0/1 scoring · 28 questions in 6 sets
NCLEX Select N Practice Questions
Practice NCLEX Select N questions: choose exactly the number of options asked for, with a rationale for every option. Sets 1 and 2 are free, with no sign-up.
The format
What is a Select N question on the NCLEX?
Select N items tell you exactly how many options to choose, for example "Select the 3 actions the nurse should take."
The screen won't let you select more than N, so the skill is ranking options by priority.
Practice sets
28 Select N 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 Select N 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 rationaleSelect the 3 actions the nurse should take before starting the infusion.
The nurse in the surgical unit is caring for a 47-year-old female client.
The nurse has reviewed the Orders from 0850 and the Nurses' Notes from 0910.
Select the 3 actions the nurse should take before starting the infusion.
Correct answer and rationale
Select N · 0/1 scoring
Heparin is a high-alert drug that is supplied in several strengths, so three checks come before this infusion starts. The bag in hand is 100 units/mL, twice the 50 units/mL in the prescription; at the programmed 24 mL/h it would deliver 2,400 units/h, not the prescribed 1,200 units/h. The product has to match the prescription, so the nurse raises the difference with the pharmacy before anything is hung. The client is identified with two identifiers, such as name and date of birth; a room or bed number is never an identifier. A double check is independent only when the second nurse works out the answer separately, without being shown the first result, and the two answers are then compared.
Takeaway: before a heparin infusion, read the units/mL on the bag, use two client identifiers and have the second nurse calculate without seeing the first answer.
Why each option is right or wrong
- Identify the client by the room and bed number.: Incorrect. A room or bed number is never used as a client identifier.
- Contact the pharmacy about the bag before using it.: Correct. The bag is 100 units/mL and the prescription is for 50 units/mL, so the nurse raises the mismatch with a pharmacist before the bag is used.
- Run the bag at 24 mL/h because it holds 25,000 units.: Incorrect. The two bags hold the same total dose but differ twofold in strength; at 24 mL/h this bag would deliver 2,400 units/h, double the prescribed dose.
- Check the name and birth date on the band against the MAR.: Correct. Name and date of birth are two accepted identifiers, and they are checked against the MAR before the drug is given.
- Ask the second nurse to work out the rate separately, then compare.: Correct. In an independent double check the second nurse reaches an answer separately, without being shown the first result, and the two answers are then compared.
- Show the second nurse the pump setting and ask whether it looks correct.: Incorrect. Showing the second nurse the result and asking for agreement does not count as an independent double check.
Sources
- DailyMed: Heparin sodium in 5% dextrose injection label
- ISMP: Independent Double Checks: Worth the Effort if Used Judiciously and Properly
- ISMP List of High-Alert Medications in Acute Care Settings (2024)
- The Joint Commission: National Performance Goals effective January 2026, Hospital Program
- Open RN Nursing Skills, 15.2 Basic Concepts of Administering Medications (LibreTexts mirror)
- CMS State Operations Manual Appendix A: hospital interpretive guidelines (medication administration)
- Open RN Nursing Management and Professional Concepts, 10.3 Individual and Interpersonal Advocacy (LibreTexts mirror)
Scoring
How Select N questions are scored
Scored 0/1: each correct option you select earns 1 point, with no penalty for an incorrect one. The maximum score equals N.
Scoring rules: NCSBN, Next Generation NCLEX. Last reviewed October 13, 2026.
How to answer Select N questions
- Rank all the options first, then take the top N.
- Prefer options that address the client's most immediate problem over routine care.
- If two options are equally good, ask which one the question's time frame (now, first, before discharge) points to.
FAQ
Select N questions: FAQ
What is a Select N question on the NCLEX?
Is there a penalty for wrong answers on Select N items?
How do you answer a Select N question?
Keep practicing
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