↗ Free NCLEX practice · 2026
NCLEX Delegation Practice Questions
Practice RN, LPN/LVN and UAP assignment decisions using scope, stability and predictability. The goal is not to memorize a letter pattern. Read the stem, identify the clinical problem, decide what matters most for safety, and compare every option against that priority.
These questions are original Free NCLEX Prep educational items, not official NCSBN questions. Use each rationale to review why the best option fits and why the alternatives are less appropriate. For stronger learning, answer before opening the explanation, then write one short takeaway from any item you miss.
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Do not chase perfect scores. Chase better reasoning.Every reviewed mistake can become a safer decision on the next question.
Question 1 · moderate · Management of Care
Which task is appropriate to assign to an experienced unlicensed assistive person?
- Evaluate whether a new insulin regimen is effective
- Complete the admission assessment on a newly arriving client
- Assist a stable client with a bed bath and report skin changes
- Teach a newly diagnosed client how to inject enoxaparin
Show answer & rationale
Best answer: C — Assist a stable client with a bed bath and report skin changesUAP assist with ADLs and report observations. Assessment, evaluation, and initial teaching stay with the licensed nurse (RN for initial comprehensive assessment/teaching).
Question 2 · moderate · Management of Care
Which client is the most appropriate assignment for an LPN/VN on a medical unit?
- A newly admitted client with suspected stroke and fluctuating mentation
- A stable client with a healing stage 2 pressure injury needing a sterile dressing change per protocol
- A client in the first hour after arriving from the PACU after Whipple surgery
- A client with new chest pain and diaphoresis
Show answer & rationale
Best answer: B — A stable client with a healing stage 2 pressure injury needing a sterile dressing change per protocolLPN/VN care fits stable clients with expected, protocolized procedures. Unstable, undifferentiated, or immediate postoperative high-acuity clients remain RN.
Question 3 · moderate · Management of Care
When deciding whether to delegate, which of the following must the nurse confirm? Select all that apply.
- The task is within the delegate’s legal scope and competency
- The client circumstance is stable enough for that task
- Clear directions and a plan for supervision/evaluation are given
- The nurse remains accountable for the outcome of the delegated task
- The delegate may independently change the plan of care if busy
Show answer & rationale
Best answer: ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D'] — Five rights include task, circumstance, person, direction/communication, and supervision. Accountability stays with the nurse. Delegates do not independently rewrite the plan.
Question 4 · moderate · Management of Care
A float nurse from postpartum arrives to a telemetry unit. Which assignment is safest?
- A client on a new dobutamine titration
- A stable client 2 days after an uncomplicated PCI awaiting discharge teaching reinforcement
- A client in active GI bleed receiving massive transfusion
- A client being cardioverted in 10 minutes
Show answer & rationale
Best answer: B — A stable client 2 days after an uncomplicated PCI awaiting discharge teaching reinforcementFloat staff should receive familiar, stable work. Titrations, hemorrhage, and imminent procedures require unit-specific competency.
Question 5 · moderate · Management of Care
Which activities should the RN not delegate to UAP? Select all that apply.
- Initial teaching of a new colostomy
- Interpretation of a new dysrhythmia
- Ambulation of a stable client as already assessed
- Evaluation of pain-regimen effectiveness
- Passing meal trays to stable clients
Show answer & rationale
Best answer: ['A', 'B', 'D'] — Teaching (initial), analysis, and evaluation are licensed-nurse functions. Ambulation of a stable assessed client and tray delivery can be UAP work.
Question 6 · moderate · Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
A unit of packed red cells arrives. Which action may be assigned to UAP?
- Complete the two-person identification at the bedside
- Obtain baseline vital signs as directed before the nurse starts the transfusion
- Hang the blood and set the infusion rate
- Decide whether a reaction is hemolytic or febrile
Show answer & rationale
Best answer: B — Obtain baseline vital signs as directed before the nurse starts the transfusionUAP may collect vital signs. Identification, hanging blood, and interpreting reactions are licensed-nurse (typically RN) responsibilities.
Question 7 · moderate · Safety and Infection Prevention and Control
Which infection-control task can UAP complete after instruction?
- Determine whether a client needs airborne or droplet isolation
- Empty a stable client’s urinal using the unit’s clean technique
- Decide when contact precautions can be discontinued
- Interpret a new C. difficile PCR result
Show answer & rationale
Best answer: B — Empty a stable client’s urinal using the unit’s clean techniqueUAP perform standard clean tasks. Isolation decisions and lab interpretation stay with the licensed nurse/provider.
How to use this practice well
Start with one pass without notes. On review, separate a knowledge gap from a decision-making gap. If you did not know a fact, review that concept. If you knew the facts but chose the wrong action, identify the cue or priority rule you overlooked. This keeps practice focused on clinical reasoning instead of raw question volume.
Build a repeatable NCLEX routine
Mix focused practice with broader daily sets. Focused pages help repair a specific weakness; mixed sets test whether you can recognize the problem when the category is not announced. As your exam approaches, add timed work and longer sessions, but keep rationale review central. Accuracy, reasoning and consistency matter more than rushing through a large bank.