Kaplan Nursing cheat sheet

Main idea = the point the whole passage supports; a detail supports one paragraph only. Test a candidate main idea by asking whether every paragraph relates to it.

Inference must be forced by the text: the answer follows necessarily from stated evidence, not from personal experience or plausibility.

Scope rule: an answer choice that is broader or narrower than the passage's claim is wrong even if the wording sounds accurate.

Tone words (critical, nostalgic, detached, cautionary) are signaled by diction and punctuation; identify the author's attitude toward the subject, not the subject itself.

Sequence questions: track chronological markers (first, by 1990, after that) and reorder events by stated time, not by order of mention.

Cause vs. correlation trap: passages using 'because', 'led to', 'resulted in' assert causation; 'accompanied by' or 'coincided with' does not.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep the one matching the passage's surrounding logic, not the most common dictionary sense.

Author's purpose options map to verbs: inform/explain, persuade/argue, entertain/narrate, describe/illustrate. Match the verb to the overall structure.

Paired-passage questions: note where the two authors agree and where one qualifies or rejects the other; the answer often hinges on that single divergence.

Order of operations: parentheses, exponents, multiplication/division left to right, addition/subtraction left to right.

Percent change = (new − old) / old × 100. Percent of a number: part = percent × whole; convert percent to decimal by dividing by 100.

Ratio and proportion: set up a/b = c/d and cross-multiply (ad = bc); keep units aligned in the same position.

Fractions: a/b ÷ c/d = a/b × d/c. Add or subtract only after finding a common denominator.

Slope = (y₂ − y₁)/(x₂ − x₁); slope-intercept form y = mx + b, where m is slope and b is y-intercept.

Area formulas: rectangle lw, triangle ½bh, circle πr²; circumference = 2πr. Volume of a rectangular solid = lwh.

Unit conversion: multiply by a conversion fraction equal to 1 (e.g., 1 kg/1000 g) and cancel units diagonally.

Mean = sum ÷ count; median = middle value of an ordered list; mode = most frequent value. Range = max − min.

Dosage calculation: dose ordered ÷ dose on hand × quantity on hand; verify the answer's units match the prescribed unit.

Cell organelles: mitochondria produce ATP, ribosomes synthesize protein, the nucleus stores DNA, and the cell membrane regulates what enters and exits.

Homeostasis is maintenance of stable internal conditions (temperature, pH, glucose, fluid balance) via negative feedback loops.

Blood flow: right side of the heart → lungs (pulmonary circuit); left side → body (systemic circuit). Arteries carry blood away from the heart.

Body planes: sagittal divides left/right, frontal (coronal) divides front/back, transverse divides top/bottom.

Anatomical position: proximal = closer to the trunk, distal = farther; superior = above, inferior = below.

pH scale: below 7 acidic, 7 neutral, above 7 basic; each unit is a tenfold change in hydrogen ion concentration.

Newton's laws: an object at rest stays at rest unless acted on by a net force (1st); F = ma (2nd); every action has an equal and opposite reaction (3rd).

Nursing safety: standard precautions apply to all body fluids; hand hygiene is the single most effective infection-control measure.

Vital sign baselines for adults: temperature about 36.5–37.5 °C (97.7–99.5 °F), pulse 60–100/min, respirations 12–20/min.

Subject-verb agreement: the verb matches the head noun, not a phrase between them ("The box of supplies is" not "are").

Pronoun-antecedent agreement: singular antecedent takes a singular pronoun; "each," "everyone," "neither" are singular.

Comma splice fix options: period, semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Nonessential clauses take commas; essential (restrictive) clauses do not: "Nurses who work nights" vs. "Nurses, who work nights,".

Dangling modifier: the introductory phrase must describe the subject of the main clause ("Walking into the room, the nurse…").

Its = possessive; it's = it is. Their/there/they're and your/you're are tested by substitution.

Affect is usually a verb (to influence); effect is usually a noun (a result).

Parallel structure: items in a list or comparison share the same grammatical form ("charting, assessing, and medicating").

Colon introduces a list or explanation after an independent clause; semicolon joins two independent clauses or separates complex list items.