Okay – so, I have heard a variety of crazy info and tips regarding select all that apply (SATA) questions and I wanted to take a few minutes to clarify a few things. Whether you’re still in nursing school, getting ready to take the NCLEX for the first time, or you’re a repeat test-taker – this article covers everything you NEED to KNOW about NCLEX® SATA Questions so you can place your focus where you need to, optimize your study efforts, and stop wasting time listening to misinformation that will only confuse you!

Below are 10 Need to KNOW SATA Question Facts:

Fact #1: Getting LOTS of SATA Questions DOES NOT Mean You’re Doing Well on the Exam!

Would you believe me if I told you that SATA questions are often written at LOW LEVELS? That’s right! You read it correctly – depending on how SATA questions are written, they can be considered to be low level because they simply require you to remember nursing content – NOT necessarily make careful decisions by applying or analyzing data. I know this may come to you as a surprise, but getting lots of SATA questions on the NCLEX does NOT mean you’re doing well on the exam! 😎 Don’t shoot the messenger!

In fact, you’ll see that an author over at the NCSBN used a SATA question as an example of a low level question: Demystifying the NCLEX (Part 2). Plus all my clients can see for themselves that most of the practice SATA questions we’ve come across in a variety of the NCLEX Prep Resources out there do in fact fall within the recognition/recall and comprehension/understanding difficulty levels.

Now, take a moment to really think about it – Do SATA questions ask you to make careful decisions about who you’re going to go see first? Do they ask for you to interpret data, and then decide what should be done next? Do they hide the topic or focus of the question? No! They simply challenge the test-taker to identify correct or incorrect information related to the topic of the question! That’s all. So, now that you know that SATA questions are not necessarily “high-level” test items, you can start approaching them for what they really are – content-based questions! You either know the information, or you don’t. The answers are either true, or false. It really is that simple.

Now – I’ve recently had a conversation with someone over at the NCSBN and they clarified that many SATA Questions CAN be written at higher levels – especially the NEW GENERATION NCLEX SATA QUESTIONS. I still have yet to see any SATA questions that truly challenge test-takers at the application or analysis level – but that doesn’t mean that SATA questions aren’t challenging – I know they are tough. They are especially challenging if you don’t know your nursing content that relates to the topic of the question – so focusing on the topic and knowing the basics of that information is essential to answering SATA questions correctly!

To further emphasize what I mean (and I will gladly honor professional debate and opinion) – let’s take a deeper look:

This question above is from the publicly posted 2019 NCLEX-RN Test Plan (page 25). I was provided with this example to illustrate how SATA questions can be written at the application level – but I believe it still falls within the difficulty level of comprehension. The reason why I believe this is because if the candidate knows what ineffective coping is, then it’s pretty simple to identify actions or behaviors that would meet the criteria of ineffective coping. This question does not require the candidate to apply any additional concepts or content that goes beyond the ability to identify correct or incorrect answers related to the topic of ineffective coping.

Now, it may just be that I am complicating things, or have a much higher standard for what qualifies as a high-level question – but I still have not found evidence of existing SATA questions being written at high levels and for that – I say let’s stick with the test-taking strategies that we know work!

A final note on SATA question difficulty – THEY ARE STILL DIFFICULT to answer because of the multiple answer format and should always be taken seriously. You can be sure that we’ll see more high level SATA questions being created to meet the minimum competency standards of the New Generation NCLEX!

Fact #2: Most SATA Questions Can Be Answered Like True or False

Although others may say that using the “true or false” method when choosing correct SATA question answer choices is an old trick that doesn’t really work – it does make sense to use this when you’re deciding if the answer choice meets the criteria of what the question is asking. For example, if the question is asking for you to identify correct standards of care for aspiration precautions, then you would simply ask if the answer choice is something that we would do for aspiration precautions (true) or is it something that we would not do (false). This helps you to feel more confident when selecting and eliminating answers.

So if the answer choices were:

1. a) Turn off the television
2. b) Give the patient tortilla chips
3. c) Sit the patient at 45 degrees
4. d) Assess the patient’s ability to swallow
5. e) Give the patient scrambled eggs

You’d simply say whether each one is true (is a standard of care for aspiration precautions) or false (is not a standard of care for aspiration precautions).

1. a) Turn off the television – True
2. b) Give the patient tortilla chips – False
3. c) Sit the patient at 45 degrees – False
4. d) Assess the patient’s ability to swallow – True
5. e) Give the patient scrambled eggs – True

Since this question was asking for us to identify correct standards of care for aspiration precautions, we selected each answer that is true and did not select the answers that were false. It really is as simple as that.

Fact #3: SATA Questions Can Have One or ALL Correct Answers

I have heard a lot of misinformation regarding how many correct answers SATA questions can have, and the truth of the matter is that they can have one or all correct answer choices. Since you don’t know how many answer choices you need to choose to get the correct sequence – this is why so many people fear SATA questions, and why so many people struggle with getting them correct. Instead of letting your fear of the unknown become a barrier for your success – focus on what you know to be true and select those answers. Don’t overthink it.

Fact #4: SATA Questions Challenge Your Understanding of Nursing Content

The NCLEX is designed to challenge your ability to make safe decisions, so if you’re guessing too much on NCLEX questions – the test will know it and you will most likely fail. So instead of guessing, be sure to leverage your existing knowledge to make sense of the answer choices. You don’t have to know everything you learned in nursing school in order to pass the NCLEX, but you do need to remember the basics. From there, you can use that wonderful brain of yours to connect the dots and pull from your existing understanding of nursing content to answer the questions. Now, the reality of the matter is that if you don’t remember ANYTHING from nursing school – well – you may be in big trouble. It is recommended that when you are preparing for the NCLEX, that you carefully review the rationale for incorrect answers – so that you have an opportunity to fill in any knowledge gaps before your exam.

Fact #5: You Have to Know What the Question is Asking to Answer SATA Questions Correctly

When you know what the question is asking – then it’s much easier to identify the correct answers on SATA questions. For example, sometimes SATA questions are asking for you to identify incorrect information. It’s essential that you pick up on that before you start looking at the answer choices. The creators of the NCLEX are highly educated and have decades of experience writing really challenging exam questions – so they know exactly how to carefully curate test items that can distract, confuse or trap careless test-takers into choosing the incorrect answers. But – you can be smarter than their distractions and be diligent in your approach and carefully consider the topic of the question and what the question is asking before making any decisions. In my NCLEX Strategies for Success Program, I discuss how you can be confident in deciding what the question is asking in a systematic approach. It is recommended that you use a systematic approach so that you do not overlook anything or make careless mistakes.

Fact #6: SATA Question Answers Can Be Dependent On Other Answer Choices

Sometimes answer choices in SATA questions can be dependent on other answer choices, and without one, another would not make sense. For example, we’ll go back to the example of identifying correct standards of care for aspiration precautions. If the nurse does not assess the client’s ability to swallow – then would it be appropriate to give the client scrambled eggs? However, since the nurse DID assess the client’s ability to swallow, then it’s appropriate to give the client scrambled eggs. If you did not choose the answer choice “assess the client’s ability to swallow”, then you could not confidently say that you’d give the client anything to eat or drink. When selecting answer choices, you have to consider the criteria for what makes the answer choice correct. If you’re unsure of an answer choice early on, skip it and go to the other answer choices first. In most cases, once you have selected all of the other answer choices and return to the one you weren’t sure about – your previous answer choices will help to validate whether or not the one you skipped is a correct or not. Just take your time and think it through.

Fact #7: SATA Questions Often Focus on Standards of Care and Expected Outcomes

Remember when I said SATA questions challenge your understanding of Nursing Content? Well, the way in which they do so is by determining if you know how to identify correct standards of care (like aspiration precautions) and expected outcomes of the care being provided. For those individuals who may not be strong in certain content areas, SATA questions may seem to be very difficult. For example, let’s focus on the topic of Postpartum Care. If you do not know the standards of care for postpartum care, then you may have difficulty correctly answering a SATA question that focused on this topic. Here is an example of how a SATA question challenges a test-taker’s understanding of the standards of care for postpartum care:

The nurse is observing a student nurse provide care for a mother who just delivered a 7lb 2 oz baby girl 8 hours ago. It was a vaginal delivery, without any complications and without any anesthesia. Which of the following, if observed by the nurse, would indicate that the care being delivered is appropriate? Select all that apply.

1. a) The student nurse assesses the mother’s fundus
2. b) The student nurse tells the mother that it’s okay to rest and that she can skip her next set of vital signs
3. c) The student nurse visually inspects the vagina and surrounding area for bleeding
4. d) The student nurse leaves the room to give the mother privacy while she is using the toilet
5. e) The student nurse informs the mother that she should call for help before getting out of bed

When looking at this question and the answer choices, you have to know correct standards of care for postpartum patients in order to answer this correctly. If you do not know, then you can’t make much sense of this question. The correct answer choices are:

1. a) The student nurse assesses the mother’s fundus
2. b) The student nurse tells the mother that it’s okay to rest and that she can skip her next set of vital signs
3. c) The student nurse visually inspects the vagina and surrounding area for bleeding
4. d) The student nurse leaves the room to give the mother privacy while she is using the toilet
5. e) The student nurse informs the mother that she should call for help before getting out of bed

Again, looking at the answers and asking yourself: “Does this make sense?” really helps for you to feel confident about your answer choice, so be sure to do that before moving on to the next item.

Fact #8: Correct Answers for SATA Questions Should be Directly Related to the Topic – BUT isn’t always

Okay – so, this one can be a little tricky. Over the years, I have seen MANY examples where SATA questions include answer choices that aren’t necessarily directly related to the topic, however they are ALWAYS correct standards of care, and therefore are marked as correct on practice tests, q-banks, and even the NCLEX itself. An example of an answer choice that falls into this category is: “Change bed linens and patient gown when soiled or wet”. The topic of the question may be correct standards of care for medication administration, but if this answer choice is present – then it’s TRUE – you would change the bed linens and patient gown when soiled or wet. In SATA questions, you don’t get to make the decision of whether or not something applies to the situation. It is either always a standard of care, or never a standard of care – so be careful when thinking about the answer choices. If the statement is true – then its a correct answer.

Fact #9: Don’t Pick Conflicting Answers when Answering SATA Questions

Conflicting answers are when two or more answers are opposites or they contradict the others. You cannot choose answers that go against each other, because if you do – then you’ve made a mistake. Don’t forget that your answers can be dependent on others. If you go back and see that you have answers that are not in alignment with the topic of the question – then you should double check your answers by comparing it to the criteria of what the question is asking. Remember that each answer choice should be related to the topic to satisfy what the question is challenging. Being able to identify what the question is asking really helps in your ability to do this.

Fact #10: When in Doubt for SATA Questions – Ask Yourself: “Does This Make Sense?“

Not just for SATA questions, but for all NCLEX style questions – you should always ask yourself “Does this make sense?” before choosing your answers and moving onto the next question. This gives you the chance to evaluate (the last phase of the nursing process) your selection to see if it meets the needs of the question – the same way we evaluate whether or not what we’ve done is meeting the needs of the patient. If we have not satisfied the question by selecting the answer that best meets the criteria of the question, then we must go back to the beginning and see what we may have missed. It’s not a bad idea to go over your question and answer choices to be sure you’ve considered everything, but be mindful of your time. Spending too much time on SATA questions is not worth it – after all – they are low level questions and it’s okay if you miss a few on the exam.  You just don’t want to miss too many!

I hope you found these 10 tips for SATA questions to be helpful! If you or someone you know need help develop strategies for NCLEX success, be sure to visit thenursespeak.com/program-options and enroll in our self-paced or tutoring program options today! If you have questions and would like to speak with me directly, please visit thenursespeak.com/contact and use the scheduling tool to book an inquiry call with me – I’d love to speak with you!

I look forward to helping you or someone you know pass the NCLEX and get that nursing license!

Hope to chat with you soon!

Best Wishes!

-Damion