Free CPNRE practice questions with answers
Fifteen original questions in the style of the CPNRE, the LPN licensing exam in Alberta. Pick an answer to see whether you were right and why. No sign-up needed.
They follow the official blueprint’s mix: mostly foundations of practice, then professional, ethical and legal practice, then collaborative practice, with clients of different ages. These are not past exam questions, and this site is not affiliated with the CLHA or the exam developer.
Answered 0 of 15
Question 1 · Foundations of practice
Four hours after abdominal surgery, a client has the following findings. Which one should the LPN report immediately?
Answer: B
A sharp rise in heart rate soon after surgery can be the first sign of bleeding or shock, and it needs to be reported now. Moderate incision pain is expected and is managed with the ordered analgesia. A small amount of serous drainage is normal early on, and a temperature of 37.6 °C in the first day is common and is monitored.
Question 2 · Professional, ethical and legal practice
A caller says they are a close friend of a client and asks the LPN how the client is doing. What is the most appropriate response?
Answer: C
Health information belongs to the client, and it is shared only with the client’s consent. Even a “general update” confirms the person is a patient. Knowing a birth date does not give the caller a right to information, and the charge nurse is bound by the same rule, so passing the call on does not solve the problem.
Question 3 · Professional, ethical and legal practice
An LPN notices a mistake in an entry they made earlier in a client’s paper chart. How should the LPN correct it?
Answer: B
A single line keeps the original entry readable, and the initials and date show who corrected it and when. The chart is a legal record: covering, removing or obliterating an entry looks like hiding information, even when the intent is honest.
Question 4 · Foundations of practice
The parent of a 2-year-old with gastroenteritis gives the LPN an update. Which finding suggests the child is becoming dehydrated?
Answer: C
A marked drop in urine output, such as no wet diaper for many hours, is one of the earliest reliable signs of dehydration in a young child and should be reported. Tears, moist mucous membranes and a child who is keen to drink all point to adequate hydration.
Question 5 · Foundations of practice
An 84-year-old client with dementia has become much more confused and agitated since yesterday. What should the LPN do first?
Answer: A
A sudden change over a day or two is not the slow course of dementia. It suggests delirium, and infection, often urinary or respiratory, is a common cause in older adults. Assessing comes before anything else. Sedation and restraints can make delirium worse, and family support helps but does not find the cause.
Question 6 · Foundations of practice
Before giving a client’s ordered digoxin, the LPN counts an apical pulse of 52 beats per minute. What should the LPN do?
Answer: B
Digoxin slows the heart rate, and an apical pulse below 60 in an adult is the usual threshold to hold the dose and report, unless the prescriber has set a different parameter. Giving the full dose risks worsening bradycardia, the LPN cannot change the dose on their own, and a radial pulse is less accurate than the apical count already taken.
Question 7 · Foundations of practice
A client with type 1 diabetes has a blood glucose of 3.2 mmol/L. The client is alert and able to swallow. What is the LPN’s first action?
Answer: D
A glucose below 4.0 mmol/L is hypoglycemia. For a conscious client who can swallow, the treatment is 15 g of fast-acting carbohydrate, such as juice or glucose tablets, then a recheck in 15 minutes. Fat and protein slow absorption, waiting an hour delays treatment, and giving insulin would lower the glucose further.
Question 8 · Foundations of practice
A client says quietly, “I won’t be a problem for anyone much longer.” What is the most appropriate response by the LPN?
Answer: A
A statement like this can signal suicidal thinking. Asking directly does not plant the idea; it opens the conversation and lets the LPN assess risk and report it. False reassurance and changing the subject shut the client down, and leaving the client alone could leave them at risk.
Question 9 · Foundations of practice
Two hours after a vaginal birth, the LPN finds the client’s uterus soft and above the umbilicus, with heavy bleeding. What should the LPN do first?
Answer: C
A soft (boggy) uterus with heavy bleeding means the uterus is not contracting, the most common cause of postpartum hemorrhage. Fundal massage helps it contract and is the first action, followed by reporting. A full bladder can contribute, but walking a bleeding client is unsafe; changing an IV rate needs an order; and positioning does not stop the bleeding.
Question 10 · Foundations of practice
A client is admitted on airborne precautions for suspected pulmonary tuberculosis. What does the LPN wear to enter the room?
Answer: D
Tuberculosis spreads by tiny airborne particles that stay suspended in the air. A fit-tested N95 respirator filters them; surgical and procedure masks do not seal well enough. Gowns and gloves are for contact precautions and add nothing against airborne spread on their own.
Question 11 · Foundations of practice
Ten minutes after a blood transfusion starts, the client reports chills and lower back pain. What is the LPN’s first action?
Answer: A
Chills and back pain early in a transfusion can signal a hemolytic reaction, which can be life-threatening. The transfusion is stopped at once, the line kept open with normal saline as per policy, and the reaction reported. Slowing the rate still delivers incompatible blood, and treating the symptoms hides the cause.
Question 12 · Foundations of practice
A client with a new cast on the forearm reports pain that is getting worse despite medication, and the fingers feel cool and tingly. What should the LPN do?
Answer: C
Pain out of proportion to the injury that analgesia does not relieve, with coolness and tingling, are warning signs of compartment syndrome, a surgical emergency. They are reported immediately. Waiting an hour or giving more analgesic delays treatment, and ice does not relieve the pressure inside the cast.
Question 13 · Collaborative practice
An order reads 10 mg of a medication that the LPN knows is usually given as 1 mg. What should the LPN do?
Answer: D
A dose ten times the usual amount may be a transcription or decimal error. The LPN is accountable for every dose given and must clarify a questionable order with the prescriber before acting. Following it blindly is unsafe, the LPN cannot change the dose on their own, and a coworker’s opinion does not replace the prescriber’s clarification.
Question 14 · Collaborative practice
Three days after a stroke, a client coughs every time they drink water. What is the most appropriate action by the LPN?
Answer: A
Coughing with thin fluids after a stroke suggests dysphagia and a risk of aspiration. Oral fluids are held and the finding is reported so the team can arrange a swallowing assessment, usually by a speech-language pathologist, who decides the safe texture. Straws can increase aspiration risk, and thickening fluids without an assessment or order guesses at the answer.
Question 15 · Professional, ethical and legal practice
An LPN realizes they gave a client a dose of metoprolol that was ordered for a different client. What should the LPN do first?
Answer: D
Client safety comes first. Metoprolol can lower the heart rate and blood pressure, so the client who received it is assessed, including vital signs, and the error is reported to the prescriber and the nurse in charge. The incident report and disclosure follow policy afterwards; they never come before checking on the client.
Common questions
- Are these real CPNRE exam questions?
- No. They are original questions written for this page in the style of the CPNRE: four options, one best answer, and mostly application and critical-thinking questions about what a practical nurse would do. Real exam questions are confidential, and the exam developer warns candidates about any prep material that claims to have them.
- How many questions are on the real CPNRE?
- The CPNRE has 160 to 170 multiple-choice questions, each with four options. Between 40 and 60% are case-based questions that follow a client scenario, and the rest stand alone. Each question is worth one mark.
- What score do I need to pass the CPNRE?
- There is no published passing percentage. The pass mark is set by a panel of content experts at the level of a competent entry-level practical nurse, and it is not curved. Your score is simply the number of questions you answer correctly.
- Where can I get more CPNRE practice questions?
- The exam developer sells two official tools on cpnre.ca: the CPNRE Prep Guide ($95) with a 160-question practice test, and the Predictor Test ($50). CPNRE Practice Test, an independent tool, has full-length practice exams built to the published blueprint with every answer explained. The Monthly plan starts with 5 free days.
Keep preparing
- LPN licensing exam prep in Alberta — fees, 2027 dates, attempts and the official prep tools
- The CPNRE blueprint, explained — what each category is worth
- How to study for the CPNRE — a week-by-week approach
- CPNRE pass rate and passing score — the official Alberta numbers