By Richard 
If you are a nursing student or a recent graduate, the phrase “rn fundamentals 2016 70 questions” likely stirs up a specific memory: the pressure of a proctored exam or the anxiety of an online practice test. Fundamentals courses are the bedrock of nursing education, and the assessments tied to them—often built around 70 critical questions—are designed to do more than just test your memory. They are designed to test your clinical judgment.
Whether you are preparing for the ATI RN Fundamentals Proctored Exam, searching for practice questions from the 2016 test plan, or simply trying to solidify your foundational knowledge, this guide is for you. We will break down what these exams entail, why the 2016 test plan remains relevant, and how you can tackle those 70 questions with confidence.
The Enduring Relevance of the 2016 NCLEX-RN Test Plan
You might be wondering: if the NCLEX updates its test plan every few years, why focus on the 2016 version? The answer lies in stability. The rn fundamentals 2016 70 questions format represents a classic era of nursing education that many instructors still use as a benchmark.
While the NCLEX exam itself evolves, the core fundamentals of nursing—safety, infection control, basic care and comfort, and pharmacological parenteral therapies—have remained largely consistent. The 2016 test plan was particularly well-regarded for its heavy emphasis on prioritization and delegation, skills that are timeless in the healthcare setting. Studying questions from this period helps you build a strong foundation before layering on the newer concepts like clinical judgment measurements found in the latest NGN (Next Generation NCLEX) models.
Decoding the 70-Question Format
Why 70 questions? In the world of nursing assessments, 70 questions is a “sweet spot.” It is long enough to thoroughly sample your knowledge across major content areas, but short enough to be administered in a standard classroom or testing center period.
When you sit down to take an rn fundamentals 2016 70 questions exam, you are typically facing a comprehensive evaluation that covers:
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Management of Care: Prioritizing patient assignments, delegating to LPNs and CNAs, and understanding legal ethics.
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Safety and Infection Control: Standard precautions, isolation protocols, and preventing medical errors.
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Health Promotion: Growth and development, antepartum care, and routine screenings.
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Basic Care and Comfort: Nutrition, mobility, and non-pharmacological comfort measures.
The challenge of the 70-question format is pacing. With an average of 60 to 90 seconds per question, you need to move quickly but accurately.
Common Topics Covered in RN Fundamentals 2016
To master the rn fundamentals 2016 70 questions assessment, you need to know where to focus your study time. Based on the 2016 test plan analysis, the following categories consistently appear:
1. Safety and Infection Control (The Top Priority)
The NCLEX and fundamentals courses are obsessed with safety—and for good reason. Expect multiple questions on:
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Hand hygiene: When to wash with soap and water vs. alcohol-based rubs.
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Isolation precautions: Knowing the difference between Contact, Droplet, and Airborne precautions (e.g., a patient with MRSA requires Contact precautions; a patient with Tuberculosis requires Airborne).
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Fire safety: The RACE acronym (Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish) is a guaranteed question.
2. Basic Care and Comfort
These questions assess your ability to keep the patient stable and comfortable.
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Mobility: How to safely turn a patient, use a gait belt, and prevent contractures.
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Elimination: Care for indwelling urinary catheters and assessing bowel sounds.
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Nutrition: Therapeutic diets for conditions like diabetes or heart failure.
3. Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
You do not need to know every drug detail for fundamentals, but you must know the basics of medication administration.
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The “Rights” of Medication Administration: Right patient, drug, dose, route, time, and documentation.
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Injections: Where to give an IM injection (ventrogluteal is preferred for adults) vs. Subcutaneous injections (abdomen).
4. Psychosocial Integrity
Even in fundamentals, you must understand the patient’s mind.
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Therapeutic Communication: Avoiding “why” questions, offering empathy, and using open-ended statements.
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Grief and Loss: Understanding Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief.
How to Effectively Use Practice Questions
Studying for an rn fundamentals 2016 70 questions exam requires more than just reading a textbook. You have to think like a nurse. Here is how to maximize your practice sessions:
Active Reviewing
Do not just read the question, guess, and check the answer. Read the rationale for every single option.
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Correct Answer Rationale: Understand why it is right. Is it because the patient was unstable? Is it because of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
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Incorrect Answer Rationales: Understanding why the other three are wrong solidifies the concept in your brain and prevents you from making the same mistake twice.
Prioritization Frameworks
The 70-question fundamentals exam is notorious for asking, “Which patient should the nurse see first?” To answer these:
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Use the ABCs: Airway, Breathing, Circulation always comes first.
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Use Maslow: Physiological needs come before safety, love, or esteem.
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Use Acute vs. Chronic: Acute issues (sudden chest pain) always take priority over chronic issues (long-standing knee pain).
Building Your Study Strategy
Conquering the rn fundamentals 2016 70 questions assessment requires a game plan. Here is a week-by-week strategy to ensure you are prepared:
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Week 1 (Content Review): Dust off your fundamentals textbook. Focus on the chapters related to safety, infection control, and vital signs. Create flashcards for the isolation precautions and normal lab values.
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Week 2 (Focused Practice): Take a practice quiz of 25 questions every night. Focus specifically on the areas where you scored the lowest in Week 1.
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Week 3 (The Full Simulation): Sit in a quiet room with a timer. Take a full 70-question practice exam without interruptions. This builds your mental stamina.
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Week 4 (Remediation): Review every question you missed in your simulation. Write down the concept you missed and teach it to a friend or study partner.
The Transition to Next Gen (NGN)
It is important to note that while you are studying “rn fundamentals 2016 70 questions,” the nursing world has shifted toward the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN). The NGN includes new question types like “Bow-tie” and “Trend” questions.
However, do not panic. The fundamentals have not changed. The 2016 content is the foundation upon which the NGN is built. You cannot answer a complex case study about a deteriorating patient (NGN style) if you do not know the basics of taking a blood pressure or identifying a heart rhythm (2016 style). Use the 70-question tests to drill the basics, and then apply that knowledge to the newer, longer case studies.
Final Tips for Exam Day
When you sit down to take your actual rn fundamentals 2016 70 questions exam, remember these last-minute tips:
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Read the Last Line First: Read the actual question (e.g., “What is the priority intervention?”) before reading the long patient scenario. This tells you what to look for.
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Look for Qualifiers: Words like “first,” “priority,” “best,” and “most important” signal that you are prioritizing, not just identifying a correct action.
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Trust Your Gut: Your first answer is usually correct unless you misread the question. Only change an answer if you find definitive proof in the text that you were wrong.
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Stay Calm: If you hit a hard question, take a deep breath. Mark it for review if the test allows, and move on. A clear head answers better than a panicked one.
Nursing fundamentals are the building blocks of your entire career. Mastering these 70 questions is not just about passing a class; it is about ensuring you have the knowledge to keep your future patients safe.