NCLEX® Pediatric
Practice Questions
Try Pediatrics NCLEX Practice Questions
Test your pediatric nursing knowledge with this peds NCLEX quiz. Experience UWorld's official questions, with clinical scenarios, detailed visual rationales, and explanations for every answer choice. See our full library of free NCLEX practice questions.
Priority question - ABCs!
The nurse is assessing a 2-day-old client with tetralogy of fallot.
Which of the following findings would be a priority to follow up?
| 1. decreased oxygen saturation | |
| 2. tires easily during feedings | |
| 3. sleeps in 2-hour intervals | |
| 4. systolic heart murmur |
Intervene question - Autism
The nurse is screening pediatric clients for autism spectrum disorder.
It would require follow-up if a
| 1. 9-month-old client has not developed a strong pincer grasp | |
| 2. 17-month-old client cannot kick a ball | |
| 3. 24-month-old client lacks spontaneous eye contact | |
| 4. 36-month-old client cannot hop on one foot |
Plan of care question - Therapeutic Communication/Medical Play
The nurse is planning care for a 3-year-old client who is hospitalized.
Which of the following interventions should the nurse include in the client’s plan of care? Select all that apply.
| 1. Maintain the client’s home routine as much as possible. | |
| 2. Demonstrate medical procedures to the client using a doll. | |
| 3. Ask the parent to bring the client a comfort item from home. | |
| 4. Use medical terminology when describing procedures to the client. | |
| 5. Encourage the parent to remain with the client as much as possible. |
Medication/Risk factor/Manifestation question - RSV
The nurse is caring for an infant with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Which of the following findings would the nurse expect to observe? Select all that apply.
| 1. fever | |
| 2. tachypnea | |
| 3. poor feeding | |
| 4. sunken fontanels | |
| 5. excessive mucus production |
Teaching question - Constipation
The nurse has taught the parent of an 8-year-old client with chronic constipation.
Which of the following statements by the parent would indicate a correct understanding of the teaching? Select all that apply.
| 1. “I should restrict my child’s consumption of apple, prune, and fruit juice.” | |
| 2. “My child may need to take stool softeners for the next few months.” | |
| 3. “Increasing physical activity will help improve my child’s symptoms.” | |
| 4. “I will administer daily enemas to my child until the constipation has resolved.” | |
| 5. “Apples, spinach, and whole grain oats cereal are appropriate sources of dietary fiber for my child.” |
New question 11/1/23
The nurse is providing discharge teaching to the parent of a child with Kawasaki disease.
Which of the following statements by the parent would require follow-up?
| 1. “My child may experience intermittent fevers for a few days after treatment.” | |
| 2. “Acetaminophen may be administered if my child has discomfort.” | |
| 3. “My child will need to return for another echocardiogram.” | |
| 4. “Joint pain and swelling may persist for weeks.” |
Intervene question - DM1 - new diagnosis - Kimber
The nurse has taught an adolescent client with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Which of the following statements by the client would require follow-up?
| 1. “This condition can be managed by following a prescribed diet.” | |
| 2. “I understand this condition is an autoimmune disorder.” | |
| 3. “This condition requires me to monitor my carbohydrate intake.” | |
| 4. “I understand I will have this condition for the rest of my life.” |
Priority question - RSV (hypoxia) (Brooke)
The nurse is caring for a 6-month-old client who has bronchiolitis.
It would be a priority for the nurse to monitor the client for
| 1. decreased urine output | |
| 2. nasal flaring | |
| 3. changes in appetite | |
| 4. fever |
Plan of care question - Sickle cell (Carlee)
The nurse is planning care for a 12-year-old client with sickle cell disease who is experiencing vaso-occlusive crisis.
Which of the following interventions would be appropriate to include in the client’s plan of care? Select all that apply.
| 1. Maintain an infusion of IV fluids. | |
| 2. Apply cold compresses to painful areas. | |
| 3. Provide supplemental oxygen for the client. | |
| 4. Request a prescription for IV pain medication for the client. | |
| 5. Encourage the client to perform active range-of-motion exercises. |
Medication/Risk factor/Manifestation question - Methylphenidate (Holly B.)
The nurse has taught the parent of an 8-year-old client with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who has a new prescription for methylphenidate.
Which of the following statements by the parent would require follow-up?
| 1. “I will give my child the medication 2 hours before bedtime.” | |
| 2. “My child may experience a decreased appetite when taking the medication.” | |
| 3. “My child’s health care provider will regularly monitor my child’s height and weight.” | |
| 4. “I should notify my child’s health care provider if my child experiences palpitations.” |
Teaching question - Growth and Development - Holly B.
The nurse has taught the parents of preschool-age children about childhood growth and development.
Which of the following statements by a parent would indicate a correct understanding of the teaching? Select all that apply.
| 1. “I should notify our health care provider if my child is not toilet trained by 24 months.” | |
| 2. “I can expect my child to be able to sit quietly for at least 30 minutes at a time.” | |
| 3. “My child should be able to independently turn the pages of a favorite book.” | |
| 4. “My child should be able to communicate using at least 3-word sentences.” | |
| 5. “I should encourage my child to assist with household tasks.” |
Watch Expert NCLEX Pediatrics Question Breakdowns
Watch our expert nursing educators break down high-yield pediatric NCLEX questions step by step. See exactly how to read the clinical scenario, eliminate distractor answers, and apply clinical judgement.
Which Interventions Are Appropriate for a Hospitalized Toddler?
Which Bronchiolitis Finding Is the Priority to Monitor?
Which Interventions Are Appropriate for Sickle Cell Crisis?
Which Parent Statement About Methylphenidate Requires Follow-Up?
Which Parent Statements Show Understanding of Child Development?
How to Answer NCLEX Pediatric Questions
You don't need to memorize every developmental chart. You need a repeatable system for reasoning through any peds NCLEX question the exam puts in front of you.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who writes UWorld's pediatric NCLEX questions?
Every UWorld question is crafted through a rigorous, multi-step authoring process. A dedicated team of over 40+ practicing nurses and nurse educators writes, reviews, and continuously updates each item to ensure it meets strict NCSBN standards and matches the difficulty of the actual exam.
Our clinical team also works alongside professional designers with advanced degrees to create the medical illustrations and visuals that accompany each explanation. The result is a QBank that doesn’t just test you, it teaches you the clinical reasoning behind every answer.
How much is pediatrics tested on the NCLEX?
Pediatric content is integrated across multiple client-needs categories of the official NCLEX test plan, including Health Promotion and Maintenance, Safe and Effective Care Environment, and Physiological Adaptation. While the test plan does not call out “pediatrics” as a single category, expect roughly 15–25% of your exam to involve infants, children, or adolescents, including NGN Unfolding Case Studies built around pediatric clients.
What are the most important pediatric topics to know for the NCLEX?
Focus on growth and development milestones, age-based vital signs, weight-based medication dosing, and high-yield pediatric conditions: asthma, croup, sickle cell crisis, cystic fibrosis, tetralogy of Fallot, pyloric stenosis, intussusception, otitis media, and febrile seizures.
Add the routine CDC immunization schedule, lead screening, and pediatric pain assessment scales (FLACC, FACES, numeric) and you’ve covered the core of what the NCLEX tests.
What is the best way to study pediatrics for the NCLEX?
The most effective approach is grouping content by developmental stage, infant, toddler, preschooler, school-age, adolescent, rather than memorizing condition-by-condition lists. Then practice with NCLEX-style questions that force you to apply that knowledge in clinical scenarios. Focus on red-flag findings, safety priorities, and family teaching rather than textbook pathophysiology, that’s what the NCLEX actually tests.
What makes UWorld's pediatric questions different from other QBanks?
Three things. First, every question comes with an in-depth explanation that covers every answer choice, correct and incorrect, so you understand the reasoning, not just the answer.
Second, our questions are written to match the difficulty and clinical judgment demands of the actual NCLEX, not simplified recall questions.
Third, our explanations include professionally designed medical illustrations that visualize developmental milestones, anatomical differences, and condition-specific findings, the kind of context that makes pediatrics click instead of requiring brute-force memorization.
How many pediatric questions does UWorld's QBank include?
UWorld’s NCLEX QBank includes hundreds of pediatric questions spanning every major body system and developmental stage tested on the boards. You can filter by pediatrics specifically when creating custom practice tests, making it easy to target peds knowledge as a focused study area or to drill into a specific subtopic like pediatric pharmacology or congenital heart defects.
Does UWorld cover Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) question types for pediatrics?
Yes. Our QBank includes every NGN item type, Unfolding Case Studies, Bow-tie, Matrix, Extended SATA, Drag-and-Drop, Drop-Down, Highlight, and Trend questions, across all subjects including pediatrics. You’ll practice the exact question formats you’ll face on exam day, with the same partial-credit scoring the real NGN uses.
How does partial credit work on NGN pediatric questions?
The Next Generation NCLEX uses a plus/minus (+/−) scoring model for Select All That Apply (SATA) and other scored NGN item types. You earn points for correct selections and lose points for incorrect ones. The lowest possible score on any individual item is zero, you cannot receive a negative score.
What is the best way to memorize developmental milestones for nursing school?
The most efficient method is anchoring milestones to a small number of “flag” ages rather than trying to memorize every month: 2 months (social smile), 6 months (sits with support, rolls both ways), 9 months (pulls to stand, pincer grasp), 12 months (first words, walks), 2 years (two-word phrases), 4 years (hops on one foot, draws a person). Combine these anchor points with active recall through practice questions for the strongest long-term retention.
Can I use UWorld to focus specifically on pediatrics?
Yes. UWorld lets you create unlimited custom practice tests filtered by subject, body system, question status, and difficulty level. Select “Child Health” to generate a practice test made of peds questions, or combine it with a specific system filter (e.g., Cardiovascular + Pediatrics) to drill into the exact intersection you need.
Does UWorld offer a free trial for peds NCLEX practice?
Yes. UWorld offers a 7-day free trial that includes 50 exam-style NCLEX practice questions with full in-depth explanations and access to review videos, no credit card required. It’s the fastest way to experience how UWorld teaches pediatrics differently.
*98% of UWorld NCLEX-RN Review users who completed at least 75% of the QBank passed the NCLEX-RN the first time.