. The gown and gloves are removed inside the room before leaving, so spores are not carried into the hallway. Only a respirator is taken off outside the room.
- Keep a dedicated stethoscope and blood pressure cuff in the room.: Correct. Dedicated equipment stays in the room; any shared equipment must be disinfected between clients.
- Wear a fit-tested N95 respirator when entering the room.: Incorrect. An N95 respirator is part of airborne precautions (tuberculosis, measles, varicella), not contact precautions.
- Clean the room each day with a sporicidal disinfectant.: Correct. The room is cleaned daily and at discharge with a sporicidal (EPA List K) disinfectant.
- End the precautions as soon as the client's diarrhea stops.: Incorrect. Precautions continue until at least 48 hours after the diarrhea resolves; stopping early risks spreading the spores.
Sources
- CDC: Clinical Guidance for C. diff Prevention in Acute Care
- CDC Isolation Precautions, Appendix A: Type and Duration of Precautions
- CDC: Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Workers
- CDC Isolation Precautions: Recommendations
- CDC: Transmission-Based Precautions
- CDC Isolation Precautions: Summary of Recommendations
- Open RN Nursing Fundamentals 2e, 9.6 Preventing Infection
- CDC: Sequence for Putting On and Removing PPE
Scoring
How SATA questions are scored
Scored +/-: each correct option you select earns 1 point, and each incorrect option you select loses 1 point. The item score never goes below 0. Partial credit applies on the NCLEX to items with more than one correct answer, so every correct choice counts.
Scoring rules: NCSBN, Next Generation NCLEX. Last reviewed October 13, 2026.
How to answer SATA questions
- Treat every option as its own true-or-false question about this client.
- Because wrong picks cost a point, don't select an option you can't justify.
- Don't assume there must be at least two answers. Some items have only one.
- Watch for options that are true in general but wrong for this client's situation.
FAQ
SATA questions: FAQ
What does SATA stand for in nursing?
Do NCLEX SATA questions give partial credit?
How many options are correct on a SATA question?
Is it better to select more options to be safe?
Keep practicing
Other NCLEX question types
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Select N set 1 · Prioritization & Safety